Leadership Academy Review

I had a great time at the leadership academy. The week was intense and tiring but ultimately there was a great atmosphere and it was fun to be around so many like-minded people. Friendships were quickly formed and great working contacts were also made throughout the four days, especially at the partner dinner! The course was well organised and the staff from EY were all interesting and fun to be around. The only downside to the entire 4 days was the long sessions of Powerpoints. The outdoor activities were definitely my favourite and I liked when the sessions were broken up with some fun body language coaching. Overall a great 4 days! I would recommend to anyone!

I felt extremely valued throughout my time at the leadership academy. We were treated as if we were already working at the firm, with the upmost respect. Advisors and coaches always were interested in what we had to say and continually encouraged everyone to get involved. The leadership academy is held in the most amazing grounds, with brilliant food and great activities. The time and effort and money they were willing to invest in us, considering we do not actually even work for them made me feel that the company really valued my time and effort.

Each team has an advisor from the company who is with you all week. They observe everything you do and give you team and personal feedback through coaching sessions. This is very useful and interesting. Also video footage of yourself in a team work situation is shown to you which is very eye opening to say the least! I found this to be particularly helpful! Mary & Karen who actually run the sessions offer additional support, and there is the opportunity to make an individual appointment with Jane who specialises in body language, I found this to be very worthwhile. The student recruitment representative, Katherine, was extremely helpful and always willing to sit down and chat whenever you wanted! I also really liked the way in which the EY employees were more than happy to have meals with us, and also have fun with us in the evening activities.

The leadership academy is not really about future prospects, it is about developing the skills we already have. My leadership skills have definitely improved, along with my communication and public speaking abilities. I had many opportunities to along develop my time management and inter-personal skills, which will be helpful in everything I do in the future. A real emphasis was made on the fact that this was about us learning about ourselves - not EY. It was really interesting though to hear about the ways in which all the advisors had gotten involved and the travels they had been on. They were extremely helpful when wanting information about career progression

The Leadership Academy was extremely well structured. We were busy from the moment we got up until we were finished for the night. There was no room for boredom! Breaks were scheduled at appropriate time and the food was amazing to keep us all going throughout the long days! Very well organised and nothing ever started late. Each session was different and the structured approach meant pretty much everything you would ever need to know about leadership was covered! Although perhaps a bit extra time to get ready for dinner would have been nice!

Because the Leadership Academy is not competitive there is a really good atmosphere from the second you arrive at the Leadership Academy. All the participants were extremely friendly and friendships were formed almost immediately. Despite there being not a lot of free time, there was still plenty of opportunity for interaction within the group work and the sessions. This allowed for friendships out with our groups to also form. All the participants and EY employees were really amazing and that is definitely what made my week. The night time activities were great fun and I was sad to leave the new friends I had made.

The leadership academy was extremely helpful for broadening our understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role within the company. At the start all the advisors introduced themselves and told us what their typical day at EY was like and the way in which they had arrived at their particular role. They also talked about all the available opportunities that would be open to us. We had the chance to ask them anything about their roles throughout the four days. Additionally, at the partner dinner, more employees of different service lines joined us as well as the partner allowing us to get a real sense of what each different service line does.

The leadership academy was extremely helpful for broadening our understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role within the company. At the start all the advisors introduced themselves and told us what their typical day at EY was like and the way in which they had arrived at their particular role. They also talked about all the available opportunities that would be open to us. We had the chance to ask them anything about their roles throughout the four days. Additionally, at the partner dinner, more employees of different service lines joined us as well as the partner allowing us to get a real sense of what each different service line does.

The leadership academy definitely sets an idea of what working at EY is like. The company is so invested in personal development and committed to being the best they can be. It appears that the company are willing to invest a lot of time and energy into you. All the employees appear to get on very well despite not working on the same team and were so friendly and approachable, setting an extremely high expectation of what all staff will be like at EY. The way the staff acted with us alone, made me want to work in the EY environment - it seems a very enjoyable place to work.

I felt the 4 days at the leadership academy were extremely valuable in helping me decide on my future career path. I was really taken aback by the importance a lot of the employees placed on gaining your chartered accountancy. Additionally the personal feedback sessions we had with our advisor and our own groups really helped identify you main strengths and therefore has helped me identify which way I intend to go in the future. Talking to the advisors and student recruitment has helped me narrow down the exact service line I intend to try and gain an internship in within the company itself.

All board was fully paid for. All of our, amazing, meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) were already paid for and we were allowed unlimited tea and coffee and hot chocolate and biscuits were allowed throughout the day. Transport to the venue was completely reimbursed (up to the value of £100) and we were picked up at the train station by the venues personal taxi service. Our transport back to the station was also arranged and paid for. I was very impressed with the entire set up and the amount of money which had clearly been put into making these 4 days a success and accessible for all regardless of background.

At every meal we had the opportunity to socialise with all of the EY employees and ask any questions we may have about our future. There were also a partner dinner, were even more employees of different service lines joined us as well as the partner allowing us to get a real sense of what each different service line does. The networkers moved table after the main course allowing us to meet even more people and gain more contacts. Afterwards we were emailed useful contact email address and I was even given further contacts to help decide which service line was right for me!

At every meal we had the opportunity to socialise with all of the EY employees and ask any questions we may have about our future. There were also a partner dinner, were even more employees of different service lines joined us as well as the partner allowing us to get a real sense of what each different service line does. The networkers moved table after the main course allowing us to meet even more people and gain more contacts. Afterwards we were emailed useful contact email address and I was even given further contacts to help decide which service line was right for me!

Yes to an extent you can find out about activities that employees can get involved with outside of work. All employees talked about the great social aspect of working in a company like EY and the invaluable friends you make. Others talked about the international opportunities which they were able to take advantage of - this particularly interested a lot of us. The advisors talked about what the had gained from these placements overseas and the ways in which we could get involved in these kind of placements should we join the firm. At the partner dinner, she also talked about the opportunities there is to get involved with other EY offices around the world.

I would definitely recommend the 4 day course at Horsely Park for the EY leadership academy to a friend. It is a very intense week but very rewarding. You learn a lot about how to work in a group of high achievers and how to successfully manage them. It is really interesting to see how others around you develop and gives you an idea of the way in which you like to be led and how you like to lead. The people were all great and the atmosphere was friendly and fun. There was no shortage of laughs the entire week and everyone who took part had great fun. It has really opened up my interest in EY and I will hopefully be progressing on to an internship with them next summer!