Meet Tom, he’s a third-year Consulting Apprentice based at EY in Newcastle. He shares insight into his apprentice journey, how he achieves a work-life balance, and his future at EY.
Give us a short intro on yourself; your career path, hobbies etc.
I started working part-time at an early age and qualified as an open water diver. I carried this hobby with me through my teens and went to Mexico to work with a tourism dive shop, where I gained my advanced open water diver qualification. I realised early on that I wanted to work rather than go to university. Although I still applied my heart was set on gaining practical work experience.
What attracted you to EY in Newcastle?
EY’s degree apprenticeship programmes appealed to me as they offered the best of both worlds; I was able to work in industry while working towards a degree – and not accrue the unwanted debt! The Business Leadership and Management Practice degree apprenticeship also includes working towards your Chartered Manager status, with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). This is highly regarded across all industries. My role with EY is based in Newcastle, and my family home is near Oxford, so I had to move to a new city to start my career with EY. Although I had to move away, and that was a big step, it was the best thing I could’ve done to both push myself, and my career. The culture within EY allows for a good work-life balance, and so I often get to go back home to see my family or go away with friends.
What top three things do you do in your role in Consulting?
Since working within consulting I have been able to work on several different solution areas within the office. I started my apprenticeship working within Conduct Risk, later moving onto Anti-Money Laundering (AML), and now working within Transformative Management Office (TMO). The ability to explore so many different areas of the industry is one of my main highlights of working in Consulting at EY in Newcastle. The other great thing about working in Consulting is the chance to speak with, and support, different clients with their business needs. My favourite thing about working in Consulting is having the opportunity to collaborate with different people from different cultures. Since being at EY, I have worked on projects with people from Newcastle, London, Bristol, Malta, India, and the Philippines, just to name a few.
How would you explain what you do in Consulting to your family and friends?
Whenever I speak to my family about my role in Consulting, they often get greeted with a lot of jargon they’re not too sure about! So, in short, I usually explain that we support clients by offering our expertise and advise them on internal work that they are managing.
How do you balance work and study and how do your team/EY support you with this?
EY really prioritise learning, not only for apprentices, but for all staff. So, managing the workload between working and studying is strongly encouraged. While completing the apprenticeship I spend 20% of my time studying, and any of this time where I don’t need to be in university, I am able to take the study leave where I see fit to work towards my Chartered Manager status. Typically, when at university I spend 4 days a week working for our client, and then 1 day at university. EY are always very aware of the requirements for the degree, and so if you ever need support there is always an EY representative to help you – not to mention the people already on the programme who have been in your shoes!
How do you see yourself progressing at EY?
Besides progressing through the apprenticeship, I would definitely consider staying at EY to build my career after the programme has finished. There are lots of opportunities for after the apprenticeship, be it progressing within your current rank, promoting to a senior role, moving to a graduate scheme, or changing role all together. There are so many different areas to try within Consulting, as well as plenty of opportunity to try a new service line. I’d love to promote into a senior role while with EY and continue to develop and build my career with the firm.
What are your favourite memories at EY?
Without a doubt my favourite memories at EY have been the relationships I’ve built with my colleagues, some of which have become close friends. I don’t think doing an apprenticeship means you miss out on the social elements of university; we regularly have organised work socials, as well as impromptu get-togethers after work. Naturally, this was a bit of a challenge in my first year, while we were all working from home, but as we have returned to the office the culture and working environment is something to remember.
What advice would you give to Tom on their first day at EY?
My advice to myself on day one would be to put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to be eager! The more you get to know people and they get to know you, the more opportunities that will present themselves to you. People in the firm are friendly and always happy to have a chat with you to help you develop yourself and grow your career!
Find out more about our Degree Apprenticeship in Business Leadership and Management Practice.
