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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.
Liulu originally joined Grant Thornton in public services audit in 2018 and has just rejoined the firm as a commercial audit senior manager, after a 15-month spell at another professional services firm. We caught up with Liulu to find out what brought her back to Grant Thornton, and how she has found re-joining the firm.
I originally joined Grant Thornton’s public services audit (PSA) team in 2018 but left the firm in 2020. I was considering moving back into commercial and was contacted by a large professional services firm, I’d always wondered what working at one of the larger firms would be like so when one of the large firms contacted me it felt like the right time. After a year, I decided that it wasn’t the right firm for me and looked at roles back at Grant Thornton. Whilst I really enjoyed my time with a larger firm, Grant Thornton is my home and where I can see a future.
I was given more opportunities and felt encouraged to excel more at Grant Thornton, which is one of the main drivers behind me returning. When I worked within the PSA team, they supported my secondment to the China Desk one day a week working on business development, which allowed me to develop my career and utilise my first language as a skill to help the firm. The fact the team supported me to do this when it took me away from my day-to-day role, really showed that they cared about my development as an individual and what I was looking for. My experience over the last year is that those opportunities aren’t as available within a bigger firm, and everyone is more focused on delivering for their one team.
I also realised I had more opportunities to stretch myself beyond my current role at Grant Thornton. Whilst I was an Assistant Manager here, I was given opportunities to present in audit tenders and take part in the recruitment process, which are experiences that I wouldn’t have received at that level within another firm.
The other big pull for me at Grant Thornton is the culture, and how accessible everyone is. I could walk onto any floor within the Finsbury Square office and find myself sat next to a partner, and everyone feels approachable. There is a strong sharing culture across teams, in terms of work templates, software tips and resources. I feel everyone is working together and helping each other to achieve the best for the firm not just their team. This is something I missed when I wasn’t here. I am a very outgoing person and feel that at Grant Thornton I can be myself entirely.
The re-joining process has been great. When I arrived home after my first day back in the office my husband commented on how happy I looked, I couldn’t stop smiling. Before I started back, I met my buddy and the team arranged calls with me so that I could meet some members of my team before I joined. This meant I had a bit more knowledge about what the team does before joining. I spent my first three weeks in training and making sure I was up to speed on all the processes, which was very different to when I first joined when I started talking to clients straight away. But I think it’s great that the audit team gives new joiners this time. Partner Nick Page explained to me that they made this change to help people settle into the team during the training weeks, rather than rush straight into client work and risk feeling stressed.
Whilst I am new, in some ways it feels like I never left. I’ve already got back in touch with the Head of China Desk who called me welcoming me back and immediately put me in touch with other members of the team and invited me to Teams groups, so it felt really welcoming.