Sarah Graham, Tax Assistant, EY

What are your main weekly tasks?

I do compliance, which is the routine filings with revenue. I also have an advice section on what I do on a daily basis, so that’s more going to revenue with queries, maybe restructuring within the company, new companies being set up, companies being liquidated. It’s really interesting but in order to understand it you need to understand the routine filings.

What’s it like to work in a big firm?

When I began the graduate programme at EY there were 200 of us and at first you think that would be quite intimidating, but there’s seven in my specific department so it’s actually quite small. It gives you a good sense of support. There’s a good network, especially when it comes up to exams. If you’re worried, there are at least 100 people doing the same exam as you.

What’s the best thing about your job?

Coming from a law background, I love the advice stuff. You really get to put yourself in the client’s shoes. It brings the business pages to life. You can see when a company is reported in the news as having an issue or doing strongly, and you can get a sense of why and what we could possibly do to help them.

Any advice for students?

Don’t sell yourself short. Nobody wants a degree on its own, so be a person. On a hard day you want to be talking to someone you can actually have a chat with.