GT

why grant Thornton

I read countless stories of current employees at Grant Thornton and was surprised to see so many individuals with the same degree background as me thriving in their audit roles. this reassured me that my degree can easily passover into the audit role and that i am very capabe of being successful in this team. on top of that the application process with GT stood out to me, particualry the coaching call. The process made me feel as though GT is truly commited to fostering individual talent and was not generalsiign large talent pools as other firms often do. Lastly this is a minor point but reading about the work environment at grant thornton and some of the sports events that take place really excited me, I read that the firm recently won a netball compeptition against other firms, i would love to be a part of events like that to foster relationships and balance the stress of work.

why audit

I am motivated towards a career in audit because it aligns closely with my strengths in analytical thinking, problem-solving, and attention to detail. I enjoy working with data to understand underlying drivers and asking questions to form a clear picture of how businesses operate. in some ways its very similar to what has peaked my interest in university regarding econometrics. Grant Thornton’s emphasis on curiosity, collaboration, and meaningful impact particularly attracts me, as does the opportunity to develop professionally within a supportive and forward-looking firm.

understanding of the role

I understand that the Financial Services Audit Internship at Grant Thornton involves gaining hands-on experience in reviewing financial statements and business processes to ensure they accurately reflect a firm’s performance and comply with regulatory standards. beyond checkin g figures we also understand how organisations operate assess risk and at times even apply professional jusdgement. During the internship, I would expect to learn about the regulatory standards in the UK, work on live audit engagements, collaborate with teams, and use digital tools to analyse data and identify key insights.

different types of audit

• Financial Audit (External/Statutory): Independent review of financial statements, often legally required for larger companies.

• Internal Audit: Performed by in-house staff to assess internal controls, risk management, and operational efficiency.

• Compliance Audit: Focuses on whether an organization follows specific regulations or policies.

• Operational Audit: Reviews business processes for effectiveness and efficiency. 

GT values

We have six CLEARR values that underpin our culture and are embedded in everything we do.

Collaboration:  ask for help, give help – we work well together.

Leadership: have courage and inspire others – we challenge each other to be the best we can be.

Excellence: find a better way every time – we never get complacent.

Agility: think broadly, act quickly – we thrive on change.

Responsibility:  use influence wisely – we own our actions.

Respect: listen and understand, be forthright – we create honest relationships.

grant thornton and its

“place in the market”

competitors: Big Four: Deloitte, PwC, EY, KPMG

Large challengers / mid-tier: Grant Thornton, BDO, RSM

leading mid-tier firm offering audit, tax and advisory services, competing directly with BDO and RSM, and selectively with the Big Four for certain clients.

typical clients: Client size:

• Mid-market companies

• Fast-growing businesses

• Private equity-backed firms

• Public sector and not-for-profits

recent partnership with cinven, which will accelerate Grant Thornton’s growth through additional capital and other resources.

question:

what do you look for in interns?

If given the opportunity, what are some things I can do to stand out as an audit intern? (eg ——)

Are there constantly new challenges and opportunities to learn new things as an auditor?

How would you describe the culture and working environment within the audit team? (is there group tasks is there bonding is it diverse)

How has Grant Thornton adapted to the growth of artificial intelligence, and how does the firm plan to remain competitive as AI continues to develop?

what makes you a fit for this role

Fit for this role because of my numerical ability. Growing up with a Japanese mother, mathematics has always been pushed on me, and I have grown to both love and understand it very well. Many of my accomplishments actualise this ability including my distinction in the American Mathematics Competition, but also my current studies in Econometrics in which I use statistical programming platforms to organise data and perform regression analysis. I believe my skillset with regards to numbers and data makes the audit role the perfect role for me to thrive in and contribute meaningfully to the team.

graduate audit role

further down the line audit roles

I’m interested in Entrepreneurial Services because it allows me to combine audit with a deeper understanding of how fast-growing SMEs operate. Further down the line, I’d like to work closely with innovative, VC-backed businesses, helping them manage risk, strengthen controls, and prepare for growth, rather than focusing purely on compliance.

what are my career aspirations

In the short term, my priority is to develop a strong technical and professional foundation in audit by working towards qualification and gaining exposure to the field. From reading stories of others who have worked at Grant Thornton I am particularly interested in public sector audit, seeing that current employees who pursued similar degrees tpo my own became Public sector auditors. My undertsanding is the role can help organisations achieve value for money, highlighting weaknesses and suggesting improvements during difficult economic conditions. it feels as though I could make real impact, and works well with my background in economics.

example of attention to detail

During my finance summer internship in Tax, I prepared CRS and FATCA compliance statements for individuals holding funds in the Cayman Islands, where accuracy was critical due to cross-border reporting requirements. While reviewing submissions, I identified a duplicate filing and several individuals incorrectly classified under the wrong reporting system. Flagging these errors ensured the statements were corrected before submission, reducing compliance risk and meeting filing deadlines. (account holder, income of account, tax residence of holder)

Managing Multiple Deadlines

as a University student in my first year I also took up economics tutoring and at times preparing for exams clashed with preparation of materials for students lessons. Personally I found that splitting and organising workload between days to give myself ample time to complete each task worked very well for me. I was able to support students in Economics to attain the grades they desired while also attaining a first class honours in my first year of university. I believe ability to manage deadlines is something crucial to the audit role and it is a skill I am already well-equipped to handle.

example of conflict working in a team/difficult task

Recently for a statistics project we were placed randomly into groups of 4 and required to use R programming for the first time for data analysis. As the project was over the spring break we had assumed each member would do their part in time for the deadline. however one member mentioned around a week before the deadline that they were not sure how to use the coding platform. as a result I decided to organise a zoom meeting to redistribute the workload fairly and discuss what had been completed so far. ultimately every member did a fair workload and we managed to submit high quality work on time, attaining the grade we desired. overall this experience reflects how communication and collaboration can help efficiently get work done, something that is very transferable to the workspace.

audit team

Our audit practice is made up of commercial audit teams, public sector audit and our internal teams.

audit trends

Compliance issues remain a dominant theme as regulations evolve globally (e.g., AI laws, sustainability reporting, industry-specific rules).

surge in ESG regulations, or sustainability disclosure requirements.

failing to meet these standards can lead to penalties, brand damage, loss of customer loyalty, loss of investment capital, hiring difficulties, and employee defections.

implicartions: Resource demands for specialized audits, need for further training and capital and tech to meet standards

relationship building

tutor work

overcoming a challenge/ biggest accomplishment recently

being responsible for someone else’s personal development is huge pressure, i also had to organise lessons and plan shcedules which seemed quite daunting at first. after a few lessons i quicjly grew to enjoy teaching students, sharing my wisdom while also learning alot from them.