Industrial Placement Review

As an Industrial Placement Student within Deloitte’s Portfolio Financial Services Audit team, my day-to-day role involved supporting audit engagements across a range of financial services clients. My responsibilities included completing audit testing, documenting workpapers, reviewing client evidence, participating in walkthrough meetings, responding to review comments and communicating with client finance teams. The work varied depending on the stage of each audit, from planning and controls testing to completion and sign-off. I also worked across different engagement teams, which required me to adapt quickly to new clients, business models and working styles while managing deadlines and maintaining high-quality documentation.

I was given a significant level of responsibility throughout the placement, particularly as my technical knowledge and confidence developed. On some engagements, I took ownership of entire sections of the audit file, led client walkthroughs by myself and communicated directly with senior stakeholders, including a client CFO. I was also responsible for managing competing priorities when working across more than one client and for escalating issues appropriately when support was required.

I developed both technical and interpersonal skills throughout the placement. Technically, I gained practical experience in audit testing, process walkthroughs, evaluating client evidence, documenting workpapers and applying professional scepticism. I also improved my understanding of financial services, controls, financial instruments and audit quality. Alongside this, I strengthened my communication, time management, adaptability and teamwork by working across different clients and small engagement teams.

I received a good level of support throughout the placement, particularly through my Buddy and People Leader. They provided useful advice, helped me reflect on feedback and gave me someone to approach when I was unsure how to handle a situation. However, because Portfolio audit teams were often small and colleagues were managing demanding workloads, there were times when I would have benefited from more immediate guidance on unfamiliar tasks.

The company culture was generally welcoming, collaborative and inclusive. I worked with colleagues across different levels of seniority, and most people were approachable and willing to share their knowledge when time allowed. Deloitte also offered many opportunities to meet people outside my immediate team through social and wellbeing activities, including football, running clubs and firm-wide events. I found that working together in person often strengthened team morale and made communication easier, although hybrid working also provided useful flexibility. Overall, the atmosphere encouraged professional development, teamwork and relationship-building, while still maintaining high expectations around quality and client service.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement because it gave me the opportunity to develop professionally while gaining a realistic understanding of a career in audit. I particularly valued the variety of clients, the responsibility I was given and the chance to work with different teams across the year. Although some periods were demanding, especially when balancing multiple engagements and learning unfamiliar processes, these challenges contributed significantly to my confidence and development. The experience confirmed my interest in audit and allowed me to begin the ACA qualification.

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