Apprenticeships as an alternative to university

Alex Paul was a pupil at Caterham School from 2012 to 2017. After A Levels he decided to apply for an apprenticeship and was successfully accepted at KPMG where he is now well into his first year.

WHY AN APPRENTICESHIP WAS THE WAY AHEAD FOR

Alex Paul

Why did I choose an apprenticeship over university?

I knew pretty early on that university wasn’t for me. I spoke to a lot of mates from previous years that went to Caterham about their experiences at uni. The only area that got me genuinely excited was the whole social aspect – meeting new people, partying with mates and joining socials and sports clubs. I had already taken a gap year, so had experienced all of these social benefits of going to university. But when I had researched more about apprenticeship schemes and spoke to the parents of family friends, I got a pretty good idea of the stature of an apprenticeship scheme. Not only this, but I get to experience all of the benefits that university has to offer… and some! Now this got me really excited to take the apprenticeship route. At the age of 19, I’d have clients. A real full time job. Earning a monthly salary. Late office nights in London (which, oddly excites me). Dinner parties, holiday parties, team lunches and team drinks – what’s not to like?

What did the selection process involve?

The process is different for every single company, for every type of apprenticeship scheme. Having started with KPMG already, I found out that there are easier routes to get a place as a KPMG360 apprentice. My process involved five separate and very different steps. Step 1 was a series of 10, simple essay questions about real life examples of what KPMG, call their character attributes. Such as; Resilience, self-improvement and honesty. Step 2 was then an online downloadable game that measured my level of risk taking. Step 3 entailed verbal and mathematical reasoning. Step 4 was a stand out for me. I had to answer two questions, record a voice note and email the recording back. The questions asked were; What would you do differently with something that you’re involved in at the moment? and Why did you choose KPMG?

The final step involved an assessment centre day, up in their London office in Canary Wharf. That day we had group assessment (to see how well you worked in a team), an individual assessment and a 45 minute interview, where I managed to hold what was more of a discussion, with the head of recruiting for KPMG UK, which ended up lasting around an hour and a half.

Why KPMG?

If I’m honest, I didn’t set out specifically for KPMG. I applied to all of The Big Four firms. As the application process continued on from step 2 to 3, I had realised that I seriously wanted KPMG. This is purely due to the type of people at the company. I had been told by many people that the people that work with KPMG, know the difference between working very hard and long hours, but also understand the importance of enjoying your free time. I had also messaged a few apprentices on LinkedIn about the firm, who gave an enthusiastic and happy response. I’m sure you are all aware of the bad press that KPMG has faced in the past year. Reading this in the papers, I wanted to be part of the solution, and was glad that I wasn’t part of the cause. I see it as a challenge, when done right, it can positively affect lots of people.

Has the experience so far been what you expected?

Since I started, there have been two clearly separated periods of work. The first period was my time of induction. I knew that there was going to be an induction week, but I was not expecting to be staying in the largest hotel West of London, with every single apprentice that was joining for the 2018 year. Fully expensed, this induction week was amazing. I networked with 207 other apprentices across the UK, making some really good mates who I try and see on the weekends when I have time.

I was not expecting the pace at which we flew through our Advanced Bookkeeping and Financial Accounts Preparations content at college. And I was not expecting to be sat in a classroom again. Following on from these two weeks at college was a week spent in Watford, also unexpected. I guess the whole induction period was not quite what I had anticipated. The second period of work, I was leaving the office around 7:30pm, at the earliest, with three to four 8:30pm finishes a week. I had expected this because I knew audit wasn’t going to be easy, or any full time job for that matter. This time of the year isn’t even busy season!

What’s your advice for others considering an apprenticeship?

Dig deep into the companies you’re applying for. Everything from newspaper articles to YouTube videos. Know what you’re applying for! And be prepared for a bumpy journey, because nothing has been easy, and it won’t be easy. But that’s part of the fun of it all. Make sure you can take the truth and deal with constructive criticism. If you get through to an interview, be sure to answer some tricky questions. Just for a bit of food-for

thought, I volunteered to do some public speaking at my induction day. Nothing could’ve prepared me for what I had to answer… Why are unicorns real? Finally, I know it’s a generic answer, but BE YOURSELF! One of KPMG’s motto is “bring your whole self to work”, whatever that self is.

What’s next, once you’ve completed your apprenticeship?

The only thing I know, is that I want to do a secondment in Australia, preferably Perth, so I can experience the office lifestyle out there. If all goes smoothly, I’ll happily transfer out there. 