ACCOUNTANCY

GRADUATE PROFILES
Internal Auditor
Internal Auditor – Mazars
NAME
LOCATION
UNIVERSITY
DEGREE
If you are looking for a challenging but
rewarding career, with the ability to improve
public sector organisations and the opportunity
to study a professional qualification, becoming
an internal auditor is a great role.
Why did you choose a job in this sector?
I undertook periods of work experience before
university in accountancy and financial services
and it was something that I enjoyed. I wanted
to have some involvement in the public sector
as a result of my studies at university, and this
role gives you the chance to change public
sector institutions in a positive way, which helps
both users of the service and taxpayers.
What are your main duties?
My main role is conducting the fieldwork for
internal audits. This involves:
• Going to client sites: This means I can
be somewhere different every week.
Although travelling is part of the role,
Mazars make every effort to place me
in areas close to where I live. I enjoy
the diversity of being in different
environments instead of in the same
office constantly.
• Meeting with clients: From an early
stage in my career, I have been trusted
with meeting high-level staff within
organisations to identify what internal
controls are in place. This can involve
looking over documentation, interviewing
staff or just observing how things work.
David Segal
London/Essex
East Anglia
Politics and International Relations
• Risk identification: I establish what
risks are faced by the auditee that may
prevent them achieving their objectives. I
make a judgement on whether sufficient
internal controls are in place to help
mitigate these risks.
• Testing procedures: I identify,
through discussion with my manager,
what testing should be undertaken to
obtain evidence for findings as well as
assess the effectiveness of the internal
controls in place.
• Report writing: As part of every audit, I
write a report on my findings and make
recommendations on how the client can
improve. This report, after being quality
reviewed by management, gets issued to
key personnel in the organisation such as
the Chief Executive and/or Directors.
One big advantage of working with Mazars is
the variety of clients that I work with. Mazars is
in the top four companies in the UK in regards
to internal audit for public sector organisations.
I have to be open-minded, no
organisation works the same
and audits always throw up
things which surprise.
During my time at Mazars I have worked with:
• Local authorities
• Schools
• NHS hospitals and providers
• Housing associations.
There are also opportunities to work with
colleges, universities, central government
departments and NDPBs.
The need for common sense in
my role far outweighs the need
for strong arithmetic abilities.
As well as working with a variety of clients,
I also conduct a variety of audits. One week
can involve looking at how a client receives
money; the next looking at how decisions are
made by the client. This enables me to get
a good all round understanding of how the
client and public sector organisations work
in general. I have also had the opportunity to
conduct fraud audits, which involves looking
at an organisation and seeing if there is an
opportunity for someone to commit fraud, or
looking into specific cases of fraud.
As part of my training, Mazars pay for me to
study the ACCA qualification. The firm pays
for my registration, college, revision courses,
materials and exams. They also give study leave
for attending college and exams.
What are the most stressful parts of the job?
Although I have not found the job overly
stressful, I have had to work very hard to meet
the demands of the job, which principally
relate to completing a quality deliverable
within the required deadlines, and managing
my time to perform at the highest levels on
a day to day basis, whilst undertaking my
studies for a professional qualification.
What skills are useful in this sector?
As this is very much a deadline driven role
I need to be good at working efficiently
and managing my time to deliver to the set
timescales. Secondly, it is very important that I
am comfortable talking to all types of people.
Communication is vital to understanding
how the organisation works, but also vital
in explaining my opinion and what I found
in my work. I have to be open-minded, no
organisation works the same and audits
always throw up things which surprise. Finally,
attention to detail is essential in ensuring
that the work is done as comprehensively as
possible and that all findings are accurate and
backed up by evidence.
What challenges have you come across and
how did you overcome these?
The biggest challenge is managing the work
with the need to do revision for exams.
However the managers in Mazars are very
understanding, and through communicating
with managers they have identified ways of
relieving the pressure. Mazars constantly
remind you that your personal development
and your qualifications are key and therefore
they try their best to be flexible.
Do you have any advice for anyone wanting
to get into the industry?
I would do a lot of research into the firms that
you are applying to. All firms have different
cultures and ways of working which you might
enjoy or dislike. With Mazars, I enjoyed the fact
that while the team is very large, you are not
just seen as a number. The directors know me
on first name terms, know what clients I work
with, and regularly ask me how I am doing.
The values that Mazars have in place match my
own. In addition, if you are not so good with
numbers and figures don’t be put off going
into internal audit as a career, as the need for
common sense in my role far outweighs the
need for strong arithmetic abilities. •
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For graduate jobs, internships & placements visit www.insidecareers.co.uk/acc
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