Intern - Audit Review

I really enjoyed my time at EY. From day 1 I was working with a team who were really friendly and helpful. I felt comfortable in the office right away, and being away on client site was great as I was able to form good relationships with my team members. It was tough at times, but the challenges just made my time much more rewarding.

Getting started was tough at times but my colleagues were patient and walked me through all of the steps. Even though I have no experience in audit, I was given work to do and a lot of responsibility, which made me feel like a valued member of the team.

Any questions I had were explained clearly - everyone was so patient in taking their time to teach me new things and answer any questions I had. I couldn't have asked for better support and guidance.

Most days were a perfect balance, however working in audit I found I had a lot of time waiting on clients to return with documents that I had asked for. During this time I tried to stay busy, asking around for work, but it was often unavoidable. Overall though, I'd say there was a good balance.

I was in charge of certain sections of the audits I was working on, which was fantastic. It really made me want to do my best and produce a piece of work I was proud of. I also got a lot of time talking to clients, which I feel was a large responsibility as I was representing the firm.

I believe that for a career in audit, what I've learnt will be extremely helpful. I now know exactly what will be expected of me if I am to join EY, and the type of work that I'll be doing. I've also developed my conversation, Excel, and teamwork skills, which will help me outside of my career as well.

Everyone was really friendly and lovely to talk to, but of course everyone had work to do! There was a great balance of work and leisure that I loved coming into and working in.

Overall it was almost perfectly organised, however I found sometimes I didn't know where I was supposed to be on a certain day. It was easily resolved though - I just went to the office where a manager was able to help me.

I got to do most things a first year would do on an audit, so I felt that they really invested a lot in me during my 6 weeks.

I feel that they're really good - I've got great feedback so far, so I'm hoping to get an offer! Everyone has been really honest and gave me development points which I've tried to work on, and my counsellor has been really helpful as well.

Unfortunately we didn't get many nights out, but spending weeks out on client site and getting lunch together was always good fun!

I live in the area I was working in, so I was more than happy with the cost of living. Some areas are more expensive than others, but you really get what you pay for!

Belfast has some fantastic bars and clubs, many of which I was introduced to during my time here - The Perch is a favourite of the staff here, and does some amazing cocktails!

I didn't have a lot of time to get involved, and I only knew of the EY foundation. There weren't any other activities I was aware of during my time in Belfast, but I think it was just because of the time that I joined.