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Auditor

Independently examines financial records to ensure accuracy, legality, and compliance.

Did you know?

Enron's collapse in 2001 also brought down its auditor, Arthur Andersen, which had been one of the world's biggest accounting firms.

How subjects help

• Mathematics: Check a company's figures add up and trace them back to real receipts and bank records.
• Law: Check that a company follows accounting and tax rules and report it when it doesn't.
• Business Studies: Understand how a company buys, sells and records money so you know where to look for mistakes.

A famous name

William Welch Deloitte: British accountant who started his own firm in London in 1845 and became a pioneer of auditing.

Try it yourself: Find the mistake in the accounts

1. Add up the costs yourself. Does your total match the one written down?
2. Look at the receipt numbers. Has anything been counted twice?
3. Check every item against the rule on the card. Does anything break it?
4. Write a short, polite note explaining what you found and what should be fixed.

Auditors, tax advisers and compliance officers check records against the real receipts and the rules, and explain clearly what needs fixing.

Also try: Plan a party on a budget.

Known for it in

USA, UK, Australia, Singapore, India

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