Summer Placement Review

I thought it was a good placement overall. I enjoyed the indiction events at the beginning because I got to meet interns from all over the country in all different service lines. I also enjoyed the work I was given as it was quite varied and new to me. However, at the beginning of the internship there was not much work for me to do and I was often quite bored.

Everyone I worked with was friendly and approachable, They explained work well and were happy to answer questions about the work and more generally. At the end of the internship I was very busy and my collegues were relying on me to do work in order to meet deadlines so I felt very involved and valued. My buddy and counsellor were also great at finding me work and introducing the office to me.

My buddies and counsellor were really great, they helped find me work, assisted me with any queries, guided me through the job offer process and were generally welcoming and enthusiastic. In terms of work, the managers were very good, they sat down and explained the work if necessary, were open to any questions and gave useful feedback.

For about the first two weeks of the internship I wasn't vey busy but I think that's just to do with the fact that it was summer and people were on holiday, plus the fact that no-one knows your capabilities to start with. However, for the rest of it I was usually pretty busy, in fact my internship was extended because I was needed to help out with a deadline. I had one night where I had to stay till 11.30pm but I got the next day off and I think that I'm probably the only intern who had that experience.

I think I was given responsibility in line with my knowledge. I have no technical training so I couldn't really do anything complicated. I did a lot of billing and writing fee notes, administrative tasks and filing but I also got to do some really interesting research tasks as well as drafting emails and letters to clients and HMRC. I also went to client meetings and conference calls and went to lunch with a client. Overall, it was what I expected to be doing.

I did this internship to see whether a career in tax would suit me and if so to get a job offer, so in terms of those goals it was great. I think its given me a good foundation of the basic tasks and processes at EY, which I could easily build upon when I begin my job. I acquired quite a random collection of tax knowledge over the internship but nothing I could specifically apply to my studies.

I worked in both the Reading and London offices. The Reading team was a lot smaller so you got to know everyone and it seemed more friendly. The London office was really big so it felt more anoymous but there were much better facilities and location.

I think it was really well organised. I heard back promptly from my interviews etc although they were sometimes arranged without much notice (although they have a good expenses policy). The induction events were well run and a good mix of info, social and CSR. The internship itself was straightforward but there was good flexibility if you wanted to try out something else.

I think EY invests a lot in its people. There were lots of opportunities to network in the induction sessions and your counsellor and buddy made sure that you were getting the right type of work or training, However, it was also up to you how much effort you made to get productive and interesting work and to look for opportunities.

EY internships have really good job prospects as there is potentially a job for every intern as long as you don't mess it up in some way. There is also quite a lot of flexibility so you could change service lines or office if you want, although changing both might be difficult.

I was only one of two interns at the Reading office so there was no social scene apart from a meal at the beginning and end. However, the work collegues were really friendly and I went to the pub with them a few times.

I stayed at Reading University accomodation during my internship which was pretty good - about £18 a night with a student ID, there are also quite a few pubs, bars and clubs in Reading.

I only ever went to the pub and that was pretty standard.

There were frequent emails about events and CSR opportunities but the majority of these didn't take place whilst I was there or weren't appealing.