A day in the life of Wellington audit grad Sanduni Fernando
Working as an Audit Graduate at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Wellington has given Sanduni Fernando the opportunity to develop professionally while being part of a supportive and collaborative team environment. From morning commutes into Wellington to working on-site with clients, she says no two days feel exactly the same. Here’s what one of her recent workdays looked like.
6.45am: I usually make myself a morning tea, prepare my lunch for the day and get ready for work before heading to the bus stop.
One of my favourite parts of the day is the commute from Grenada Village into Wellington. I normally sit upstairs at the front of the double-decker bus, and the morning scenery is always so relaxing. I really enjoy watching the mountain and village views slowly turn into the Wellington city and harbour views as the bus gets closer to the city.
8.30am: I arrive at the office and start checking my emails and organising my tasks for the day.
Since I only joined Baker Tilly in April 2026 as an audit graduate, this was my first year-end audit at a client site, so I was excited to experience how field work operates in practice. Before our meeting, my senior spent some time explaining the audit engagement, the areas I would be involved in and how the audit process would work throughout the day.
10.00am: We have our usual morning tea break. It’s a great chance to catch up with colleagues over tea and biscuits, and take a short break before getting back into work.
10.15am: After morning tea I attended an audit planning meeting with the partner, manager and my senior. It was really interesting to see the discussions that happened before starting the audit field work.
During the meeting, we discussed key audit risks, fraud considerations, going concern matters, accounting estimates, related party transactions, independence requirements and preliminary analytical review procedures, along with other key planning considerations for the audit. The partner also explained the overall audit approach and how the engagement would be completed. As someone still early in my career, I found it valuable to observe how experienced team members assess risks and plan the audit process.
11.30am: My senior and I headed to the client site, which was conveniently located very close to our office.
After being introduced to the client team and receiving our access cards, we settled into a boardroom with an amazing view overlooking the city and harbour. It was such a nice working environment and made the experience even more enjoyable.
My senior guided me through the audit work I had been assigned and explained the procedures step by step, which really helped build my confidence. Since this was my first client-site year-end audit experience, I appreciated how supportive and approachable everyone was throughout the day.
12.30pm: We took our lunch break and caught up with some colleagues before heading back to work. I enjoy these moments because they give us a chance to connect with people across the office outside of work tasks.
1.30pm: After lunch, we returned to the client site and continued with our work for the day.
2.30pm: I had a meeting with the client to clarify a few items and request supporting documents related to my audit sections. It was a valuable learning experience because it gave me the opportunity to communicate directly with the client and better understand the importance of professional relationships in audit.
3.00pm: We had a quick afternoon tea break before continuing with the rest of our work for the day.
5.00pm: We wrapped up our work and I headed home after a productive and rewarding day at the client site.
What I enjoy most about working at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway is the balance between learning, teamwork and real client exposure. Every day brings new experiences, and even as a graduate, I already feel supported, challenged and genuinely involved in meaningful work.