A day in the life of a banking & capital markets auditor at Deloitte
Bella Smith is a senior analyst in Deloitte UK’s Audit & Assurance business, based in London. She joined Deloitte’s graduate scheme in September 2025 after graduating from the University of Bristol with a degree in Economics. This is what a typical day looks like for her.
7.15am. I wake up and start my day with a coffee, taking a moment to myself before getting ready. I leave my flat at 8am and hop on the tube to the office. During busy season, I often work on site at the entity I am auditing, but for much of the year I’m based between the Deloitte office and home.
8.45am. Once I arrive at the office, I settle in, check my inbox, and organise my priorities for the day. I’m working on the audit of a large financial services firm specialising in trading, derivatives, and brokerage.
9.30am. We have a daily team meeting to discuss progress, any challenges and plan our work for the day ahead. Working in audit is highly collaborative, so regular communication with my team is essential.
10.00am. I have a call with my ACA (Associate Chartered Accountant qualification) talent coach to discuss my progress with the qualification. The ACA combines professional exams with practical work experience. Balancing study alongside a full-time role can be challenging but it’s rewarding. I’ve now completed eight of my exams and I am on track to qualify as a Chartered Accountant in 2028.
10.30am. I spend the morning analysing data for a risk assessment on some derivatives balances. I now use AI a lot more to help streamline my work and to provide some initial analysis which I then check based on my own understanding and research. The technology helps us to understand movements in key balances and identify any unusual changes in the account’s composition that may have previously been harder to spot, or taken a long time to review. I discuss any queries with the entity to understand the commercial reasons behind any changes identified. Getting to understand the way that businesses function is one of my favourite parts of my role.
12.30pm. Time for lunch! I take a full hour and usually grab food nearby and enjoy catching up with my colleagues on both work and personal life. One of my favourite spots near the office is a sandwich shop called Dilieto.
1.30pm. After lunch, I complete a risk assessment based on my data analytics. This involves concluding on the level of risk of misstatement associated with the balance, which determines the audit procedures we will perform. I have a chat with a more senior colleague to discuss technical questions as well as validate my conclusions. They provide real time feedback so that I can learn and develop my skills.
3pm. Most of my afternoon is spent focusing on my to-do list, which varies significantly throughout the year. Outside of year-end (this time of year) I spend more time understanding and testing the client’s internal controls, where we see how the control operates in practice. As we approach year-end, the focus shifts towards substantive testing where we directly test transactions, balances and supporting evidence to verify the accuracy of figures reported in the financial statements. Year-end can be more intense, with tighter deadlines and longer hours, but it provides invaluable experience and it can be really fun to work under pressure with my team.
4.30pm. I attend a Women’s Network Committee speaker series event, where an audit partner shares her experience as a woman in audit and how she balances her career with parenthood. I find her story both inspiring and motivating, and it gives me a valuable perspective on career progression at the firm.
5.30pm. At this time of year, I usually leave around 5.30/6pm and head home where I join my flatmates for a group run.
8.30pm. After our workout, we cook and eat dinner together and begin to settle down for the evening. Before bed, I unwind with a good book. Right now, I’m reading the fantasy series Throne of Glass, which is a great way to relax after a busy day.
This piece was contributed by Deloitte on behalf of Bella Smith.
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