What is the National Audit Office?

The National Audit Office (NAO) serves as the UK’s independent guardian of public spending. We empower Parliament to hold government to account and drive improvements in public services through rigorous, high-quality audits.
Our work sharpens Parliamentary oversight, delivers tangible financial benefits, and contributes to better outcomes for people across the country. Alongside our support for the Public Accounts Committee, we also work with other select committees, ensuring all parts of government face meaningful scrutiny and accountability.
Looking ahead, our five-year strategy for 2025 to 2030 is designed to help boost the productivity and resilience of public services, and to strengthen financial management and reporting within government. By working closely with Parliament and our partners, we strive to enhance trust and deliver the best value for public money.

Join Us

If you are seeking an engaging placement opportunity, we invite you to become part of the NAO and contribute to the bigger picture. Discover more about our organisation and career pathways by visiting our website.

What is the Access Accountancy Scheme?

This Access Accountancy scheme offers early career insight into the work of the National Audit Office (NAO), with a special focus on both Financial Audit and Value for Money. This initiative is designed to give participants a real taste of the profession, helping them understand how rigorous audit and evaluation underpin public service and value for taxpayers.

When Does the Scheme Take Place?

Our one-week placement is scheduled to coincide with the half-term week, running from Monday 27th – Friday 31st October 2025. The hours of work are from 9am to 5pm each day, and the placement will be hosted at our London and Newcastle offices. As this is an in-person experience, applicants must be able to attend physically at either our London or Newcastle locations.

What Will You Gain?

Successful candidates will have the opportunity to experience working within a highly respected organisation. The scheme provides valuable exposure to the broad range of skills and attributes essential for success in a professional environment, such as effective communication, teamwork, adaptability, and organisational awareness.

Our aim is that, through this placement, you will be inspired to pursue further opportunities – whether through our apprenticeship or graduate trainee schemes, or similar programmes elsewhere. By opening the door to our organisation, we hope to help you take confident steps toward a rewarding and successful future.

What Will the Scheme Entail?

Our placement scheme is designed to offer a suite of enriching, career-enhancing experiences tailored to provide you with a genuine insight into the world of audit and public sector accountability. Throughout your time with us, you will participate in a variety of activities, including spending time with our audit and/or value for money teams as they plan and execute real work programmes, shadowing senior leaders to observe high-level responsibilities and decision-making processes, and meeting our current trainees to gain valuable insights into their experiences and career journeys at the NAO.
Please note, the structure and content of the scheme may be subject to minor amendments, ensuring the programme remains relevant and impactful for all participants.

Eligibility Criteria

We are committed to welcoming motivated individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds, valuing your interest both in our work and in your personal development. To ensure you make the most of this opportunity, please take note of the following eligibility requirements for our placement programme:

• You should be in Year 13 for the academic year 2025-2026.
• Applicants must have achieved at least a grade C/4 in both GCSE Mathematics and English.
• You must be able to attend for the full placement week, from Monday 27th October – Friday 31st October.
• Candidates should come from a lower socio-economic background. To help us confirm your eligibility, make sure you tell us the job of the main income earner in your household when you were 14.
• To comply with Civil Service nationality rules, you must be a UK, Commonwealth, EEA or Swiss national.

How to Apply: Our Application Process

If you’d like to apply, our recruitment process has three stages. You’ll need to complete and pass each one within the timeframes given in order to move on to the next stage. All applications received by the outlined deadlines will be considered equally. Please note, if you miss any of the deadlines stated below, your application will not be considered.

The deadline to begin your application is midnight on Sunday 14th September.

Once you have started your application, the subsequent steps are:

1. Numerical reasoning test
   This is an online test that assesses how confidently and accurately you can work with numbers. It focuses on logical thinking and precision. While speed is not penalised, candidates who solve problems correctly and efficiently will score more highly. You will have three days to complete this stage. The deadline for completion is midnight on Wednesday 17th September.

2. Competency-based questions
   In this part of the process, we will ask you questions specifically designed to assess the following important skills: your ability to analyse data and draw sound conclusions, your demonstration of sound judgement, your enthusiasm, initiative and drive, your motivation to join the NAO, and your overall communication skills. We’re not looking for lots of past job experience, as we understand many applicants may not have had the opportunity to gain this yet. Instead, you can draw on examples from school, extracurricular activities, volunteering, or personal experiences to show what you can do. You will have five days to complete this stage. The deadline for completion is midday on Wednesday 24th September.

3. Telephone interview
   This is the final stage of the process. You will have a short conversation over the phone with a recruiter, giving you the chance to expand on your answers and show us more about your motivation and suitability for the programme. Telephone interviews will take place between Wednesday 1st October – Wednesday 8th October.

If you have any questions, please direct them to team@successatschool.org and someone will come back to you as soon as they’re able.