Intern Review

My placement was a fantastic experience, I learnt so much and gained exposure as to what it is like to work at such a large firm. This internship made it very clear that is the career I would be pursuing. I enjoyed the work, the people and am happy to say I have accepted my offer to join the graduate scheme.

Everyone had made an effort to make me feel welcome, gave me support where needed and made me feel part of the team. They shared their experiences, offered me valuable advice and trusted me to help them with their tasks. Could not have asked for a nicer group to be working with.

My manager was very helpful and supportive. He always made sure I was busy, and more importantly made sure I understood why I completing the tasks I had been assigned and how that impacted the firm. He would often check up me in case I had any problems, but he was very approachable so I felt comfortable asking for help where necessary.

During the summer, the office in general is quieter than other times of the year so there were some times where I had to keep myself occupied, For example, I was shown KPMG online courses that I could take, enhancing skills like excel was very valuable. However, more often that not I did have something to keep me busy.

Many of the tasks I was given were important and needed to be completed quickly and accurately. I enjoyed this pressure because I felt I was contributing to the team even though I have not qualified. There was also another intern younger than me where I took the responsibility to make sure he was happy.

One of the key skills I learnt during my time at KPMG, excluding the learning about the basics of audit and accounting, was the office etiquette in such a large firm. My teamwork and communication skills have improved significantly, which I can transfer to my university degree where I have to work with people and conduct presentations.

There was a perfect balance of hard work and light hearted conversation and joking. You could tell that the team were friends as well as colleagues and I really liked that. Of course there are times when people are very busy and the office is quiet but generally people are always open to helping each other out and supporting each other.

All the interns were spread among clients so I cannot speak for everyone but personally I had enough work and responsibility during my time

I was directed to training courses to improve skills such as excel. I will have these skills for the rest of my career and will definitely give me an advantage when I return to KPMG. By explaining the reasoning to me behind the tasks enabled me to gain a better understanding of the role and profession and audit in particular.

Having spoken to people within the firm, there seems to be a solid structure of working your way up within the firm, taking on more and more responsibility as you gain more experience. The clear turning point where you earn more responsibility is qualification after 3 years, where KPMG help you along the way.

On Fridays we usually went to one of the many pubs and bars in the area. I was always invited and the team were nearly always keen to spend time with each other and have fun outside of work.

With the office in Canary Wharf, nothing was cheap but this is reflected in the higher salary compared to the rest of the country

There are many pubs and bars in close proximity to go to outside of work

KPMG has many societies and sports teams to get involved in, for example charities, football and golf.