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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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“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.
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Portraits of Power
Portraits of Power
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Graduate programmes
Our three-year graduate programme will take you from graduate to professionally qualified, opening up a world of opportunity.
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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.
My route into accountancy and journey to partner is maybe a little different to what people would typically expect, and that is one of the main reasons I think social mobility is so important. If we don’t open up the profession to people from different backgrounds, and different educational journeys, we won’t reach a diverse workforce and we’re missing out on fantastic talent.
I left school at 16 and worked in my hometown of Scunthorpe for a year or so, doing various jobs including working in factories packing goods into boxes and cutting PVC windows frames. After some discussion with my siblings, I decided to move to London where they were living at that time. I didn’t particularly have a plan about what I wanted to do, but I knew I wanted more opportunity than I would get living in Scunthorpe.
My first step into the world of professional services was as a security guard at one of the large professional services firms and it was through chatting to the people who worked there that I started to learn more about what they did and saw that there may be the option to consider it as a career. The opportunity did come up, and through me networking with the finance team, I managed to secure a role in finance. That then ultimately lead to a role in VAT working in the same building where I was previously manning the security desk.
One of my biggest concerns when I started in this career was my written English. It was not a strong area of mine throughout school. I knew that it was an area I would need to greatly improve to be successful within this environment, particularly as so much of what we do is providing written advice on the law.
When I started, I spent a lot of time reading other people’s reports and memos, and learning how they structured their written work. The reality is that I learnt a lot better through learning on the job, rather than in the classroom environment, and it hasn’t held me back. Yes, it’s taken a lot of hard work, but I’ve been able to achieve some amazing things.
What really stood out to me through the process of joining Grant Thornton, is how everybody is able to be themselves. I joined the firm in June 2023, having spent the vast majority of my career in two of the larger professional services firms. You get a real sense of who people are at Grant Thornton, which isn’t something I had come across at previous firms.
I know in myself that I’ve changed the way I speak over the years, but since being at Grant Thornton, I don’t feel like I am going to be judged by colleagues or clients if I don’t use sophisticated and complex words where it’s not necessary. Nor will I be judged because of my accent – accent bias is something that I experienced in the early part of my career. Previously, I know I have had a ‘client’ mode and a ‘partner’ mode, and have chosen the words I use very carefully, often over complicating simpler terms. Now, I feel able to be myself in a way that I haven’t previously.
One of the big pulls for me, after 10 years at my previous firm, was that by joining Grant Thornton I was getting the opportunity to build a team and really develop the firm’s Financial Services VAT offering. Rather than stepping into an existing team, I have the opportunity to build the business.