Audit Vacation Student Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the culture of the company, and was able to gain valuable insight into the daily life of an auditor. My only criticism would be that there seemed to be a lack of structure/organisation to the programme. Whilst I appreciate that the firm is limited in what it can allow interns to do, I felt there was still room for improvement in this area.

The people were definitely the best part of the internship. Everyone was friendly, approachable, and really seemed to value my input.

My performance manager, Hannah Johnston, was fantastic. She helped me to set some goals for the duration of the programme, and kept in contact throughout the scheme to keep me informed of anything of note. She also arranged for me to shadow a partner in the department on one morning, which I found really insightful, and allowed me to see the prospects of a career within KPMG.

This is an area I feel could be improved upon. Whilst there were days when I had plenty to do, I found my days often lacked structure, and sometimes my colleagues were struggling to find things for me to do.

I was pleased that I was give responsibility of conversing with the client on several occasions, which made me feel very much a part of the team.

I am really glad that I took up this opportunity, as I genuinely believe I am now much more prepared for a graduate role once I finish university. I believe I have improved my confidence, people skills, specific accounting terminology, as well as more general day to day office skills.

Whilst I wasn't in the office much of the time, I felt it lacked a bit of atmosphere at the times when I was there. In contrast, however, when working out at client sites, I felt there was a great sense of team spirit among colleagues.

As mentioned previously, I believe this is something that could be improved upon. The induction day we spent at Leeds was very well organised, and the day ran very smoothly. However, the first day in the office was a different story entirely. Nobody seemed quite sure what was going on, or who we should be working with. Once things got sorted though, everything seemed better organised.

The fact that at the end of the internship you are given the opportunity to go for interview for a graduate role could certainly be viewed as investment in you. In terms of training and development, whilst I didn't receive any formal training, I was given a lot of guidance and support from fellow colleagues which helped me reach a standard that I felt happy with.

Whilst I concluded that the auditor role wasn't for me, I put in a request to transfer departments for my final interview, and was impressed with the way this was handled. I would love to secure a job with the firm for after I graduate, as I really valued the culture and people within KPMG.

We had one social organised for all Manchester Interns which was really good fun. It would've been nice to have had a couple more throughout the six weeks to give us a chance to get to talk to fellow interns and learn about their experiences. At the end of my placement, my performance manager also arranged for us to go out for lunch, which was a nice gesture to finish off the internship on!

Working and living costs in Manchester are fairly standard of a city. Whilst I stayed with family and so had no accommodation costs, I commuted to and from work using the Tram, which cost £6.50 a day, although discounts were available if you bought a season ticket. Socialising costs were much the same as any other city outside of London.

As I was travelling home at weekend, I didn't really get chance to explore the nightlife in Manchester, however, imagine it is pretty good!

Whilst my colleagues spoke of multiple out of work activities to get involved in, this was understandably difficult for us as interns. However, it is definitely something I would look to do if offered a graduate role at the firm.