Assurance Associate (intern) - Banking and Capital Markets Review

Challenging work that was always engaging coupled with working in really social teams with great diversity.

Even as an 'intern' you are treated as a first year and with so you have certain responsibilities. Everyone was very welcoming.

Every piece of work you are guided through initially, with all the steps laid out for you. Then as you progress you are given more responsibilities and expectations are higher.

With any accountancy firm, working hours can be long depending on which department you belong to, as well as the clients that you work on.

By the end of the year I could go a week without being checked on, demonstration that my team had confidence in my ability.

I studied for the first 2 exams of the ICAS professional qualification.

I worked on a one client for most of the year, therefore I was primarily based out of the clients office. I was allocated a desk within their building and sat with the other members of my team. As expected with any London office, the facilities were incredible and the majority of people were very friendly.

Absolutely incredible. The organiser for the IPs was a very special person to all of the industrial placement students. Her team organised many socials to allow us to network with other IPs, arranged all of our training days/weeks including accommodation and travel. She made it very easy to settle into the company.

The firm covers all of the college fees to study for the professional qualification which is a large investment. Also, throughout the year my business unit held training days to develop skills that would help with our day to day work. Everything provided had a purpose and very insightful.

Having been offered a graduate job, I will be returning after graduating. The career progression is clearly laid out and there are lots of opportunities to move around the company as well as change locations. The firm believe on promoting from within, based around good performance.

As fellow students, everyone in the London office was keen to meet up regularly. We made a thing of attending a local Australian karaoke bar near the London office every Thursday as well as the occasional meal or night out as a large group. This is coupled with regular team drinks or business unit socials (sometimes a boat party).

London is a very pricey place to live, and although the salary is decent you can pay a lot of it either in rent or for a pint on a Friday evening. This is why we stuck to spoons or Walkabout (£2.50 a pint) and went on nights out on student nights/venues.

I worked in the London office.... says it all really. Limitless amount of pubs or bars or clubs offering very different things. Always something to do at night.

There were so many sports clubs and societies to getting involved but also away days within your business unit. The focus being on getting everyone together to network and build longstanding business relationships. Events such as dodgeball tournaments and away days to sports stadiums. I never had a chance to get involved in a sports club because the sport I played I found too late.