An In-depth Look at Travel

The travel portion of the field auditor position can be every bit as exciting and challenging as the work itself. As we take you step by step through the travel requirements, you will begin to understand why so many of our auditors enjoy the excitement that comes along with this position.

This position requires 100% travel. In ABC terms, that means that you can expect to be home approximately four days per month. Keep in mind, as your tenure increases, your time spent home during the month will also increase.

The Schedule

First, let's take a look at how our work is scheduled. Itineraries (or lists of audits) are provided to the auditors every three to six months. This list of audits will typically be in a geographic area and will give an estimated time frame for completing each assignment. While the median length of an audit is typically two weeks, we have many audits that are two to three days and several that might last up to 12 months. In situations where there is a lengthy stay, some of our auditors are housed in corporate apartments.

Once received, the auditors contact our publisher members and make arrangements for when the audit will take place. Many auditors find this one of the more challenging tasks as it takes excellent organization and time management skills. Auditors have full discretion to arrange the dates and times of their work assignments.

Once itineraries are scheduled, the auditors use their vehicle to travel to the location of the publisher member. Auditors stay in hotels near the publishers' office and commute between the hotel and office regularly. Once the assignment is completed, the auditor travels to the next audit assignment location and the course of travel starts over again. All expenses incurred by the auditor including mileage associated with travel between publishers' offices, hotel costs, and per diem are reimbursed by ABC on a weekly basis.

Assignments

Itineraries are assigned based on auditor experience, ability, and location. Because of this, auditors may be asked at any time to travel anywhere throughout the continental U.S. and Canada. In addition, there are several itineraries outside of the continental US including Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Bermuda, Asia, and Europe that are used for special recognition.

Trips Home

Within the first two years of employment, new auditors can travel home two weekends each month, plus a third trip home for the following holidays: Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Once you decide which weekend you would like to travel home, trips are booked through our internal travel agent here at ABC headquarters. Our full-time on-site agent is here to assist you with any of your travel needs. Some occasions will warrant the auditor to drive home instead of fly, depending on location.

Reimbursement

One thing to keep in mind is that all expenses, except airfare, are initially paid by the auditor and then reimbursed by ABC. We will grant a $500 interest free loan to any interested field auditors during their first week of employment. The loan will assist in some of the travel related financial responsibilities the auditors typically face during the first week on the job. The loan is deducted automatically from the auditors paycheck over the course of the first 10 weeks at a deduction of $50/week.

Training

The training program starts with the first day of employment at ABC. All auditors meet at our headquarters in Schaumburg for a one week introduction to ABC. Here we discuss who ABC is, what we do, why we do it, and what role the auditor plays within the organization. You will meet with other new auditors, various staff at our headquarters and your audit management team. The training program will provide you with a foundation of the industry and general auditing techniques.

After completing the initial training class, all of our auditors meet with one of our experienced auditors for some real "on-the-job" training. Working side by side for the next 13 weeks, you learn all of the different aspects of the field auditor position, including procedures, policies, and lifestyle.

Once completed, our auditors return to Schaumburg for the mock audit. This is an opportunity to complete an audit on your own and then review the work papers with your management team. An excellent learning opportunity, this is a launch pad into receiving your own itinerary.

One last thing to keep in mind is that all auditors will be required to carry an ABC issued laptop computer, printer, and peripheral equipment. The average bag containing this equipment weighs approximately 15 pounds.

The travel allows for a significant amount of growth and development in flexibility, independence, and problem solving. This, combined with the auditing techniques learned, make the field auditor position an excellent way to launch your career. Come see what it means to be "The Gold Standard" in the industry.