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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.
A visual timeline of Lauren's career.
From audit textbooks to real-world experience
Before I started my 12-month placement at the firm, I didn’t have a lot of first-hand experience or knowledge of audit, other than what I’d read in a textbook. I wanted to know what the career path was really like, and a placement year seemed like the perfect way to find out.
I was excited that a career in commercial audit could expose me to the world of business, clients, and travel. I knew there was a great opportunity to meet a lot of people at Grant Thornton, as the audit team works with various other departments throughout the process. Even if I didn’t stay in audit for the rest of my career, it would put me in good stead to advance my skills, knowledge, and experience in so many ways.
Another thing I loved about the placement is that I could complete my ACA (Chartered Accountant) qualification alongside working. This was invaluable as it meant I could learn something and then potentially start seeing in practice through real client work.
Building confidence and creating connections
When I first started my placement, I wasn’t a very confident person. Public speaking and presenting didn’t come naturally to me, but I was keen to develop these skills. When I was asked to speak to a financial director quite early on in my placement, it really helped me come out of my shell and feel more confident in myself and my work.
When my placement finished in 2017, I returned to university as a campus ambassador for Grant Thornton. It felt really rewarding to help prospective candidates learn more about the firm’s placement opportunities, giving advice on the application process and coaching on different interview techniques.
After I finished university, I was so excited to return to the firm to start my role as an audit associate! This opened so many doors to new opportunities and my confidence continued to build. I started speaking at induction events, getting involved in small charity events, and taking part in the buddy scheme for any new associates joining the firm. I felt passionate about amplifying the message that we as a firm prioritise our people, and wanted to help the associates feel supported throughout the start of their career and beyond.
When I was asked to speak to a financial director quite early on in my placement, it really helped me come out of my shell and feel more confident in myself and my work.
Embracing new opportunities in audit learning
My career has since taken a different direction than I originally set out on. After a couple of years in commercial audit, I was approached by my people manager about a secondment opportunity in the audit learning team. I’d been involved with training and running the local inductions, and they saw how engaged I was with the associates and my drive to make a difference to their experience.
The role seemed like the perfect fit for me, and I was offered a job share where I could split my time between commercial audit and the audit learning team. That would change just two months later when I was invited to speak on a panel for Talent 23, our annual induction conference for trainees. After noticing my growing skills in public speaking and passion for people, my people manager encouraged me to pursue the full-time secondment to the audit learning team, which has since become a permanent role.
Stepping away from a commercial audit role that I knew so well was challenging at first, but my time with the audit learning team has been amazing. Our team produces training materials to make sure all audit teams are equipped to take on their day-to-day roles and responsibilities, and train internal facilitators so they’re prepared to deliver our courses. I love being involved in so many new projects and working with people and teams that I otherwise might not have if I hadn’t taken the opportunity.
Looking to the future
I’ve always seen a future with Grant Thornton. Although the career path I imagined has changed slightly, being supported by the commercial audit team to transition into audit learning felt like the perfect move for my career.
The firm offers so many diverse opportunities to help you to find roles, responsibilities and skills that complement your work style and personality. I’m such a people person, so having the opportunity to network with wider teams has encouraged me to think outside of the box about my future. I want to make people’s learning experiences the best they can be, and I’d love to continue working in roles where I can really make that difference.