VAT Summer Intern Review

The people at EY are very friendly and I found the work quite interesting. I enjoyed travelling into Canary Wharf everyday and being given the chance to work in such a nice office. The internship also consisted of some great experiences, such as attending a 2 day VAT conference at the Hilton Hotel at Heathrow with attendees from across EY's EMEIA network (including an evening at Kempton Racecourse), and attending a Brexit Seminar for EY's Banking clients. There were some quiet times in the office, but I imagine that's the same at most companies due to the summer months generally being quieter compared to the rest of the year.

I felt like my colleagues appreciated having interns on board for a few weeks, as we were able to provide assistance with a range of tasks, and thus make their lives easier. There was a limit to the support I could provide due to having limited technical knowledge, but I still felt that I was able to make a meaningful contribution.

I was assigned with a buddy and a counsellor and so this instantly gave me two contacts to use if I needed support and guidance with anything. EY encourage you to organise meetings with your counsellor throughout your internship, and these meetings were useful from a guidance perspective. In addition, I worked in quite a large team and so this allowed me to extend my support network further and meet people with different areas of expertise.

My workload varied each day. There were occasions when I didn't really have much to do, and there were also occasions when I felt a bit overloaded with work. But the quieter times were useful as this allowed me to complete mandatory online tutorials and also work on my presentation.

Due to having limited experience and also limited technical knowledge, there was a limit to the amount of responsibility given to me. For instance, it would be inappropriate for an intern to lead a meeting with a client. However, I was given the chance to attend client meetings, contact HMRC on behalf of the firm, prepare draft emails to be sent to clients etc.

The work didn't really relate to the content of my degree. But improved time-management skills and written communication skills will definitely help me with my degree studies. The skills developed will be more useful further down the line (teamwork skills, client interaction skills, Excel skills, understanding of technical VAT issues etc.)

Whilst it was important to get work done in a timely manner, I felt that there was quite a relaxed atmosphere in the office. It certainly wasn't frowned upon to have conversations relating to non-work issues or to joke around with each other from time to time. Also, every Friday someone would bring in some snacks and treats for everyone else in the office.

At the start of the internship I was given a "Tax Experience Map" which was a list of the type of tasks and activities I should be looking to complete during my internship (i.e. shadow a partner, provide upward feedback to a colleague). There were also some Lunch & Learn Skype sessions throughout the six weeks, and at the end of the internship all of the Tax interns had to deliver a five minute presentation on a fictitious case study. However, on the whole I feel like my internship experience was in my own hands and it was also dependent on the needs of the firm at the time. For instance I decided to get in touch with the EY Foundation and spend a day volunteering with those who were running their Smart Futures programme for Year 12 students from disadvantaged backgrounds. There were times when I felt it would have been nice to have some more predetermined activities in place for the interns so that we were never bored. But in hindsight, I do appreciate the fact that I was given a genuine experience of what working at the company is like rather than being provided with an artificial experience.

I was trained to use some online software when I was helping EY with a big tax technology project and there was also an IT tutorial on the induction day. I was also provided with briefs for a lot of tasks which were delegated down to me. I feel like the real investment from the firm comes for those on the graduate scheme, as they are provided with a lot of support as they train for professional qualifications.

There are a lot of benefits on offer to those who work for the company, the atmosphere within the office is good, and the graduate scheme involves training for reputable professional qualifications.

There were nine tax interns, and so we got to know each other quite well. We'd meet up for lunch with each other most days, and quite often we'd go for drinks after work and explore London's nightlife.

Canary Wharf is quite an expensive area to buy lunch and have drinks in. Thankfully I was living at home during my internship and so I didn't have to worry about rent or buying food for dinner.

Canary Wharf has some good bars for drinks after work. Other areas in London are really good for nightlife.

EY has lots of sports clubs which I would consider getting involved with if I was to work there on a permanent basis. There are activities out there, but you have to make the effort if you want to get involved with them. For instance, I decided to get in touch with the EY Foundation and spend a day volunteering with those who were running their Smart Futures programme for Year 12 students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Also my internship coincided with the VAT Bootcamp, and this involved going to Kempton Park Racecourse for an evening at the races. Although, these conferences are only organised every 1-2 years (I think).