51Âþ»­

A student has landed his dream job months before graduating.

Ben Barr said it's a "big compliment" to be offered a role with Deloitte, one of the Big Four accounting firms and the world's largest professional services network.

Securing the post - as a financial adviser for insolvent companies on the company's three-year graduate scheme - has also given Ben "peace of mind" ahead of his finals.

He said: "It's my dream job. Deloitte is the biggest at what it does in the world!

"The appeal of the role is to give help to businesses that need it, so that could help save jobs."

Before he heads to Bristol in September, Ben is aiming for a First and will continue to balance his studies at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) with his roles as treasurer of two and .

The 22-year-old said these activities, along with his placement year at Volkswagen in Milton Keynes, gave him plenty to talk about at his interview at Deloitte.

"It felt like a nice conversation," said Ben. "When you have enough to talk about at an interview it shows you are hardworking and want to put action to your interests."

Ben is treasurer of , which helps students seeking placements, and , a technology-focused business society.

"When I was applying for placements there were people there to help me, so I wanted to help other people," he said.

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Ben applied for his Frontrunner position, as a finance partnering assistant, because he wanted to continue working after his placement year.

"I felt energised and didn't want it to stop," he said.

Ben spent a year as a performance analyst at Volkswagen, trying to identify opportunities and threats to performance of the network in the after-sales market.

"It was a fantastic role," he said. "It was really nice to do a job with a meaningful impact and a proper goal."

He felt his course helped prepare him for his placement. Ben said: "The lecturers have made the degree with their interesting personalities, great insight and the experience they have. This sets you up for what's going to be in the real world.

"Then the experience on placement helps you to come back stronger for your final year."

Originally choosing 51Âþ»­ because "they care about students", Ben said his university experience has lived up to expectations.

"Students come first at 51Âþ»­ - which has been echoed every year, like this year with the ," he said.

Ben was among a group of more than 1,000 students and staff who visited the Big Apple and flew the flag for global unity in Times Square.

He added: "New York was incredible! It was already exciting as I'd not been to America before but actually standing in Times Square was breathtaking."