We spoke with Elisabeth Jablukov, an undergraduate Economics and Politics student, about her work placement in Berlin.
Here's what she had to say...
From Aston University to Berlin
I spent my placement working as an audit trainee for Forvis Mazars in Berlin, an international audit, legal, tax and business advisory firm. I was part of the audit team, working for a variety of companies on a range of accounting and valuation issues, in accordance with the German Commercial Code (HGB) and the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
A day in the life
My typical day would include independent processing of individual audit fields, carrying out and analysing balance confirmations, preparing audit reports including financial statements and management reports.
My placement journey
I discussed with my father the type of activities that I would like to do during my placement year. I did some research and found a list of the top ten audit firms in Germany and started applying to all ten. Since I discovered that audit is a competitive market I anticipated rejections from a couple of companies. Forvis Mazars reached out to me to arrange an interview, and two to three weeks later I received a call that I had got my placement.
Placement highlights
The team I was working with was the best part of my placement. I was welcomed warmly by everyone and couldn’t have gotten more patience and support from my boss, my mentor and all the other students and associates. The team dynamic was incredible. I was incredibly lucky to have been given the opportunity to go to their 12-day A1 training which is the first audit training specifically for newcomers. I became a more skilled and efficient worker and made many new connections with people from different office locations.
Key takeaways and career aspirations
Part of my job was about ensuring attention to detail and being analytical, and to show and prove the result of outcomes. These skills will help me when I return to university and I am writing my dissertation.
My dream is to do something that I am good at, as well as enjoy. Considering I didn’t know what auditing was a year ago, it has now opened so many ideas and opportunities for my future. I am quite a competitive and passionate person, and certainly strive to exceed and be recognised for my hard work in my future career.
The placement has given me more clarity on what I would like to do after graduating. I am eager to try out public sector audit which correlates with my studies of politics, as well as forensic audit or anti financial crime analysis.
Reflections on Aston University
The main reason I chose Aston University was because they offered a placement year as part of the degree. It gives you a chance to have a year of work experience, which most students don't have after leaving their university. Aston is a top university for employability which made them even more appealing.
Besides my placement year, which I can say has been the highlight of my course, the opportunity to choose my optional modules has been great. It gave me the chance to dive into further topics and themes that I enjoy.
Aston University gives you support in every regard, whether it's about your course, your placement, or your personal concerns. Aston strives for success with every student. Aston also gives you the opportunity to do a study abroad year instead.
You can truly adjust your degree to your preferences.
Elisabeth's advice
Don’t give up. The key is to not take the rejections personally and just keep applying.
Consider applying for placements that are located in different cities or even countries, if possible. You can experience life in a different location and get out of your comfort zone. "