Liam Secures a Coveted Degree Apprenticeship in Finance Auditing at Deloitte

Competition for degree apprenticeships is fierce. Applications for positions fill-up and then close quickly. So, it is particularly exciting that current Year 13 pupil Liam has won a level 7 Degree Apprenticeship – equivalent to a Master’s Degree – starting at Deloitte in September. Liam, who is studying A levels in maths, economics and psychology with predicted grades of A*, A, A, will be based in London and able to live at home which is very convenient.

Why did you think that an apprenticeship was the right thing for you?

I’ve never been a hundred percent sold on uni. I’ve obviously gone to open days and really enjoyed the day, but I’ve always thought, what if there was something else that could be a bit faster or maybe get me earning as well as I’m learning? So, when I heard about apprenticeships and talked to my mum about them, it was a bit of a no brainer for me to apply for one.

What did the application process involve?

Applications for degree apprenticeships are all relatively similar. They all normally start with a general application; what’s your predictive grades, what have you done at GCSE, where are you from, et cetera. It’s similar to UCAS. Then they move on to a psychometric test, which is a sort of IQ test. Once you pass that, you then have to move on to often prerecorded video questions. So they’ll actually see you, they won’t be live, but you’ll have to record an answer. You’ll have a set block of time to answer questions. Finally, then there’s normally a live assessment day with group tasks and interviews – that kind of thing. Most of it’s done online now with Zoom introductions and nothing too formal.

How easy or difficult did you find it?

It’s tricky because you have time restraints on when you can do it. You normally have to do it within five or six days of being accepted. So, it’s hard to work around being at school and being so busy – but it’s definitely doable. The live assessment days – where you have to book a time slot – are especially difficult, but teachers have been good with letting me book that time off lessons to sit the interviews while I’m at school.

Did you do anything such as practice questions, practice interviews, or practice videos to prepare yourself?

Not really specifically, but I suppose you get a lot of that when you are around school talking to people or you kind of do chem tests and stuff as you go up through school. So, it is all similar sort of things and the more you apply for, obviously the more you do them and the better you get at ’em. So it might be that you end up getting an apprenticeship. The last one you applied for, because you’ve done practice,

What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge when you start your apprenticeship?

Balance? I think finding the time to work and learn will be tricky. Obviously, some of that will be done for me; they’ll tell me when I’m off work and when I’m learning and then when I’m needed. Nonetheless, managing my time, whether I have to work on the weekends or during the commute or at home in the evenings – it could be tricky trying to find the time to do everything as well as keep relationships and hobbies going, etcetera.

So when you finish the degree apprenticeship, what happens then?

So, it’s different with different places. At the one I’m at, it’s full-time from day one, I’m an employee. So my job carries on afterwards. If all the tests go well and nothing goes wrong during the four years, then I keep going. How well I do might mean that I get bumped up faster or slower than maybe other people. On some other degree apprenticeships though, you have a fixed training contract and then you have to reapply.

Your degree apprenticeship is in finance auditing; has that always been your dream?

Well, I wouldn’t say that’s what I’ll be doing for my whole life, but my dad’s in banking and finance, so it’s always been something I’ve had conversations around at home and doing my own research and speaking to him. Audit is one of the best ways to train to go and work in finance. So, I suppose it’s really getting good training from really good people that then sets me up to maybe do something else in the future.

What other things did you look at when you were considering your choice? Did you look at anything else?

I’m going through the UCAS route as normal so I can decide formally later on. I’m pretty sure I’ll take my apprenticeship so that won’t really matter, but I’m going through UCAS anyway. There are courses around the country that are sort of half and half; you do half your year at uni, half your year at work. So, I’ve looked at unis for those courses and 9 or 10 different apprenticeships, but I’ve chosen the right one for me.

So you must have some offers in place from the universities you’ve applied to. What offers have you received so far?

I’ve been offered accounting and finance at Bath and Cardiff. I’ve got an offer for business management business finance and I’ve got an offer from Newcastle.

Do you have any advice for other pupils who are looking for a degree apprenticeship?

Apply early and keep an eye on different websites. There’s no central body for apprenticeships, so you’ve got to look at different websites, look at company websites. Try and keep on top of when they open because I had one or two, even though I applied relatively early, that by the time I’d gotten around to filling in forms and what not – they had closed because they were full. So there’s a pretty strict time limit on.

What do you think is the most important thing that you’ve learned at Sedbergh that will help you with your future?

I think the main thing, I think, is that Sedbergh has made me a lot more confident when speaking to new people because I’ve had to adjust to boarding houses, different staff, living with staff and being able to speak to them in a slightly different way to speaking with your mates. I think that’s what has helped me to feel comfortable skipping uni and going straight into an environment where I’m surrounded by adults.

Which of the HARK values (humility, ambition, resilience, or kindness) do you think resonates with you the most?

I think the one that most important to me is ambition. I think always striving for the best, whether that’s the best in the class or the best you can do in school, out of school, playing sport, music, whatever that might be – I just think ambition’s really important, otherwise you might not get where you want to be.