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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.
The road to Grant Thornton
While at university, I had a summer placement at a large professional services firm in Global Mobility Tax. By the time I was ready to start my career, this experience led me to a small firm specialising in UK private client tax. I was so lucky to work with supportive partners who shaped my working style to this day. At the time, though – like a lot of ambitious twentysomethings – the lack of progression opportunities at a small firm left me hungry for more.
I rejoined the larger professional services firm, starting in the compliance team to grasp the basics before moving into a relationship-focused role. The experience of working with big, well-known clients was invaluable and exciting, but, after eight years, I started to miss the technical challenges and joy of hands-on problem-solving for our clients. I transitioned to a private client team internally but after a year, I still felt like something was missing.
That's when I explored new opportunities and was drawn to Grant Thornton. Initially hesitant about joining another large firm, the genuine and reassuring conversations during the interview convinced me to take the plunge.
When I joined, I quickly noticed the difference. The size of the Global Mobility Tax team allowed me to manage every aspect of my clients' needs, from bidding to payroll. This felt incredibly fulfilling and brought me back to what I valued most about my career.
Becoming an Associate Director
By the time I started at Grant Thornton, I’d missed a few promotion rounds at my previous firm due to moving between teams. The firm was incredibly supportive, valuing my growth and experience from other companies to put me on the path to becoming a manager.
Within six months, I proved my technical skills and was promoted. Two years later, I became an Associate Director (AD).
Although my career progression at Grant Thornton has been quick, my overall journey to manager and AD was longer than for some other people – but I wouldn’t change it. It was only by having a breadth of different experiences that I had the skills and knowledge needed to progress quickly once I had the right chance.
Creating a new path after maternity leave
After a few years at the firm, I welcomed my daughter into the world. Reflecting on it now, I can see that coming back to work was quite a journey!
Before leave, I was confident and career-driven, determined to maintain all my client relationships. But balancing work and life took time. I arranged to work full-time over four days to spend one day with my daughter, which was key.
Despite my determination, I felt behind after 14 months away, leading to a loss of confidence and sense of imposter syndrome. The team had changed, and I felt like a newcomer. The flexible working arrangement was brilliant, but I found myself working extra hours to prove I could do everything I did before – plus more.
This wasn’t sustainable and something needed to change. To find my footing, I started receiving the return-to-work coaching and soon learned that I couldn't simply slot back into my old path; I needed to create a new one. I started to embrace how my experiences during my leave had changed me. I’d learned a new set soft skills that I could channel into my career, so it was rewarding to start using those to focus more on the business development side of my role while building my technical knowledge again.
My mindset since having my daughter has completely shifted. I value my time with her and don't want work to encroach on it, but that doesn’t mean I care less about my work. I needed to find a flow that works for me, my team and clients. My teams and clients respect my schedule, knowing I won’t be available on Fridays.
Without this flexibility, I couldn’t be productive and be present both at home and at work. The firm understands that we all have lives outside of work, which means I can continue my career while being a dedicated mother – something that didn’t always feel possible.
Championing career support for mothers
Since I became a parent, I’ve become a big advocate for supporting women and their careers when they return from maternity leave.
As part of the firm’s Inclusion and Diversity initiatives, I’ve started to share my own experience with other mothers – new, expectant, and experienced ones. Being open has encouraged others to be honest about their similar experience as well as resonate with what we are all feeling when returning to work, and that it is OK to feel like this. This has shown me just how important it is for employers to prepare expectant mothers for maternity leave and make sure they feel valued and included when they return.
I feel really lucky to work for a firm that encourages me and other parents to share our experiences and also listens to our suggestions for improvement. Not all employers are open to change, but the culture here is about genuinely embracing opportunities to improve things – not just accepting them as they are.
It proves that with the right supportive environment, it's possible to balance a fulfilling career and family life.
What does the future look like?
I want 2025 to be about making impactful changes.
I’ve been really enjoying the business development side of my role since I came back from maternity leave and want to continue building those new skills to make long-term changes for the team.
Advocacy for women in the workplace is obviously very important to me, and I want to give more focus to this – especially for women returning from maternity leave and women of colour. I don't see many women of colour at the top, and I want to understand and address the barriers they face to make sure their voices are heard as well as breaking down those barriers that they feel are stopping them from progressing.
Before I had my daughter, if someone had told me that success wasn’t about chasing promotions, bonuses and pay rises, I wouldn’t have believed them. With the experiences I’ve had in the last few years, I’ve learned that what really drives me is doing work I enjoy. I’m grateful to work in a place where I trust that rewards will come naturally if I stay enthusiastic and push for excellence.