Auditor

This page gives you the real story about what it's like to be a Auditor (with insights from people actually doing the job).

Your goal: Decide if this sounds interesting enough to explore further, or if it's clearly not for you. Both answers are useful!

It will take about 5 minutes to read through - by the end, you'll know if this is worth exploring or if you should look at something else.

What is this job?

When a company publishes its financial results like profits, losses, what it owns, or what it owes, someone has to check those numbers are actually true. That's an auditor.

Companies publish accounts every year, and investors, banks, and the public need to trust those numbers before making decisions. Auditors go through the records, test whether the figures add up, and sign off saying "yes, this is accurate", or flag when something's wrong.

Think of it as quality control for financial information. Without auditors, companies could say whatever they wanted about their finances and no one would know if it was real..

It's problem-solving work, like being a ‘financial detective’. When you spot something that doesn't quite add up, you go deeper to understand what's really going on.

What do they do day to day?

You work in teams, usually on one client at a time, going through their financial records and checking that what they've reported matches reality.

Testing and checking:

Picking samples of transactions and verifying they actually happened
Checking invoices, contracts, and bank statements match what's recorded
Testing that financial controls are working properly
Making sure accounts comply with accounting standards

Understanding the business:

Learning how each client makes money
Identifying the risks that could affect their finances
Talking to their finance teams to understand their processes
Looking at whether the business can keep operating in the future

Who you work with:

A team of auditors (usually 4-10 people depending on the client)
The client's finance team
Senior auditors who review your work
Junior staff you'll help train as you progress

Where you work:

Split between your firm's office and client sites
Two or three days a week at the client's premises is typical
Some remote working, some travel
Clients change, so you see inside different businesses throughout the year

How much do they earn?

Salaries vary depending on the company, location, and your experience level. Here's a rough guide for control and protection engineering roles:

Apprentice (Modern/Graduate Apprenticeship) £14,000 - £25,000 per year

You're learning on the job while earning

Uni Graduate £25,000 - £32,000 per year

With Experience £35,000 - £50,000 per year

Senior Level £55,000 - £90,000+ per year

What affects your salary:

Which firm you work for - Big Four firms (PwC, Deloitte, EY, KPMG) typically pay more
Location - London salaries are significantly higher than other UK cities
Your qualifications - ACA, ACCA, or CA status brings substantial pay increases
Industry specialism - expertise in certain sectors can command premium salaries

Remember: These are approximate figures for the UK and can vary. The good news is there's clear progression as you gain experience, and many auditors move into well-paid corporate roles after qualifying..

You're curious about how businesses work

You want to understand what makes different businesses tick - how they make money, what their risks are, how different industries operate. If you find yourself genuinely interested in the business side of things when you hear about companies in the news, this could be for you.

You'll Be Successful In This Career If...

You like problem-solving

When something doesn't make sense, you want to dig into it and figure out why. You enjoy the process of investigating, testing different explanations, and getting to the bottom of things. Each client brings different puzzles to solve.

You like working within clear rules

Auditing is built around set standards and checklists, which means you’re never guessing what to do next. If you like organisation, consistency, and the satisfaction of completing work thoroughly and accurately, this kind of role might be a great fit.

You're good with numbers and detail

Not in a "I love pure maths" way necessarily, but you're comfortable working with numbers, spotting when things don't add up, and being accurate. It's described as a "numbers game" but you need precision - making careless mistakes isn't an option when you're signing off company accounts.

You work well in teams

Auditing is very collaborative - you're constantly working with other auditors, talking to clients, explaining findings to senior staff. You need to be able to communicate well, take direction, and work alongside people with different levels of experience.

The Bottom Line

If you're naturally curious about business, comfortable with numbers and accuracy, enjoy investigating problems in teams, and prefer working within clear professional standards rather than complete freedom, then auditing could be a strong fit for you.