-
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 Hannah's career.
Apprenticeship over University
I didn’t want to go to university mainly because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to study. I did A-Levels in Economics, History, and Politics, and while I liked these subjects, I didn’t feel passionate enough about any of them to study them for three years. That’s when I started exploring the apprenticeship route. I did some work experience in consulting and tax at another professional services firm and I loved it. I realised that this was the career path I wanted to pursue, and I applied to Grant Thornton.
From the moment I applied for the role and throughout the onboarding process, I felt really supported by the trainee recruitment team. They made regular calls to check in on how I was feeling before each interview stage, which really helped ease my nerves. This whole experience left me with a fantastic first impression, and since joining it’s clear this is a firm that really values its people, as candidates, and as employees.
I have learnt so much about how the firm operates in my first year, through my day to day role and different projects I have been involved with. I’ve already had the opportunity to attend client meetings, which has given me great exposure to the role our team plays. One of the many highlights I have had this year, is being able to build such strong relationships with people within our team, which has made my year extremely enjoyable.
Netball and tax
I've always been really into sports and I got into netball when I was eight at school. Since then, I have played with Brentwood Netball Club before being picked for the Essex Netball Academy, and in 2021, I made it into the U17 Netball Premier League London Pulse Squad which is a netball super league team.
Over the past three years, my netball career has flourished and in April I reached a personal high point when I was selected to play for the England Future Roses netball squad. I have gone from playing in the U21 London Pulse team and for New Cambell, a women’s team in the Premier League, to being scouted for the England U19 Academy and chosen to play for the England Future Roses squad, which is Netball England’s second team.
I was a bit apprehensive about managing my work and sports commitments, but I've had amazing support from my manager, team, and the firm. When I told my manager in April, he was really understanding and supportive. I was concerned about how the firm would approach it, especially with mid-week training camps, but the support and flexibility has been incredible. Everyone has been really understanding, and together we worked out an agreement that allows me to balance both. I have actually taken the decision to delay some of my exams, which will mean I qualify 6-months later than my peers, but it allows me to focus on both netball and tax when I need to.
Learning to balance
Balancing my netball commitments with other areas of my life is nothing new to me – although juggling work, exams and netball took a while to adjust to. At the beginning, it felt overwhelming, and I was worried about fitting everything in. But I've learned a lot about time management and prioritisation from my team, and now I know I can handle it all. It just took some time to figure it out!
I am now in the middle of my netball training programme and have found it challenging managing both. However, my team have been extremely accommodating which has definitely made it easier. By planning all of my work and handovers, I am able to make it clear to my team when I can pick work up and when I need to hand it over. The team have been really understanding, and by working this way I am able to enjoy and thrive in both netball and work at the same time.
The main piece of advice I would give to others who are juggling commitments inside and outside of work is to try and have good time management. Whilst balancing commitments is difficult, if you are organised with your work, and have good time management, this will make it much easier to get your work done on time and will enable you to use your spare time for your other commitments.
The best part of my job is the variety. Every day is different, and I get to work with a wide range of people. Being in a large team allows me to build new relationships, learn about different clients and processes, and tackle a wide range of tasks. It's never the same routine with the same people.