-
Future Accountants: Kerry’s journey into audit through apprenticeship
Choosing to take the alternative route into accountancy, Kerry started her career through an apprenticeship rather than university. Here, she shares how she’s building a rewarding career in audit – and why being curious, authentic, and supported makes all the difference.
-
Future Accountants: Dan’s journey from English literature to Indirect Tax
From literature to ledgers, Dan Barber’s journey into Indirect Tax proves that the path to becoming a future accountant doesn’t have to be traditional. Now two years into his graduate programme, Dan shares how curiosity, support, and a love of problem-solving helped him thrive in a new field.
-
Future Accountants: Julia’s journey from economics graduate to Tax Associate
Supported by a culture of encouragement and hands-on learning, Julia’s journey from economics student to Tax Associate began with a four-week internship that shaped her career path. In her own words, she shares how discovering her strengths, gaining real responsibility, and growing through feedback have helped her thrive in Financial Services Tax.
-
Starting at the firm: How Emily balances audit, exams, and international hockey
Emily Dark, one of our Audit Associates, reflects on her first two years at Grant Thornton — from studying for her ICAS exams to representing Scotland in international hockey. She shares how the firm’s culture empowered her to thrive both professionally and personally, offering insights to help future trainees feel confident as they begin their careers and explore the opportunities ahead.
-
Future Accountants: Yad’s journey from BTEC to Audit Associate
Yad’s path into audit began with a BTEC in Business and a job as a line chef, experiences that sparked his interest in teamwork, problem-solving, and learning by doing. Now an apprentice at Grant Thornton, he reflects on how feedback, support, and a collaborative culture have helped him grow into a professional member of the audit team.
-
Future Accountants: Maria’s path from audit intern to Advisory Associate
Maria’s journey has been shaped by curiosity and continuous growth. In her own words, she shares how moving from Dubai to London opened the door to a career in accountancy, how her internship helped her find her fit in advisory, and why feedback, mentorship, and real responsibility have helped her thrive.
-
Kevin's story
Everyone at Grant Thornton benefits from private medical insurance, and Kevin experienced its value first-hand. Here he talks about when his life changed dramatically in 2022, and how the support of those around him have allowed him to continue excelling in a role he loves.
-
Future Accountants: Alex’s pivot from biomedical science graduate to audit trainee
Driven by curiosity and an appetite for variety, Alex’s journey from biomedical science graduate to audit trainee has been shaped by hands-on experience, a supportive culture, and a commitment to continuous learning. In her own words, she shares how embracing new challenges, building confidence through feedback, and living the firm’s values have helped her grow.
-
Returning with purpose: Mike’s path back to the firm
Mike talks to us about rejoining Grant Thornton, his drivers for returning to the firm, and setting the right boundaries to achieve the right work-life balance.
-
Empowered to progress: Oliver’s data-driven trainee experience
With a degree in modern languages, Oliver took an alternative route into professional services. Now working in transaction services, he shares how the firm has empowered him to grow, explore new areas of interest, and make a meaningful impact – even as a trainee.
-
Back with balance: How Hadia found her rhythm after maternity leave
Returning to work after maternity leave can be daunting – but for Hadia, Accounting Advisory Manager in CFO Solutions, it became a story of support, development, and reconnection. She shares how the firm’s culture and policies have helped her find her rhythm and continue growing after entering the world of motherhood.
-
Meaningful work and real connection: Lola’s first eight months in Real Estate Tax
Lola joined Grant Thornton as a member of the Real Estate Tax team. Originally from Nigeria, she brings a global perspective, a passion for meaningful work, and a deep appreciation for community – both inside and outside the firm. In just eight months, she’s already made an impact, not only through her work but also by helping others find their place at the firm. Here’s her story.
-
Future Accountant: Nirunthan, Advisory Associate
Nirunthan (Niru) joined the firm as a placement student during his university years. After graduating, he returned to the firm as an advisory associate in the Transactions Advisory Services team – a move that reflects his passion for applying accounting skills in a commercial, project-driven environment. Niru shares his experience as a placement student, including the challenges he overcame and the culture that shaped his development.
-
“You are not alone”: Nana Yaw’s mission to normalise conversations about men’s mental health
In a culture where men are often expected to stay silent about their struggles, Nana Yaw is using his voice to challenge stigma, share his experiences, and encourage others to do the same. He’s on a mission to help normalise conversations around wellbeing – especially for men from ethnic minority backgrounds. Here’s his story.
-
Portraits of Power
Portraits of Power
-
Top 10 career tips
Everyone benefits from a little advice, especially when they’re starting out. So, we've put together our top 10 tips to help you ace your applications and kick start your career in the best possible way.
-
Ignite work experience
Are you ready to take the first step towards an exciting career in Accountancy? Our Grant Thornton Ignite Work Experience Programme is designed to give you a real taste of life at our firm.
-
Interns and placements
Summer internships and 12-month placement programmes give you a fantastic opportunity to find out more about careers in professional services, and they can set you on a fast track through to an offer for your graduate programme.
-
Graduate programmes
Our three-year graduate programme will take you from graduate to professionally qualified, opening up a world of opportunity.
-
Apprenticeships
For anyone with A-Level (or equivalent) qualifications, an apprenticeship helps fast track you to qualification whilst you earn, and if you join straight after A-Levels, you can qualify ahead of your peers who go to university.
A visual timeline of Alison's career.
From teacher to tax associate
I’ve always loved a challenge – to stretch myself by learning something new. When my youngest daughter started school it felt like the perfect time to transition to something new. I was looking for a role which would challenge me, which lined up with conventional working hours but also had some flexibility, which would keep me learning and growing, with good opportunities for progression, and where I could work in a supportive and growing team. Working in tax had the challenge and variety that I was looking for, and Grant Thornton had the culture.
Music and teaching may seem as far from tax as you can get, but I’ve found a lot of the skills I developed have really helped through my time so far. As an arts subject, music can sometimes be seen as a softer, more ‘floaty’ pursuit, however at a high-level it requires detailed analysis and reflection, in real-time, of how you are performing. You are constantly striving to improve on what you have already achieved, and you seek and receive regular feedback, whether that’s from a teacher or an audience, good or bad. You have to develop resilience and grit, and I think this really helps in the workplace.
Before I started, I was a bit worried that I would feel out of place among my cohort, but that hasn’t been my experience at all. I’m training with some amazing people, and my team are varied in both age and stage. Being a teacher, I had to adapt what I was delivering to meet the learning styles and needs of so many different students. This meant my arsenal of learning tools and my understanding of how we learn became so much more developed than when I was at university – I'm able to apply these techniques now to my own learning to ensure that I am efficient and able to make the most of my study time.
The balancing act
I won’t lie – it's definitely not easy balancing work, study and family, and at times it can feel overwhelming. But these times are short-lived and they pass. One of the sayings I come back to regularly is, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything”. This really helps remind me that I have to prioritise what is most important to me, and what is most important right now. I often have to make choices, but instead of feeling like I’m sacrificing or missing out, I remind myself I’m getting to choose what I want most.
This means you’ll find me going to bed by 10pm so I can get up and run at 6am before my children get up. I’ll work long days when I’m in the office so that I can pick my children up from school when I’m working from home. I’ll study from 7-9pm instead of watching TV so that I can spend a bit of time with my children between school and their bedtime. Sometimes it is absolutely exhausting, but there are a lot of good times – whether that’s getting good exam results, receiving good feedback, or just laughing about something over dinner as a family. It definitely feels worth the effort.
The opportunities are there
Considering I only joined in September 2023, I have already had so many incredible opportunities within the firm and I can see from others that continues as you progress - you just need to be willing and put your hand up. My standout one so far would be being part of the Spring budget response team. I got to go to London and see how it all works – how much work is put into creating the content that goes out after a budget announcement. I got to meet the marketing and content team, watch the budget with a range of colleagues from across the firm, then head upstairs to fact check the information that was being created in front of us with partners and directors, and our Head of Tax, Hazel. I was only a small part of it, but it felt exciting to be involved in something much bigger than me.
One thing that has surprised me about tax is the relationships we get to build with the clients. The ‘tax man’ doesn’t get a good rap, and I assumed we would get lumped in with that, with clients perhaps feeling resentful towards us. However we have really good relationships with our clients, and they're grateful for our advice and expertise.
If anyone, at any stage of their career, is thinking about making a change, I would absolutely recommend trainee programmes, they’re not just for the fresh out of school or uni, and you’d be surprised by how many transferable skills you have built up during your career to date.