Public Sector Audit Intern Review

I really enjoyed my time at KPMG. It was a great company to learn the ropes of audit - I was allowed to work on a variety of different clients which meant visiting a range of sites and meeting different people. On top of 4 weeks of audit work, I had Tax and Restructuring Shadow Days which allowed me to learn about the other areas KPMG specialise in.

Everyone I worked with was really helpful and very welcoming. Any questions I had were always willingly answered and in fact encouraged. I worked on 4 different jobs in several teams of up about 4 people. I felt that the work I was doing made a real impact on the team and could see I was helping them. On one occasion I went out for a meal with my team which showed how I was being treated just as a full time employee would be.

For each job there was an in-charge in the team who I would report back to and would give me most help in terms of assigning tasks and answering questions. They were all extremely helpful and supportive. With regards to management, I didn't get to work with many of the more senior members (managers, directors, partners) which could be improved upon. I did get some feedback from a manager on my first job through an email and my partner gave me feedback after my interview. This was helpful but there could have been more.

It depended on the job. If I did a week at the beginning of an audit there was a lot of work for me to get on with - I was able to work on multiple aspects of the audit and if I finished a task there was generally more to come. However there were a couple of times when I was working close to the end of a job and the work dried up. This was unfortunate as often I didn't know how to do tasks and my other colleagues were too busy with other things to explain them to me - so I was left with nothing to do.

On each audit, I was given full responsibility of the work I was doing. I was allowed to meet the clients and talk with them about their procedures or any discrepancies I'd found, without any supervision from my other colleagues. I felt that I was trusted with the work I was given and allowed to work on it at my own pace.

The skills I learned weren't particularly relevant to my degree (Economics), although I have vastly improved my Excel skills which should be helpful back at university. I think that in terms of career, I have definitely learnt a lot about audit work. The training I received showed me what was in store for a future in audit.

I was often working at client sites so the atmosphere depended on where we where. Often we worked in a room provided for us in teams of 3 or 4. This was quite relaxed as everyone would get on with their work but there was sometimes a bit of chat. In the main Nottingham office everyone was really friendly. It was more formal there as you work amongst the managers so everyone is quite focused and quiet. That said there is always someone doing a tea round which is nice.

The internship was quite well organised. At the beginning of the month I was given a timetable for the next 4 weeks which set out which jobs I would be on and where I would be. This was subject to change but mine stayed the same so I knew what was coming up. My only issue was that I wasn't told how much travel I would be doing before hand. This would have been useful as I was looking into buying a bus card to save money on getting to the office. One of my jobs was in Bradford and another in Derby so I would say only make arrangements once you know which jobs your on. I did run out of work to do on one job but this seemed unavoidable as it was the end of an audit, otherwise the internship ran very smoothly and was well organised.

I felt that I was invested in. Everyone I worked noted that there was a good chance I would get a graduate job with KPMG at the end of the internship and so any skills I was learning would come in handy in my future career. It was also good to see how much KPMG invests in their new graduates. I knew very little about audit before I joined and so to be taught the basics and more from my other colleagues allowed me to feel that KPMG were investing in me.

I had an interview in the last week of the internship and was offered a graduate job on the same day. My impression over the internship was that a lot of interns get offered jobs if they perform well over the four weeks so I would say employment prospects are very bright for anyone who does this internship.

I met the other interns in the first two days of inductions, however this was a rarity! Because you all work on different jobs in different places, its unlikely you'll get to see them very much. That said when we did see each other occasionally in the office it was good to catch up and find out what everyone was doing. We all got along well its just that you don't spend a lot of time with them.

Nottingham didn't seem particularly expensive. I didn't have too high living costs as you get lunch paid for every day whether you're in the office or on client sites. Also because I had an away job in a hotel for 4 days, all my breakfast, lunch and dinner were part of my expenses which made living a lot cheaper.

I didn't get to experience any of the nightlife but I did hear there was a few clubs around.

The company has social sports teams which colleagues can join if they so wish and our team was very social so we often met up after work and organised events. There are plenty of opportunities if you have time to organise some things yourself.