Spring Insight Review

The insight was very informative- the first day was full of presentations explaining the different departments within KPMG, while the second day was a business challenge in teams. I met many new people and until now I still keep in contact with my team mates. The staff at KPMG were very friendly and helpful to all of us.

Everybody made us feel welcome while we were there. At the end of the first day, we had the opportunity to network with those on the graduate scheme. It was extremely helpful, and I felt that all the staff at KPMG valued us very much by giving us so much opportunity.

We received allowances for our meals and travel, and we were reimbursed for our transports soon after. However, I was hoping that those of us who had to travel to other states for the program would receive accommodation, but we had to spend our own money to look for accommodation. However, I understand that it is only the first year of this program, and it might improve in this aspect in the future.

I learned how to work as a team to think of solutions. It helped me to be more creative and to learn from others in the process. I also learned how to present myself to the panel during our group presentation, as well as put forward convincing arguments. In the end, it paid off, as my team won the business challenge! These skills definitely are essential in the financial industry, which is where I aim to be.

The insight went through smoothly throughout the two days. However, as the first day was solely for presentations, there was a bit too much information to be processed all in one go. Perhaps in the future, the presentations can be broken up into two days. Other than that, it was a lot of fun! In the second day's business challenge, each team was presented a case, where a client required a solution from us, hence we had to brainstorm and come up with ideas for the solution. That to me was the highlight of the program.

The atmosphere was lively, upbeat and friendly. I really enjoyed all the assistance provided by the staff and for making us feel so welcome. We were given presentations on how to get through the interview stage for summer internships, and we were all fast-tracked for the summer internship. I felt like it was a great place to work.

KPMG gave us a very helpful presentation at the end of the insight program- one letting us know how we will ace the summer internship interviews. All of us were fast-tracked to the interview stage of the summer internship. I felt that they really wanted us to be there and they wanted to bring out the best in us. They also gave us the privilege of asking as many questions as we wanted to them during our free time.

The insight was extremely informative and covered all departments of the firm. Not only were we given a comprehensive presentation of each division, but we had a chance to meet up with the graduates on the graduate scheme from different divisions and speak to them about life in KPMG and in their specific departments.

During the insight, the staff opened up about some of their experiences working in KPMG. I learned that the company culture is extremely teamwork-based, and everybody helped each other out. KPMG also had a diverse culture and had many different types of people working for them, hence KPMG has many clubs and societies within it as well.

The content did help me to eliminate certain paths and to take note of other paths within KPMG. However, as an individual, I still know that there are many other options out there that are not within a professional services firm. But KPMG did all it could do to help us decide on a career path within KPMG by giving us many presentations on the different departments.

I was given an allowance of GBP4 per meal for lunch time on both days, and was reimbursed my train expenses from London to Birmingham, as I lived in London but my insight program was in Birmingham. However, I did wish to be paid for an accommodation in Birmingham as I do not live there, but KPMG stated that they were unable to provide accommodation.

Yes, at the end of the first day, there was a networking session between us and some of the graduates on the graduate scheme in KPMG. They were from different divisions, so we could choose who we wanted to speak to based on which division we were more interested in. During our free time, we could also approach any member of the staff as they were incredibly friendly.

The networking session was incredibly professional. There were drinks on the bar, and it was held in a nice and bright open area in the Birmingham office. I managed to talk one-on-one with two of the employees during the networking event. It was extremely helpful and it really did shape a clearer image of what I would like to join in the future.

Yes, there is a KPMG netball team and many other sports teams, as well as various other opportunities like charity work and social events (e.g. Christian Society) that is within KPMG itself. It shows me that the KPMG employees really do get involved in social activities outside work, and that they share many experiences and relationships outside of work.

Yes, I would highly recommend this insight to a friend. I had an amazing time during this insight and I met many new and interesting people. The application process for KPMG is also by far one of the simplest and most straightforward processes to apply for. Besides that, as they have many offices, all of us are divided into many different offices, resulting in a smaller group in each office, making the experience more personal.