Deliotte Apprenticeship (ACA) v degree

[Blubell46]

Hello,

My dd is in Year 13 and is applying to uni to study economics and has also applied for apprenticeship course.

She has got an apprenticeship offer from one of the Big4 accountancy to study ACA ( professional qualification).

Just wondering if anyone has a child studying an Apprenticeship and feels they missed out on the Uni life? Or feel that future employers see them differently to graduates?

Just trying to balance both sides of the arguments. Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you

Take the apprenticeship and put them in a shared student house- I did this with our son- the house gave him the feel of student life at 18 (and all their mates too ) and the job was way more beneficial!! He basically had the lifestyle without the debt and focussed paid work

I would echo this.
The friend of DD who dropped out of his DA was in a house with an average age of 25, and all of them were in FT work. He found it very hard to have no support and while his parents and employer tried he struggled and ended up leaving and going to uni instead.

🤣🤣 you don’t know much about human biology. Adrenaline bursts don’t last 3.5 years. And I’m serious her office is lovely. Super supportive managers AND partners. Just bc your investment banking job has issues, power imbalances and staff going off sick long term doesn’t mean every big4 office does too. I’ve been very impressed with how nurturing and supportive they’ve been. Unless you have first hand RECENT experience I don’t think you should comment.

@Obsessedwithlamps i also do think the big4 are all over the work life balance issues. Unlike the f’ing NHS. You should try the public sector!

Anyway @Blubell46 these are all things your DD should consider and take into account. The offer still stands if she’d like to chat with my DD who will discuss warts and all.

The Big 4 all over work life balance issues 😂

I don’t think allowing young people to work 7-11 is being all over work life balance. I am very familiar with B4 actually. I work with lots of people who have escaped from them. Lots of your people find this exciting for a few years, especially the money.

Ds1 works in Canary Wharf at PwC for Oct to Xmas as part of his course, the placement part - paid for apartment and paid salary. He wfh 2 or so days, in office 2, with all the others. They've only ever worked 9-5 so far.

Lots of your people find this exciting for a few years, especially the money. and the problem with that is? They’re not ‘my’ ppl btw. Hoping that’s a typo and meant to be young. I’ve never worked at a Big4. I’m stating DDs current experience. Who is having a fab time and highly recommends the apprenticeship route.

I do find it bizarre that ppl at your place of work have ‘escaped the Big4’ but are now having long term sick time at your place of work! Out of the frying pan into the fire perhaps. Anyway, we can both agree that work life balance is important & places of work should indeed be ensuring long hours are kept to a minimal, which in DDs case they have been, but they do exist so where they live and commute is relevant. That’s all I was saying. Ops DD needs to consider commuting.

Yes I meant young people. Look, it’s great that your DD is enjoying herself, but the point I came on here to make is simply that for my children I would want university years rather than walking straight into a corporate world they can spend the next decades in anyway. Let’s not pretend these organisations are preoccupied with work life/ balance or mental health. They are in the business of getting as much out of the the people who work for them as possible. Long hours in understaffed teams with the knowledge you are just a number and they will get rid of you tomorrow if they want to. I enjoy investment banking, but I have seen plenty of people burning out from the pressure before they hit 30. It’s not just the hours, but the relentless pressure. I don’t think there is massive difference

ops.. massive difference between working for B4 or investment banking to be honest. I work with 2 people who left Deloitte over bullying culture and long hours.

If she only wants to do economics at university for the job prospects afterwards, rather than through any genuine academic interest, then she might as well go for the apprenticeship now and focus on what her employer wants her to learn. I’m sure the novelty of it will keep her going for the first few years. At least it’s a qualification and employer that will both look good on a CV if you then decide working for Deloittes is like selling your soul to the devil and want to try a sideways move to a different sector altogether. Good idea to defer university entrance, though - it’s not just the work, but the whole culture of the working environment that needs to suit her. She will meet a wider range of personality-types at university - it’s quite a narrow personality range that is attracted to big 4 corporate type work, but all sorts go to university.

I'd go with deloitte, they will have others doing apprenticeship and help arrange shared accommodation. They may also guarantee a job at the end, have offices worldwide, my family member did this and still works for them.

Yes - performance is pretty similar I would say. Promotion depends mostly on personal qualities more than academic background, I would say.

In my firm one of our global industry leaders (until recently) was someone who had joined straight from A-Levels.

Late to this but I feel compelled to note that Deloitte is not a nice employer: very focused on the bottom line and utterly ruthless. Also, your daughter’s young and she wants to commit to a career in professional services? Live a little!

@durness that’s interesting. My DD has a friend who’s just finished a Deloitte apprenticeship and has loved it. Planning to stay, moving internally. Another friend is teaching water sports in St Lucia and also loving it! But everyone’s experiences / perspectives are different.

@NotDonna that is lovely to hear. I think it will depend on the individual and luck of her cohort.

Thank you