Accounting Cadetship 2008 (9 Viewers)

[Vagabond]

Leoyh in my experience thus far if I'm further out I simply leave earlier. I've never had anybody be anything but supportive in my endeavors of getting to university on time..

Mark for audit, which involves next to no bookkeeping, and (fund custodians aside) not too much photocopying, the majority of work is done at the client.

For financial services most clients will be in the CBD. You're only trecking out if you audit resources clients, industrial clients, etc.

If you're indifferent to the clients you'll be working on, then I'd recommend that people living closer to the city choose financial services and people living further out in the suburbs choose industrial clients. You'll be going home from the client office 3-4 days a week so their location relative to your home is more important than where your uni is.

Scashby, it is a lot of work relative to a full-time uni student. It's not necessarily a lot of work relative to say, a full-time uni student working 3 days a week part-time.

You need a work-hard play-hard mentality to cope well. Liking the white-collar bar scene helps this a lot.

In my experience I've felt that the 'extra effort' i've done at times has been offset by the amount of laid back days I've had with very little client work. Work is quite seasonal at the big4.

Not to mention countless days I've left work with a cheeky grin on my face thinking "wow it was great to get paid to _____ for a day" ..

I'm doing 3 subjects this semester and I've personally found it comfortable enough to enrol in 3 for next semester also.

That said many of my colleagues aren't coping as well.

I'm yet to feel more pressured than say, the HSC....

Edit: You should all be sure to attend the ICAA night, I know sydney's event is this week. ;-)

 

[Jamison]

Went to the ICAA Cadetship Victoria event last night. My goodness it was packed! Barely any room to move, it seems some decided to bring their whole families.

Anyway, I think I've decided to apply for E&Y and Deloitte. does anyone have any experiences with these companies and can give me some insight?

 

[mark678]

Sydney Cadetship Evening tomorrow

Vagabond - thanks for the tips.

I know a lot of the accounting firms like it if you have extra curricular stuff on your resume (sport, leadership experience etc.)
- I have done Duke of Ed Silver, and worked at Mc Donalds (back area )
- Im sort of lazy and dont want to do any sport at the moment, do you have any other ideas of extracurricular activities that will be good for a resume?:rofl:

 

[Arithela]

Vagabond - how much are you earning as a cadet?

 

[Vagabond]

Mark - extra curricular are weighted very strongly... as in you can have even relatively mediocre grades but if you have a great background then you stand a good chance.

As a general rule if you've been accepted for a first-round interview then HR have deemed your application to be 'good enough' and the rest of the assessment process really mostly depends on your personal/communication skills.

Great things to mention are sport (I didn't have this lol), anything involving leadership, anything in groupwork (e.g. committees, something outside school?), anything helping the community (though stuff like selling fundraising chocolates doesn't really hit the bar)

It's important to be able to describe instances where you've worked in a team or resolved a conflict.

Arith - Be sure not to ask HR this when you go through the process

 

[shoxgeneration]

Most people don't trust the statement of, even if you get "crap" grades but you have enough and respectable extra-curricular activities, then you have just as good enough a chance as someone who had amazing amazing grades.

But this is > 200% true, based on experience, and also - i guess as you're in year 12... mention anything that you've helped organise and had a helping hand in... such as formal committees, SRC fundraisers etc, sports carnivals if you had a role... school musicals, debating etc. You may think that the things you do aren't very oh WOW, they're SO awesome - but just as long as you talk about it in a way that makes it appear to be that fantastic, then you'll be fine.

 

[Minai]

Went to the ICAA Cadetship Victoria event last night. My goodness it was packed! Barely any room to move, it seems some decided to bring their whole families.

Anyway, I think I've decided to apply for E&Y and Deloitte. does anyone have any experiences with these companies and can give me some insight?

For your E&Y application, make sure you nail that initial application (i.e. include as much extra-curricular, leadership, part-time work etc as you can). Because EY only have the one assessment centre before they start offering, they can be more critical/anal with your initial application

 

[nnp]

Rarely takes more than 30 mins

Even quicker at night on the way back

Not a big deal really

I wouldn't give up UNSW for some petty convenience!

Cannot agree with Vagabond more!
Really guys, a bit of a walk to Elizabeth St cannot be that bad! The fresh air will do you good after a long day in the office.

Cheers,
NNP

 

[revo]

hey umm just wondering: whats the difference between cadetships and co-op programs, and which one is more beneficial for a student

i also heard that marks aren't necessarily important in getting u into one of these programs. i've been concentrating on my marks mostly at school when i realised that all you need is an alright uai
most important thing turns out to be extra curriculum stuff...

and i feel like i wasted all this time studying =S

 

[scashby]

Hi, just wondering if anyone else has started filling out their application forms?
I was doing minE for EY last night and when I came to the education section i got really confused. There were three main things that got me:

When entering your Education institute, it only has universities on the list, so do i just write my school name in specific details, and for course just write VCE/HSC?

Then when you have to state your GPA - what is this?

Then it is compulsory to enter a second educational section. I've only been to one primary school and one high school, so do I just enter my primary school in there- why is that necessary?

If anyone else has run into this problem or someone knows what to do, your help would be much appreciated.

 

[shilinjuju]

I better start filling in the applications.
Just a couple of questions coz I wasn't able to get to the Charted Accountants Night the other day......wish I did.

Anyway I was wondering the specifics of the application and interview process etc.

Secondly wen are you usually told that u have received a cadetship, before UAI comes out? If so, are you allowed to reject an offer or not?

Sorry and another question, I heard that there are lots of social activites like camps etc, for cadet? Is that tru coz if so sounds awesome!

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[nnp]

I better start filling in the applications.
Just a couple of questions coz I wasn't able to get to the Charted Accountants Night the other day......wish I did.

Anyway I was wondering the specifics of the application and interview process etc.

Secondly wen are you usually told that u have received a cadetship, before UAI comes out? If so, are you allowed to reject an offer or not?

Sorry and another question, I heard that there are lots of social activites like camps etc, for cadet? Is that tru coz if so sounds awesome!

Sorry for all the questions!

Hi there, dont be sorry, I know a lot of current cadets are bobing around this sites so that we can answer all of your questions (to our best abilities). So we are here for you!.

The process of application will vary a bit from firm to firm. For the Big 4, you will need to fill out an application form online, which consists of questions about your academics, and extra curriculum activities, a bit about yourself and something along that line. Some firm may require you to do an online test on you general abilities. Then they normally have a group interview day when you come to the firm for a day and you will be assessed on your teamwork and leadership skills. You would also have partner interviews that day. For some firms you might have to do another round of managers' interview before this. For the mid tier, you might just have to do 1 round of interview.

When will you have your offer? well,they can be very timely. some get their offers withins a day or two, or probably on the day of your interview too. You will have time to accept or reject your offers or to choose which firm to accept (if you have multiple offers, which I am pretty sure most of you might have).

About camps for cadets, well, depends on the firm, KPMG, I think paid for their cadets to go to Melbourne for the induction programs. However, camps sound more like uni events rather than acct firms to me though!

So all the best of luck with the application process and hope my answers help!
Cheers
NNP

 

[Doctor Jolly]

Hi guys,

Although I'm a preliminary student right now, I'm seriously considering to do a cadetship in Year 12. I really want to work at Ernst and Young, but I've heard that they really admire leadership skills. I'm not too much of a leader, so I don't know if I should apply.

Thanks.

 

[ifsonotso_100]

^ yeah you'd probably be wasting your time then, lol nah see how you go, practice interviews and try to improve your overall comm skills in the next yr.

 

[Doctor Jolly]

^ yeah you'd probably be wasting your time then, lol nah see how you go, practice interviews and try to improve your overall comm skills in the next yr.

but how do you do that? I've never had a job before

 

[Suvat]

Regardless you should definitely apply anyway, even if you don't get in, it's a valuable learning experience.

Believe it or not, I consider that the experience I gained at a cadetship interview FIVE years ago is one of the reasons why I did so well in all my big 4 assessment centres and interviews at graduate recruitment.

 

[Doctor Jolly]

Regardless you should definitely apply anyway, even if you don't get in, it's a valuable learning experience.

Believe it or not, I still consider that the experience I gained at a cadetship interview FIVE years ago is one of the reasons why I did so well in all my big 4 assessment centres and interviews at graduate recruitment.

But I look at all the other school kids that apply and they look so professiobnal. It makes me feel bad But i will, nevertheless, apply

 

[shilinjuju]

Hi there, dont be sorry, I know a lot of current cadets are bobing around this sites so that we can answer all of your questions (to our best abilities). So we are here for you!.

The process of application will vary a bit from firm to firm. For the Big 4, you will need to fill out an application form online, which consists of questions about your academics, and extra curriculum activities, a bit about yourself and something along that line. Some firm may require you to do an online test on you general abilities. Then they normally have a group interview day when you come to the firm for a day and you will be assessed on your teamwork and leadership skills. You would also have partner interviews that day. For some firms you might have to do another round of managers' interview before this. For the mid tier, you might just have to do 1 round of interview.

When will you have your offer? well,they can be very timely. some get their offers withins a day or two, or probably on the day of your interview too. You will have time to accept or reject your offers or to choose which firm to accept (if you have multiple offers, which I am pretty sure most of you might have).

About camps for cadets, well, depends on the firm, KPMG, I think paid for their cadets to go to Melbourne for the induction programs. However, camps sound more like uni events rather than acct firms to me though!

So all the best of luck with the application process and hope my answers help!
Cheers
NNP

Thanks sooooooooooo much

 

[seremify007]

But I look at all the other school kids that apply and they look so professiobnal. It makes me feel bad But i will, nevertheless, apply

Don't let that get you down. Some of the best cadets I know weren't exactly the epitome of professionalism back then (or now to be honest! jkjk...)

 

[seremify007]

Thought I'd add some input to this person's questions;

Secondly wen are you usually told that u have received a cadetship, before UAI comes out? If so, are you allowed to reject an offer or not?

For most people, offers will be received shortly after the recruitment process is finished (expect July-ish for this year I believe) and considerably before the UAI comes out. Per the ICAA rules, you have a set period of time (I think it's 2 or 3 weeks?) to decide whether to accept the offer or not.

Bear in mind that to accept the offer means to sign the contract committing yourself to join the firm as a cadet. Whilst there are exit clauses (such as if you do not get into a suitable uni degree) and probationary periods, you really are not supposed to break this contract as it is a formal agreement. That being said, what happens in practice however can be quite different- but it is upto you to decide how you want to approach this. I suggest being frank up front (i.e. if you are accepting on contingent of not getting something else such as Comm/Law or Medicine) as you'll find most firms are quite supportive and open to negotiation- at least in my experience.

As for other offers, some firms will do a second round of recruitment after the HSC because not everyone who has initially accepted the offer will be joining the firms for a variety of reasons (typically they have chosen to do something else) and thus some firms may need additional staff still to meet their resourcing needs.

Sorry and another question, I heard that there are lots of social activites like camps etc, for cadet? Is that tru coz if so sounds awesome!

Sorry for all the questions!

Remember, there are two aspects of life- uni and firm.

Uni events such as dance parties, camps, cruises, etc.. are organised by societies/organisations at university. Kindof like the SRC- but better funded and with much more people.

On the other hand, there are firm-activities which may or may not be specific to trainees. These include things like financial year parties (yep there are benefits to having two "new years"), Christmas parties, various lunches, company vacations/trips, day-outings, socials, monthly drinks (and other drinking functions), BBQs, etc... but these will vary depending on firm, division, and even group within a division. Then there is also client functions.

Ultimately though, the firm-activities, whilst they are a draw-card for many (myself included), they shouldn't be the deciding factor. It's better to go in and not expect anything, then be surprised; than to be waiting and waiting for social functions and not getting them as frequently as the marketing hype may make them sound.

Hope this helps answer your queries.