Even though many of our graduates will have progressed in their careers since completing a case study, they are still of interest to students who wish to gain an understanding of the world of work.

I am an in-charge auditor, which means I am responsible for planning, organising, executing and delivering the audit of a company's financial statements on a day-to-day basis.

I am usually on site at a client's for approximately 2-3 weeks. This is usually in a team of 2-5 people, depending on the size of the client. I use Excel on a daily basis to perform my work, which involves talking to both the finance and operations team, gathering supporting evidence, and making judgements on the accuracy of the clients accounting.

I get on well with a lot of my colleagues - 75% of the workforce are under 30! I enjoy the job satisfaction of working out a really complex problem, as well spending time getting to know a huge array of businesses and how they work. My main clients range across industries as diverse as supermarkets, fruit growers, aerospace manufacturers, airlines, agro-chemical businesses, and hauliers.

Studying for the ACA does require a lot of work and often on your own time, which does necessitate some sacrifices. There is also pressure and responsibility to deliver, which can be stressful if you're not organised enough!

It provides an excellent grounding through both getting one of the most respected qualifications in the world (the ACA), and huge exposure to a vast array of different businesses. It also pays well!

Problem solving, organisation, communication, IT, coaching, etc.

I left university with an MA in June 2014. I started at KPMG in October 2014 and have been studying for the ACA since then. This involves a mixture of work and college time. There are 15 exams to do, and I have one remaining, so I will qualify in October 2017.

I am going to travel for a year from March 2018, and then come back to either work for a different organisation or come back to university to do a PhD. I would like to work for a smaller company or charity, one whose values I can really connect with.

There is no better place in the world to study accounting and set yourself up for life with a respected qualification and a wealth of experience across every industry you can think of. KPMG are also much more generous than the other Big 4 when it comes to exams, so go for it!
I would also strongly advise applying for a smaller office (I.e. Not Birmingham or London). That way, you get the best of both worlds - all the benefits of working for a global firm, but a smaller office so you know everyone (there's still 70 auditors in the Nottingham office, so it's not exactly tiny!)