Some interns and placement students are lucky enough to see their offices before they join Grant Thornton, however, many are unsure of where they have signed away the next 6 weeks/1 year of their lives… This year’s interns across a variety of GT locations have gathered together to offer you their “official” STB guide to the Grant Thornton offices, with insights into your future colleagues, working environments, and (most importantly) the best places to eat and drink! For pictures of some of the offices check out #STBofficialofficeguide2016 on Instagram – (catchy name, I know!)
LONDON (Finsbury Square) – Ellie, Intern, Fraud Insolvency
Nestled among the investment banks, law firms, and other polished inhabitants of the City, the Finsbury Square office can initially seem a daunting place. However, one week in and you will be comfortably discussing the inconvenience of tube delays, considering the weekly yoga sessions, listening intently to the lunch and learns (free food), and enjoying free fruit, tea and coffee (more free food) with the rest of the suited and booted crowd. For a relatively large building that Grant Thornton almost exclusively occupies, the office has a collegial feel that the cold glass exterior (and interior for that matter) sometimes masks. It has a well-priced canteen serving decent food that is somewhat outshone by the Prets/Eats/Starbucks/sushi bars/food stalls/pop-ups/ice cream trucks/whatever other abstract food stuff you could imagine, that litter the streets of the City. Given the prime location of Finsbury Square on the edge of Shoreditch, the possibilities for after work food and drinks are, again, endless! Personal favourites include Patty and Bun (burgers), Finches (posher bar across the square), Bounce (table tennis bar), Singers (popular GT haunt) and The Flying Horseman (another popular spot behind the office). However, if you are put in charge of organising large team drinks book well in advance – pints in the middle of the road are not uncommon on a Thursday.
But life at the London office isn’t all fun and food. The cost of transport, accommodation and eating out is extortionate – and for those not used over-crammed public transport, the tube can be very stressful. Placement students from this year have largely chosen to live in zones 2-6 of East London for close proximity to both Finsbury Square and Shoreditch nightlife, and *relatively* cheaper prices. My personal tip for tackling public transport (because I hate crowds) is to walk as much of the journey as possible to avoid stress and spending money, or alternatively, arrive at work 30-45 minutes early (find a gym?) and leave later (meet friends after work?) to avoid the worst of the rush hour. Despite these inconveniences, London is a fantastic place to work and if you are lucky enough to live there for the duration of your placement or internship, your weekends will not be boring!
A final note with regards to what to wear – the question on everyone’s mind that no one wants to ask! On a Friday, the office adopts a “dress for your diary” dress code, i.e. meeting = business wear, day at your desk = (virtually) anything goes. I went to the bathroom to change into jeans on my first Friday after looking overdressed in my #businesscasual chinos and blouse. The rest of the time the dress code is fairly standard business dress: suits for men, work dresses or suit trousers/skirts and a blouse for women. Details such as “to tie or not to tie” will largely depend on your team and your exposure to clients.
BIRMINGHAM – Ade, Intern, Commercial Audit
Hi everyone I’m Ade and I’m a Commercial Audit intern at the Birmingham office.
After relocating to the Colmore Plaza offices back in 2012, GT is located at the heart of Birmingham City Centre. I now have the pleasure to not only be situated in an office located a couple minutes away from Bull Ring shopping centre, which I must say definitely satisfies my urges for a fortnightly shopping spree after work in Selfridges, but that is also conveniently located for travel to client sites – our office has the luxury of being next to Snow Hill Train station, and a 5 minutes’ walk from the newly redeveloped New Street station.
Occupying the two highest floors of the building (11th&12th), the office has an amazing view of the most noteworthy landmarks in Britain’s second largest city, and with over 300 staff shared between service lines, the Birmingham office is a truly vibrant, diverse and sociable office.
Not only does the office have the luxury of free membership to the building’s 24 hour gym, the Colmore plaza building also has its very own café, which comes in handy when you forget to make your lunch in the mornings.
Besides having the bonus of having free tea, coffee and fruits in the office every day, the Birmingham office has its own popular social clubs with a variety of events occurring regularly. As an office we recently had a Rio themed summer festival inspired by the forthcoming Olympic Games, where we was not only able to enjoy the luxury of the open bar for the night, but also dance with the Rio themed carnival dancers.
Although the city is still undergoing a lot significant redevelopments in hopes of becoming one of the world’s most liveable cities, Birmingham is truly a vibrant city, with a variety of restaurants and bars that the interns and trainees take full advantage of on Fridays after work.
With Grant Thornton’s relaxed and friendly culture, complemented by its open plan spacious office, the Birmingham office is a truly fantastic location to be in.
MANCHESTER – James, Intern, Commercial Audit
As the end of my Internship looms (a day I’m not looking forward to) it would not feel right if I didn’t take some time to share my experiences with those eagerly scrolling this fantastic site, in search of a greater understanding of life at GT. For those of you reading this, my name is James Gaskin and I have just completed a 6 week internship in Commercial Audit in the Manchester office.
I have been working on two clients; the first was at their site in south Cheshire and the other required me to undertake work from the office in Hardman Square – and here are my thoughts.
In my opinion, Manchester is the best city in the country (I promise I’m not biased) and although I live here and have done for 21 years, working life has shown me a side to this city that I never thought existed.
It all starts with the location of the office – right in the heart of the finance district, Spinningfields. In addition to being easily reached from Piccadilly train station (15 minute walk) and very well connected by bus and nearby metro links, Spinningfields is also an area surrounded by trendy bars (The Alchemist, The Lawn Club, Manchester House) that are packed with workers every night, most of which are from other Spinningfields resident professional service firms, such as Deloitte, BDO and PwC. This gives you the opportunity to meet other people in a similar situation as us and to share experiences over a drink.
If you’re feeling peckish rather than thirsty, then there is a multitude of places to dine from the Pret A Manger at the foot of the office doors, to the Sainsbury’s Meal Deal, to something slightly more exotic in the Tapas restaurant called Iberico – all within seconds from the office.
In terms of the offices themselves, GT occupy 3 floors within the Hardman Square building, making it one of the largest in the country. They are open-plan, well air-conditioned and there is always a selection of someone’s left over cooking which are left in the ‘break out’ area where people can go and help themselves.
For those thinking of joining in Manchester from September 2016 onwards, then you have picked the best time to do so. The whole 3 floors are undergoing drastic refurbishment to improve their layout, adding more relaxation areas and smaller working spaces to meet with clients in a more informal setting, whilst also encouraging collaboration with colleagues – something to be very excited about!
I would say that I have been very fortunate with the people that I have met on my internship – however, the theme of friendliness and outgoingness that has been commonplace with everyone in the Manchester office and the other North-West Interns, has been prominent with people that I have met from offices all over the country as well. You might be wondering how, in 6 weeks, I have had chance to meet people from different offices? Events such as our introduction to the firm in London and our two day trip to Bradenham (more about that in a separate blog) brought all interns and placement students together and genuinely everyone was a pleasure to meet and spend time with.
IPSWICH – Will, Intern, Audit
People, people, people. That was the answer one person gave when I asked the Ipswich Office what their favourite thing about working there was, and, after 5 weeks there, I’d have to agree! The team are really friendly and really are willing to help each other out as much as possible. One person did mention that the fact that you can ‘Dress for your diary’ is a big plus. This means on days where there’s no need to dress in Business attire, such as when you’re not seeing clients, you don’t have to (no beach shorts allowed though!) The guys at Ipswich see each other a lot outside of work too, with annual Christmas and summer socials providing an opportunity to make memories such as the time Molly and Liz made a Grant Thornton Ipswich version of 12 Days of Christmas and sang it at the Christmas social to roars of laughter. There have also been football nights to practise for the annual GT football tournament, where hopefully (at the time of writing) they’ll put on a great showing!
The office itself is located on the edge of Ipswich next to the Sir Bobby Robson Bridge, which runs over the River Orwell. The location is great for getting to the office from other places in East Anglia (it’s near the end of the A12 and the A14) and this also makes going to and from client’s offices by car easier as well. The biggest drawbacks of the office are the shortage of car parking spaces and the distance from the city centre. However, the office is less than a 10 minute walk from the train station, where you can also book parking spaces well in advance. There is a free shuttle bus that stops nearby which takes people into the town centre as well.
Inside the office, everyone has their own desk except the audit team, who have an area where they can set up their laptops anywhere (‘hot desking’). This makes sense as the audit team go out to clients a lot more than any of the other teams. There’s a kitchen area which has a fridge to keep lunch in, as well as hot and cold drink facilities. If you do work there, you’ll find that cakes or pastries seem to get brought in by somebody at least every week in celebration of an exam pass, birthday etc.. At lunchtime, you can eat in the groovy looking breakout area (where office meetings and events are generally held) or go out. Going out to eat can involve something simple from the local Sainsbury’s, or a casual team lunch at the local Station or Penta hotel. A favourite of the office is Cool Beans, which is a local café just across the bridge where you can get coffee, panini and jacket potatoes.
EDINBURGH and GLASGOW – Rachel, Intern, Tax
Both the Edinburgh and Glasgow offices are situated in the heart of their respective cities.
The Edinburgh office offers a great view of the castle, free coffee and a vending machine. On the doorstep of the Edinburgh office is a Caffè Nero for those early morning pick-me-ups, a Nando’s for the chicken lovers amongst us, and Frisky – a fantastic frozen yoghurt place. If none of these strike your fancy, a few minutes’ walk from the office you will stumble across Princes Street and George Street. Here, there are many bars and restaurants. I would recommend the Boozy Cow on Frederick Street for some of the most creative burgers and tastiest milkshakes around!
Glasgow is the larger of the two offices and is situated on the top floor of a building with its outer wall made of glass. As you can imagine, the views across Glasgow on a rare sunny day are breath-taking. The Glasgow office has much the same amenities as the Edinburgh office – free tea and coffee and a vending machine – but one of the best attributes of the office is its surrounding balcony. The balcony can be enjoyed at the many social events throughout the year. The office is very much open-plan, which encourages interaction amongst colleagues, and you can instantaneously see that people have made some great friendships. Glasgow has held three social events over the past 4 weeks, with the largest yet to come – the football tournament. Teams from offices all over the UK are travelling up to Glasgow to compete against each other. As well as the tournament, dinner and drinks have been booked for what promises to be a great day. The Glasgow office is surrounded by many restaurants, including the student favourite Paesano for their extraordinary pizzas at just £6! Other surrounding restaurants include Pizza Express, Jamie’s Italian and Las Iguanas.
Though the Glasgow office is stunning, getting there has caused a few issues; the lifts are a complicated business, scanning one card to get up to your floor and then a different card for access into the office space. I am the only commuter amongst the Glasgow interns and though the trains are long and busy, the commute could definitely be worse!
Everyone in both offices is very friendly and I have never felt so welcomed anywhere!
LONDON (Euston) – Aiwei, Intern, Public Sector Audit
I’m a PSA intern based in the London Euston office. I spend most of my time out on client sites so am only really in the office once or twice a week – but when I am in the office I definitely make sure to take advantage of the free coffee, fruit and stationery!
The best thing about the Euston office is its location; it’s right by Euston station so there are amazing transport links. There are a huge range of places to grab a quick bite to eat at lunch, such as Pret, Itsu and Caffè Nero. GT staff also get discount at Euston Nandos! If you want more choice, Tottenham Court Road is about a 10 min walk away. There are a lot of decent restaurants both on TCR and in the streets around it, such as Franco Manca (£4.50 for a large sourdough pizza!), Bang Bang (moderately priced Vietnamese food) and Honey & Co. (healthy Middle Eastern Food). However, one of my favourite places I’ve ever been to is Roti King, a small Malaysian restaurant tucked away down a side street about 5 mins walk from the office; authentic dishes such as Nasi Lemak and Mee Goreng cost around £7 each.
The office is large, with 8 floors. It’s difficult to know how many staff there are as most of London Audit are usually out on client sites. The PSA floor has mainly hot desks and because we’re on the 5th floor, there’s a really nice view of London. The positives of office definitely outweigh any negatives, but one thing I HATE are the lifts. You can only choose which floor to go on from the outside of the lift so it always takes forever to call a lift, especially when it’s peak lift hours. I don’t know who decided to design the lifts that way but I suppose it’s a sign that we should all take the stairs!
It’s quite difficult for the PSA interns to meet up frequently as we are all based all over London. We have a weekly Wacky Wednesday where we all have a social every Wednesday afternoon. For instance, last week we played darts at Flight Club with our buddies and this week we’re planning on having a Big Night Out in London which should be really fun.
LIVERPOOL/NORTH WEST – Cameron, Intern, Audit
For the first 10 years of my life I was brought up in a village just outside Nottingham. Then, due to a career change for my Dad, we moved back to my family’s home town of Liverpool. I wasn’t too impressed about leaving my friends behind but I do remember arriving in Liverpool and being very impressed with the Liverpool waterfront, dominated by the majestic Royal Liver Building.
This iconic symbol of Liverpool is part of the world’s most famous waterfront skylines – and I can’t believe that 11 years on, I’m now working for Grant Thornton in that famous Landmark.
Liverpool describes itself as a city of culture, heritage and famously warm people (it actually has the largest collection of museums and galleries anywhere outside of London). My summer internship in the North West office (Liverpool & Manchester) has very much mirrored that.
Within literally a few days of being offered the opportunity, my buddy was on the phone to me offering to meet up. At the time, I was just completing a nine-month internship with another much smaller Liverpool accountancy firm during my placement year from Loughborough (where I’m studying Economics). My usual routine there was just to have a sandwich at my desk but on that day I made my way to Bacaros, a very stylish tapas restaurant, a few streets away from the Cavern Club. I walked in expecting to find my buddy but found three Grant Thornton staff ready to welcome me. My nerves were dispelled almost immediately because all three of them were so helpful and informative. I’ve since worked with my buddy on quite a few occasions and I’m always pleased to see him as I walk into the room because he’s been a great mentor and friend.
Like most students trying to make the best career choices post-uni, I studied the Grant Thornton website (and many others) and quickly picked up on its messages about being a really people-focused organisation. Others claimed that too but somehow it seemed more sincere and was backed up by plans for an exciting shared enterprise model. I haven’t been disappointed. Since my arrival I’ve been in London, Manchester, Bradenham, North Wales, Crewe and of course Liverpool. The many training sessions I’ve attended have shown me I’ve got a lot to learn but it’s not been in the least judgmental just helpful and supportive. At work, I know I’m only playing a small part in the audits, but I’m always made to feel an important part of the team.
Ironically, one of my biggest challenges hasn’t been the actual work or training but my charity goal! Transporting 60 Grant Thornton cupcakes into the Liverpool office, in a badly thought through over-sized box was a challenge due to the very small revolving entrance door. With a bit of lateral thinking I finally made it! (Thanks to all who bought my cakes and helped to raised funds for the ’lendwithcare’ initiative.)
Perks of North West are many. As I’ve already said, the people come at the top of that list. Other highlights have been sociable lunch hours with an array of great eating places a stone’s throw from the office, a very memorable night out at Bongo Bingo in Liverpool and I’m looking forward to the North-west’s annual barbecue this week.
It’s been so much more than I expected!
“THE WANDERING AUDITOR” – Susie, Placement Year, Audit
I had always thought that travelling with work sounded glamorous, but standing outside the client’s office balancing on one leg whilst trying to change from my trainers into my work shoes, I start to re-evaluate this belief. Initially I had resisted the plain black backpack distributed with my laptop, but after several days of carrying a laptop, a lunchbox, a water bottle, a notepad and stationary on one shoulder the two well-padded, adjustable arm straps took on a new appeal. I soon came to the realisation that as a wandering auditor, comfort is key!
Since waking up this morning I have travelled on three trains; run up three escalators (why do I do this to myself every day?); and eaten a three-pack of breakfast biscuits (breakfast at home is a luxury awarded only to those willing to sacrifice the precious ten extra minutes of sleep). After a tour of London’s underground and 20 minutes of free Wi-Fi courtesy of Southwest trains, all that remained was a 10-minute bus ride, but the sun was out so I decided to walk the final leg of the journey today.
The local government office where I am currently based is not as impressive as the Euston office, mainly because there is only instant coffee. We are in a large, light room with a window and air-conditioning, so beyond acknowledging the regular disputes over room temperature, I have no complaints. I work mostly in a team of four, but occasionally our manager visits to buy us ice cream!
At 12.30 every day we take a short walk over to the town centre, where there is a varied food market and often live music. Despite my best attempts to budget I often find myself tempted by the smell of a spicy Japanese curry or a hot falafel wrap. Usually we sit in the park where there is ample opportunity for people watching, but we have recently discovered the riverside. This is where we go today to sit on a wall, eat lunch, watch the boats go by and chat.
At 5.30 I pack up my backpack, slip on my trainers and set off on my return trip. Some may see the travelling as a downside to audit, but I try to make the most of my commute by reading, discovering new music and catching up on sleep. Travelling to different clients keeps life interesting; I actively take the opportunity to leave the office and discover the surrounding area, knowing my time here is limited. Being out at a client site means you don’t see your team as often as you might like, but when you do eventually return to the office you always have a lot to catch up on. It’s just like returning from a holiday… a holiday where you worked full time!