Audit Intern Review

I really enjoyed my time working for Ernst Young and met a variety of new people. It gave me greater confidence in my own ability as I had the chance to engage with clients which allowed to me develop my communication skills. By improving on personal skills, it added to my personal experience of the internship.

My colleagues were very helpful through the process and were always available to ask for help when it was needed. I was also invited on several lunches with my colleagues which also helped me integrate myself as part of the team. Everybody was very friendly and welcoming which helped me settle in very quickly.

My supervisor was helpful and messaged me at various points throughout the internship to check on my progress. As EY highlight feedback as an important part of the process, my supervisor was involved in the monitoring of my work throughout the 6 weeks. Towards the end of my internship, my supervisor also helped me understand the review process with regards to the next steps in the process and of a possible graduate offer,

Each day I was given tasks to complete that allowed me to show my skill set and abilities. Some days I was assigned several tasks and I had to prioritise which task should be completed first in order of importance. Other days I was given tasks throughout the day on completion of each other task. This ensured I was kept busy and contributing to the engagement team.

On my placement, I was given a great deal of responsibility for a variety of clients. Often the clients I was working with had several offshoots and in one case I was given the responsibility of completing testing for the entire subsidiary. This gave me a sense of empowerment as I was trusted to perform tests without the input of colleagues.

The skills I acquired will help me in my graduate position with EY as I will have a base knowledge that will allow me to fit into the audit team quickly. It will also help in my degree studies as it was important to pay attention to detail which is a key feature when studying Accounting and Finance.

As I was on an audit internship, I was not in the office most of the time but at various stages I was required to work from the office. The atmosphere at the client site was enjoyable and everybody was motivated to complete their work while continually engaging and ensuring their was a good working relationship with the client. The office was also well integrated and many different departments communicated at various points in the day.

The internship was well organised from the induction in London to the final event in Glasgow. Instructions were sent via email and allowed plenty of time to arrange travel. A retain setup online allowed me to view my assigned client week on week and this information was released in advance to allow you to plan your week accordingly.

EY provided training through web based learning (WBL's). This type of learning is deemed more beneficial as you can complete it in your own time and do not have to attend any tutorials or take time away from important client work. The training and development courses were based on safety, confidentiality and ethics which gave a broad sense of EY values.

Future employment prospects are one of the main attractions at EY as there is always a chance of promotion if you are progressing well in your current role. The internship also gave me the opportunity to take up a graduate position at EY. EY prides itself on its treatment of employees and its promotion prospects and will award these opportunities to those that are performing the best.

There was a good social scene with my fellow students as we were able to meet up at various times throughout the internship to socialise and discuss our progress in our internships. This was a good opportunity to catch up as you are not always working with fellow internship students as they may be on a different client or in the office at different times. Colleagues were always quick to invite fellow internship students and I to any events that were happening throughout our internship.

The cost of living to me was small as I stayed with my parents throughout the internship and therefore the only cost was my transport to and from the office. The office is in the centre of the City Centre and therefore is easily accessible via trains and buses. EY also paid for travel expenses when travelling to a client site from the office.

The nightlife was great in Glasgow and the opportunity to go out and enjoy myself did not change throughout the internship. EY values its employees and knows that it is important to balance work life and social life. As I already live in Glasgow this was an ideal location as I did not have to travel far to experience the nightlife!

I did not get involved in any activities outside of work such as sports clubs or societies. However, I feel that if I was involved in EY for longer than the 6 weeks, these opportunities would have been made available to me. There were many societies and clubs that it would be possible to join in my graduate employment.