As a summer associate, you will be part of a team responsible for completing approximately 500 limited assurance audits of small local authorities (primarily parish councils). Local authorities spending between £25K and £6.5M per annum are required to submit an annual return of their income and expenditure, and we are required to undertake procedures set by the National Audit Office to give independent assurance on the annual return. The level of assurance is less than that of a true and fair opinion required for larger authorities (hence the term limited assurance) and the procedures are relatively straightforward. However, you will need to have an enquiring mind and analyse information, especially financial data quickly and accurately.
You will be trained and closely supervised by an experienced Audit Manager, and all your work will be reviewed by the Audit Manager and Director. However, you will be expected to learn quickly and work independently, taking responsibility for the clients assigned to you. The clients are managed remotely, but you will have regular contact with them on the phone, by e-mail, and by letter, so you must be a strong communicator. You will work with several other interns as well as permanent audit staff.
You will be set weekly completion targets working towards a team target of 95% complete, reviewed, and opinions issued by the statutory deadline of 30 September. Clients complete a satisfaction survey, so a key skill is chasing them for information and persuading them to correct errors in a friendly and professional way that leads to positive feedback.
The outcome of your work will contribute to providing various stakeholders with assurance of an organisation's financial and accounting records and standards of governance. The local authorities raise most of their income via a precept added to residents' council tax bills, so there is considerable public interest in how the money is spent. The Director and Audit Manager will deal with objections received from local electors and any suspicion of fraud or illegality, but you will need to be alert to politically sensitive issues while working at speed on set procedures.
Following the programme, if a career in accountancy is something which you wish to pursue, you may have the opportunity to fast track for a 2026 graduate trainee role in the Newcastle office and the same department as your internship.
This internship will commence from 7th July 2025 for 11 weeks. Applicants should be prepared to work in the Newcastle office throughout the internship (Monday to Friday), although there may be scope to work from home towards the end of the internship with prior agreement.
What we are looking for
* Penultimate undergraduate student (second year of a three-year degree, third year of a four-year degree, first year of a two-year postgraduate degree, or equivalent).
* On track to obtain an undergraduate degree (or have obtained an undergraduate degree if completing a postgraduate degree). Strong academic performance is important; however, we understand that things don't always go to plan. Our recruitment process looks at your whole self – academic achievements as well as other experiences in which you have grown and developed.
* Deep curiosity to learn new things and is naturally inquisitive;
* The ability to think critically, solve problems, and share knowledge with others;
* A commitment to self-development and learning;
* Strong sense of ownership of duties and high levels of responsibility to deliver on promises;
* Always looks to try their best in all they do and always looking for ways to improve;
* Enjoys meeting and engaging with new people with an underlying respect for individuals, diversity, and integrity;
* Works well under pressure and has a positive ‘can-do' attitude if faced with challenging situations;
* A willingness to travel and adhere to our flexible working environment.
Additional job details
Location: Newcastle upon Tyne
How to apply
Roles will be closed as soon as we find the right people, so to avoid disappointment, we encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible. If you are an international applicant and/or require a visa, please view our FAQs before applying to be aware of deadlines and important information you need to know before applying.
Click Apply to start your application now. This job will be available on Prospects until 31 March 2025.
At Forvis Mazars, we celebrate individuality and we thrive on teamwork. We give people the freedom to make a personal contribution to our shared purpose. We support one another to deliver quality, create change, and make an impact, so that everyone can reach their full potential.
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