-
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 Janica's career.
From the Philippines to the UK, and back again
Working as an OTM, I had built up good relationships with people from the UK firm and enjoyed working with them, so when the opportunity of a secondment arose, I jumped at the opportunity. My relocation was really smooth as I had friends and colleagues who were really helpful with things like finding accommodation and recommending places to eat, little things like this really made a big difference to my experience relocating.
Working for Grant Thornton UK didn’t feel hugely different to my role back in the Philippines, as I was already working closely with the UK team. I loved being able to meet the people who I had worked with as an OTM, see the faces behind the names on the audit files or review notes, and working in person alongside them really helped me to learn more about the culture of the UK, and the UK firm, as well as their work ethics. I think when working as offshore team members it’s important to understand each other in that way as it helps to build those relationships and helps you all deliver your best work.
One thing I struggled with at first was communication, I felt very shy speaking up in meetings or group chats. I made a conscious effort to spend more time in the office, and the more I visited client sites and worked alongside colleagues in the office the more comfortable I felt and I have grown a lot during this time. I am a lot more open and confident now.
It’s been important for me to keep in touch with my Grant Thornton Philippines colleagues whilst I am here, as I have always known I would be returning so I wanted to still feel connected to the firm. I’ve had regular informal chats, and one of the great things about the UK firm having OTMs is that sometimes I would be on a team with an OTM and we would take the opportunity to catch up about the team back home. I think for anyone going on an outbound secondment, it is important to keep that connection to your ‘home’ firm, as a lot can change during your time away.
Learnings to take home
Working as part of the UK team has been really interesting, and it’s great to work alongside people I worked with in my OTM role, and meet clients in person. I have definitely grown in confidence during my secondment, and am much more comfortable communicating with clients and also my UK colleagues. When I return home, I hope to be able to use my experiences to help my Philippine colleagues, grow their confidence by sharing my knowledge and the practices I have learnt whilst here.
One thing I would always recommend, to both inbound, and outbound secondees, is embrace the social opportunities, get involved with different opportunities that present themselves as it all helps you grow and develop, both professionally and personally.
What keeps me in audit
I really enjoy working in audit as it’s a practice where there is continuous learning and development, whether that’s through working in different industries or the range of clients we work with. I think one of the things for me that keeps it interesting is keeping up to date with accounting standards and findings from regulators, and collaborating with colleagues to make sure everything is adhered to. It’s a career that can open so many doors, if I hadn’t been working in audit, I wouldn’t have ended up in the UK on secondment!
I find working in audit incredibly rewarding because our work is highly valued. The role offers opportunities for both personal and professional growth, as it involves engaging with various industries and different facets of the audit process. It's fast paced, as clients evolve and adapt to changing audit standards and we strive to consistently deliver high-quality, value-adding audits to our clients.