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Financial services

The National Audit Office school leaver scheme

The National Audit Office offer one of the best school Leaver schemes out there, providing you with an excellent path into accountancy and the public sector.


Who are we and what do we do?

The NAO is an independent public body with a unique remit and set of clients. We help Parliament scrutinise how the government spends taxpayers’ money and provide assurance to Parliament through our audit work. This puts us at the heart of the drive to improve public services.

There are five main strands to our work; Financial Audit; Value-for-Money audit, Investigation and Insight, Parliamentary Relations and International Audit. Being a trainee at the NAO gives you access to these strands as well as valuable experience and a perspective that you would not get working anywhere else. Our unique clientele includes the Royal Household, Ministry of Defence, NHS and Nuclear Decommissioning Authority amongst many others.

Our well-established School Leaver schemes offer the chance to be part of the positive impact our work has on the nation whilst studying towards the globally renowned and internationally recognised ACA qualification.

Our people have a great reputation among our clients, Parliament, other international audit institutions and the wider accountancy profession. In addition to Accountants we employ Analysts, Statisticians, Economists and specialists in a variety of other disciplines to foster a fantastic learning environment.

Earn and learn

Our school leaver scheme is a 5 year training programme which will see you right through to qualification as a Chartered Accountant (ACA), with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Our pass rates are consistently at or above the national average, meaning you’ll soon be opening up a world of great career possibilities.

Day to day you will be working in either our London or Newcastle office as part of our Six Clusters, each offering a range of exciting and challenging work. There are also opportunities to travel nationally and internationally to our different clients and stakeholders, a highlight for many of our current trainees.

In addition to our career opportunities, we offer a list of benefits including:

  • a very competitive starting salary which increases each year and rewards exam success;
  • designated college and study time, during which you will not have the added pressure of being in the office;
  • payment of professional subscriptions;
  • an office-wide sports and social association offering a variety of activities and events.
  • Post-qualification earning potential of £50,000 plus!

Our application deadline is 31st March – so please visit our website today to find out more about the programme and how to apply. At the NAO we’re committed to helping you build your career, so take yours further in public sector audit.

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