Summer Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the internship and would recommend it to other people considering both the company and the division that I was in. The work was interesting and varied, and the organisers of the internship went out of their way to make sure that the programme did not enjoy other aspects, such as the social side. We got to go to places such as Bounce, and Pizza Express which really helped with the enjoyment.

I felt really valued during my internship. All of the colleagues that I worked with gave me work that was interesting and actually client-facing. I was pleasantly surprised by the lack of admin jobs such as photocopying or sorting out paper files. Everyone went out of their way to make me feel part of the team, both socially and through the work that I was given.

Whilst at EY you are given both a buddy and a supervisor. Your supervisor is normally a manager whilst your buddy is typically a 1st or 2nd year. Both were really helpful and answered any questions I had, no matter how stupid. Unfortunately my manager did have to leave for a client for my final 2 weeks but she still made sure that I was able to contact her. I would say it could be improved slightly as some times it is difficult to know what to do, however this simply helps you get to know other people and become more proactive.

I was busy for most of my internship. Coming into the firm during the summer it tends to be a relatively quiet period for the team. I rarely struggled to find work and was pleased to find that the majority of my hours were spent on client issues or tasks. Only my final week was quiet, however people were understandably reluctant to give me work that I would not be able to finish. The manager for that team had also just returned from leave, so there was naturally a lack of work available.

I was given lots of responsibility during my placement. I was able to work on mostly client facing stuff, so got to engage with HMRC and draft quite technical emails to stakeholders. I also was able to attend several client sites, which was nice and showed that I was trusted to meet with our clients. All of the work is similar to that given to first years, and some was above that, which shows that you definately are given responsibility!

The general skills are important and will obviously help in returning to university (i.e. time management, communicating with colleagues). I do not feel the technical knowledge was ultimately useful, given my degree is in Economics and I intend to pursue further postgraduate study.

It depended on your team, but it was generally quite quiet. People were rarely talkative and there was an emphasis on getting the work done, with not too much fun had.

It was really well organised! We started off with an induction week filled with social events and talks from partners and EY colleagues. We got to go to a CSR day and despite a tube strike, the internship team managed to set up alternative arrangements despite this! When we got into the office, our buddies were able to take us out to lunch and had made sure we had seating arrangements etc. The only thing I would say is that some of the teams I went in too seemed to not be aware that we were joining and so they had to think of work to give, although not a big deal really!

There were a variety of training modules and we had quite a few talks and lunchtime seminars learning about our personal branding, how to use linkedin and the concept of mindfulness. However once you are in your team, the expectation is that client work comes first and therefore training was fairly limited. Everyone is very understanding if you need to be somewhere though. For example, I attended a partner talk at the canary wharf office as this would have helped with personal development, despite client work being available.

Very appealing. The firm is looking to double the business so there are many opportunities for promotion and employment.

To an extent. The majority of interns did not want to socialise at lunchtimes and after work hours. We did however go for a couple of drinks and organise a mini-golf event at the canary Wharf office.

London is pretty expensive when moving from the North. I had just completed a placement so still had my flat, but you do have enough to live on quite comfortably during the internship.

Nightlife in London is great. We went to several places from Shoreditch to Central London. Can be expensive though.

Yes but as you are only in the office for 5 weeks you tend not to get involved.