Before the lock down and school closures an extremely dedicated and talented group of students pulled together the Spring Term edition of The Red and Back.

The newspaper is entirely student led and we are proud of our students from across the whole school for completing this.

Spring Term 2020 Edition 

*(3rivers log in required)

My background…

To give you a bit of background on me, I left KEVI in 2018 after completing my A Levels and joined the Big 4 Accountancy firm EY in September 2018. I joined as a ‘school leaver’ on their Business Apprenticeship programme. I work in private client services within the financial services sector. I’ve been at EY for about a year and a half now but it has absolutely flown by.

The firm…

EY is an international accountancy firm. I have included some stats below to help you appreciate the scale of EY’s operations.

• In the financial year ending 30 June 2019 we had global revenues of US$36.4bn
• We employ over 280,000 people
• We work in over 150 different countries

My typical day…

It’s hard to tell you what a ‘normal’ day is like for me as every day is so very different. My job requires a lot of prioritisation – I feel like I’m constantly swapping things round in my calendar. Most days I like to get to the office at 7am and I’ll typically leave at 3/4pm, however at especially busy times I’ll be there until much later. I’m very lucky I have the ability to do this as EY operates a flexible working policy and if I ever need to work from home or fancy a lie in, I can adapt my work to fit my lifestyle.

The work I do…

Within the team I work on, we have about 1,100 clients and our job is to provide tax compliance with some ad-hoc advisory services to them. A large part of my role is concerned with ensuring our clients are tax compliant in all jurisdictions relevant to them. As a result, my role is largely client facing. I spend a lot of my day communicating with clients by email and by phone.  The clients we work with are all high net worth individuals with fairly complex tax affairs. A lot of the clients I personally work with are expatriates/non-domiciled individuals with cross border tax affairs – hurts my brain thinking about them but I do enjoy a technical challenge.

Aside from the actual work I do, another large part of my job over the next few years is exams. I’ve never been fan of exams but at EY there is lots of support put in place which makes them very manageable. In 2019, I sat and passed my first 6 exams but there are plenty more to sit before I reach my goal of becoming a Chartered Tax Advisor.

The best part about my job…

I like what I do, the people I work with and experience a lot of variety and challenge. I also feel that I have been granted a lot of freedom over how I spend my time which best suits how I like to work. I feel very valued at work, since joining I’ve been awarded two impact awards and I got progressed after just one year of being here. If you’re willing to do the work and go the extra mile, it will get recognised.

Opportunities are endless at EY. Here’s a couple of things that I’ve done in addition to my day job:

• Last year I was given the opportunity to work on our US team for a few months who manage the tax reporting for hedge funds and private equity firms. This was very different to the work I’m used but it was a great opportunity to increase my international tax knowledge and see a different side to tax.
• EY launched a new app called Tax Chat which you may have seen advertised. I did some work on the initial testing of the app when it was being developed.
• I also like get involved in student recruitment as often as I can.

The worst part about my job…

• The volume of emails! I can’t remember the last time I left the office on a Friday with 0 unread emails but it’s something I’ve got to live with. I’m sure EY won’t go under if it takes me a week to respond to an email.

My top 3 tips…

1. Tomorrow is another day – it’s amazing how many things are easier the following morning when you approach them with fresh eyes and after a bit of reflection.
2. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know the answer – the more important thing is having a process for finding it out.
3. Embrace new challenges – the most positive experiences I’ve had since joining EY have come from trying something new.  Looking at the transformation our business, and many others, have to go through in the next few years it’s more important than ever to be able to be flexible in how you apply your skills.

Opportunities at EY…

Please see the link that follows for more information regarding the opportunities currently available and the programmes we offer to students at EY https://www.ey.com/en_uk/careers/how-to-join-us

Over the last few years more and more students have expressed interest in applying for apprenticeships. It’s not difficult to see why. The average university student in the UK, enrolled on a three year course, carries more than £50,000 of debt. You have to really want to study the course, and know that the graduate prospects are good, to spend that much on your education and the student experience. Otherwise it’s a very expensive party!! Higher and Degree level Apprenticeships (HAD) have funded fees, and the ‘student’ gets paid to do their job. If they budget well on their salary (salaries vary) they can qualify after 2-3 years with no debt, and in some cases money in the bank.

We provide a lot of advice about apprenticeships in Sixth Form, through assemblies, workshops and visiting speakers – all alongside KEVI Inspires. To access the latest advice, to parents, with links to live applications please click here. There is a really wide range of levels available and new frameworks are being approved each year. Unfortunately there is no one point in the year to apply for apprenticeships and there still isn’t one ‘go to’ site to research them. Sixth Form students are provided with links of recommended websites to use or register with (there isn’t a definitive list), any adverts sent to the school are emailed out to the appropriate age groups. We are passionate about supporting students in applying for apprenticeships but we can’t do all the research and applications for them, they really do need to be very organised and proactive.

Some of the links to local and national websites are here:

Find an Apprenticeship

Vacancy Snapshot

Indeed

Newcastle College Apprenticeships

Northumberland College Apprenticeships

Not Going to Uni

All About School Leavers

NHS Jobs

North East Jobs

Cobalt Business Park

There are some FAQs:

Do I have to study?

Yes, and in your own time too. You’ll have to attend college or a training facility as part of your course, it may even be a university. A lot depends on your employer and the sector you go into. Level 1 to 4 apprenticeships are most likely to be ‘day release’, you’ll spend 1 day a week studying in a classroom setting. Level 4 upwards could be ‘day release’ but could also be ‘block studying’ where you spend 2-4 weeks out of work at a training facility. The higher the level of apprenticeship the greater the need for independent study as well.

How much can I earn?

The minimum wage for an apprentice from April 2020 is £4.15 per hour. (National Minimum Wage) Many of the HAD providers pay considerably more and advertise competitive baseline salaries of approximately £13k – £15k often with accompanying employee benefits (e.g. staff discounts, health insurance etc) – remember you’ll have to pay your own travel costs and potentially rent out of your salary.

Can I claim student finance?

No not usually as you’re in employment earning a salary. For some HAD you can claim a student grant but you’ll need to do your research.

Where can I get accommodation?

This is up to you and your budget. Some of the national companies have enough apprentices that they can direct you towards inexpensive accommodation. Many apprentices find they need to live at home.

Our Careers Team is always happy to answer questions about Apprenticeships. We’ve asked some former KEVI Students to tell us about their experience of being an apprentice:

Lucy Nevens – Apprentice at MHA Tait Walker

“I attended KEVI Sixth Form from 2016-2018. During this time, I became very confused as to what I wanted to do after I finished my A Levels. This affected my revision as I spent many hours trying to figure out what I wanted to do. Eventually, I decided to apply for a place at university to study Law as going to university seemed to be the ‘normal’ thing to do and all my friends were going.

Once I had finished my exams, I had more of a chance to think about what I wanted to do. I realised that it wasn’t feasible to get into a lot of debt for a career that I wasn’t sure that I would even enjoy. I started to look for apprenticeships and came across a few in accountancy – a career path that I had previously thought about. I had a few interviews in the summer, including one at my current employment, MHA Tait Walker in Gosforth.

I have now worked at MHA Tait Walker for 18 months, having recently completed my AAT Level 3. I will be progressing onto my Level 4 soon, and then onto my chartered exams. For my 20% on the job training I attend college as well as being trained internally so that I can apply my knowledge to real life situations.

Originally, I thought that I would feel left out while all my friends were at university, as they would all move on and find new friends. However, I still see them and their new friends very often – and I have money so I can do things with them.  I also have made great friends at work who I go to many social events with. I have also been able to move into student accommodation in Newcastle to get part of the university lifestyle, while still getting paid.”

Chloe Wilson – Apprentice NHS

“This time last year I was where some of you might be now… not a clue what to do after Sixth Form. There is the idea of University hanging in the balance, there’s not doing any of that and just getting a job, or there is the option of getting an Apprenticeship – but that then leads to the question “doing what?” There are many different options available to us as young adults, all it needs is for us to believe in ourselves that it is ok to not follow others and do our own thing. I’m a prime example, I knew from an early stage in my sixth form life that uni just wasn’t for me. And it can be hard as you near the end of sixth form as all you friends are getting ready to go to uni, you have perhaps known these people the whole of your school life you see these people more then you may see your family. So to go from seeing them everyday to perhaps once in a while when they are home can be daunting and worrying. But take it from me don’t be frightened it will all work out the way that it is meant to.

 On a day to day basis I am up at 6AM and I am at work on the ward and helping patients at 7:30AM. My normal working day is 7:30-3:30 Monday – Friday so its sort of like a school day/week but just an extra 1hr and a 1/2. Where I am working is Day Surgery, this means that I look after people pre and post op. This means that the patients I see are relatively fit and well. In order to get them ready for surgery me and my colleagues have to go through checklists with the patients and ask them multiple questions like “Do you have any metal wear or prostheses in your body?” As well as “when was the last time you had something to eat and drink ” as patients are Nil by mouth (can’t eat or drink) after a certain time before their surgery take their blood pressure and more. After patients have been checklisted the porters come to take them to theatres we take them to theatres ready for their surgery. After the patients have had their surgery they come back to our ward and we give them tea or coffee and toast – as this will be their first availability to have something to eat as they are no longer now nil by mouth. We then keep an eye on the patient and do routine observations every half an hour (earlier if required) to check their BP (Blood Pressure)  Sats, Pulse and Respirations. Once the patients have been with us for a certain amount of time post op ( generally 2 hours) the nurses discharge the patient and they are ready to go home.

The job is not always glamorous you do have to change and clean beds, and take patients to and from the toilet, but I don’t mind In anyway as I know I am helping the patient in any way that I can.

If you are thinking about a job in the healthcare sector but don’t want to or are not sure about going to uni, I would definitely recommend applying for an apprenticeship with the NHS. It’s a qualification with hands on experience at the same time. I promise you I absolutely love it and wouldn’t change the way that I’m getting into the health sector one bit.

 If you have any questions speak to Fiona who has my details and she can pass on questions to me and I’ll try to answer them or I’ll pass them onto my manager if I can’t.

I hope if you have taken the time to read this article it has helped you a little with your choices.

You never know we might end up working together someday. Till then…”

We are extremely fortunate to be working, again with Business in the Community, thanks to funding from The Careers and Enterprise Company. The opportunities and activities delivered by Business in the Community are high quality and allow us to develop our breadth of high quality, impartial advice, guidance and experiences.

As part of Careers Lab the entire Year 12 student body; well over 200 students. will receive at least 3 practice interviews with professional employers. Half of the year group will be involved on Thursday 12 March (12SA, SB, SC, SD and SE) and the remaining half on Friday 13 March (the remaining students from 12SE, SF SG SH and SI). We really hope students take this as an opportunity to ‘dress to impress’ and make the most of the experience itself, but also the chance to network and build contacts in industries and fields in which they could see themselves working. Practice interviews are essential and hugely beneficial for any student, but we believe especially so for Year 12 as they begin preparation for their lives and futures beyond Sixth Form in earnest.

Our commitment to the Quality in Careers Standard means that any activity that we do in relation to Careers Education must have purpose and meaning. This means, the practice interviews is not just a ‘nice’ activity; there will be a full debrief on Tuesday 17 March. All students will spend three-hours with their tutors, the people who know them best and will ultimately contribute to any future reference they may require, to fully debrief the practice interview experience. Students will work through the Aspire programme to support them in their learning and reflections. Reflection can often be the most powerful tool students can use in order to improve and grow.

The Careers Lab activities fall just outside of National Careers Week, but provide an excellent opportunity for students to apply their learning from the classroom to the real-world.