Public Sector Assurance Intern Review

The placement was very enjoyable, the work was varied and insightful. The work I was given was on a range of commercial clients, and was given different roles within assurance. The added benefit of being sent to different offices, along with meeting different interns from across the country at the national training centre was really useful and enjoyable.

Grant Thornton always treated the interns as if they were a full time member of staff, I was treated as an associate level, and felt that my contribution in both work and opinion was valued not only be other colleagues but my management as well. I met others within the firm, and always felt like a valued member of staff whilst here.

There was a focus on the independence in terms of managing my own diary, and work. However I did feel at times that there was limited support of asking those more informal type queries. Furthermore, some of the guidance from day - to - day managers was limited, however associate guidance was very useful and took a patient approach.

My placement was varied from incredibly busy days to some more short, and less - busy days. Although as an intern, I was given the freedom to organise my own meetings, and gain some other insights which I could organise on my own. It meant that I filled up any time I had spare to the best of my ability.

My internship, I was given whole sections/projects to complete, these were given on my 3rd and 4th week of placement for me to work on solely. This was a huge responsibility to be given, and there was generally enough support for me to carry out such roles. There was always opportunity to ask for more responsibility if I felt comfortable.

The training I received was immense, and will really help if I come back as a graduate or in my future study, around both the type of work and also soft skills such as public speaking and leadership. The ability to attend national training centre was a real benefit, and indicated the mantra of investing in their people.

The atmosphere in the office was always very positive. The different teams that were in the office were all quite separated but there was really good individual team atmosphere. The breakout areas were also very relaxed, and talkative between teams. There was also often fruit or treats in the kitchen areas for staff!

The internship as a whole was well organised. We had really good positive pre-placement information outlining out first week. And all information from a national perspective was very well organised. There were some days where there wasn't any jobs organised or work for us which meant we did have some 'free days'. Likewise there were some teething issues with transport.

From early stages it was noted how this internship was a strong pathway into future careers within the firm. This was understood to be a really good two way relationship with both us seeing the firm and if we wanted to join, and also the firm allowing to get to know us and whether they felt we would fit well. We were shown and given lots of information about the graduate scheme.

There was a relatively small team of interns and placement students, but we all bonded well. We often went out for lunch and drinks. We were also given in early stages a welcome event which was really nice to get to know people. Likewise, throughout our internship there were opportunities for lunch or drinks.

I commuted to my role and lived at my parents home which was useful for keeping the costs low. The only cost I incurred was travel and subsistence. Travel costs into Bristol Temple Meads is reasonable and often (but busy). Food and drink was reasonable, and there was was a good range of cheap restaurants, supermarkets etc to eat in.

Whilst we didn't go out very often, the night life in Bristol is really good. It is a popular University area, and so there were lots of nice evening cocktail bars and also larger clubs to go out. The office is only a 5 minute walk to some of the biggest bars, and there are also some bars just across the river. The train station is also just a 5 - 10 minute walk which made it really good for going out.

There were lots. Grant Thornton is a big supporter of local charities and there were opportunities to help fundraise for a local charity. There was also a handball and football (for both women and men) for employees, which cost was almost all subsidised by Grant Thornton. The football tournament was a weekend away to Sheffield.