Trainee Auditor (School or College Leaver programme)

Audit Scotland; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector auditing agency in Scotland is seeking trainee auditors to join their team. This role offers financial support for obtaining a chartered accountancy qualification, while engaging in varied auditing tasks across local and central government bodies. Candidates must have a minimum HND level qualification and demonstrate strong communication and analytical skills. The role promises a supportive environment with numerous professional development opportunities.

Benefits

42 days of annual leave

Local government pension scheme

Flexible working hours

Qualifications

• Must hold a minimum HND level qualification in any discipline.
• Minimum Grade C in Higher English and Maths required.

Responsibilities

• Help plan and deliver quality audit work across public sector bodies.
• Provide support and develop skills towards a professional qualification.

Skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills

Ability to work as part of a team

Interest in Audit Scotland and the public sector

Sound analytical skills

Knowledge of Microsoft Office packages

Disciplined and organised

Education

Minimum HND level qualification

Minimum Grade C in Higher English and Maths

Job description

Our School and College Leaver Trainee Auditor programmes include financial support to become a qualified Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland (ICAS). You will get a prestigious, internationally recognised qualification, whilst being involved in varied and interesting work, auditing public bodies in Scotland.

Over the duration of the programme, you will help your team to plan and deliver quality audit work across a range of public sector bodies, including local and central government and the NHS.

You don’t need to have come straight from school or college to apply for our School and College Leaver programmes. No matter what your background, if you are committed to studying for a professional qualification, our School and College Leaver programmes are designed to develop your skills and expertise in audit and provide formal training and study towards a professional accountancy qualification over the five-year programme.

Audit Scotland will provide you with ongoing support throughout your training and will encourage you to grow, develop and excel in a challenging and rewarding role. As a School or College leaver you will also join our graduate trainees giving you peer support whilst learning the job and undergoing your studies.

If you think this sounds like the career for you, then we would love to hear from you. You will need the following skills and experience:

• To be eligible for our college leave programme, you will need to hold a minimum HND level qualification in any discipline and a minimum of Grade C in Higher English and Maths, or equivalent, by the proposed start date of employment.
• To be eligible for our school leaver programme, you will need to hold a minimum of Grade C in Higher English and Maths, or equivalent, by the proposed start date of employment.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work as part of a team and independently using your own initiative.
• An interest in Audit Scotland and/or the public sector as well as the Auditing and Accountancy profession.
• Sound analytical skills for gathering, interpreting and evaluating data.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office packages.
• Disciplined and organised.

A note on entry routes:

If you hold an honours degree in any discipline or equivalent, you are unable to be considered for our school or college leaver programmes. We have a graduate programme which you can apply for. Please visit the graduate page on our careers website to find out more.

If you hold an ordinary degree in any discipline along with the minimum grades required in Maths and English, you are eligible to apply for our college leaver programme.

Who are we?

Our vision is that public money is well spent to meet the needs of Scotland's people.

To achieve this, we support the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission to provide clear, independent and objective assurance on how effectively public money is being managed and spent. Our work covers about £59bn of public spending, almost 300 public sector accounts, and the services and projects that affect all people and communities in Scotland.

As well as what we do, how we do it is integral to delivering our vision and critical to our wellbeing and our organisational success. We put our organisational values of equality, independence, innovation, integrity and respect at the heart of everything we do.

We employ around 340 staff in a wide variety of roles, working from our offices in Edinburgh and Glasgow, and through a network of regional offices across Scotland.

There has never been a more interesting or important time to join us. We offer a rewarding place to work, a supportive and open culture and a wide range of professional development opportunities. Benefits include 42 days of annual leave including public holidays, an attractive local government pension scheme with 17.6% employer contributions, personal development allowances and flexible working hours. We’ve also been named one of the top 25 workplaces in Scotland and the UK’s ninth best accountancy workplace in the 2025 Best Companies awards.

Diversity and Inclusion

We value the unique perspective a diverse workforce brings to what we do. Therefore, we’re keen to increase representation in our workforce and support progression of minority ethnic groups. We are also a proud disability confident employer.

Reasonable Adjustments

Audit Scotland’s recruitment process may include various stages and activities including application forms, online assessments, and interviews, to assess whether you meet the requirements of the role. As a Disability Confident employer, we are committed to providing inclusive and accessible recruitment where everyone is supported to perform at their best. Visit the role profile via our careers website to find out more on support with reasonable adjustments.

Interested? Next steps

We’re keeping this nice and simple – visit our careers website, click the apply button and complete the application form. We would love to hear examples of any experience you have had whether its paid, voluntary or life experience and how your experience is transferrable to this role. You can view more information about the application process on our website, however interviews are expected to take place week commencing 23rd March 2026.

The start date for this vacancy will be October 2026. Closing date for applications is Sunday 18th January 2026.