UK&I Assurance intern, Audit Review

I greatly enjoyed the internship, especially the opportunity to work with different teams and on different clients throughout the six weeks. One issue I had was that there were some quiet days when I had a few hours not having any work to do, however as we had a project to complete with a presentation at the end of the internship I tended to use the time to work on that.

Everyone I worked with really made an effort to make me feel welcome and involved in the audit work, and made sure to tell me when I'd done a good piece of work. I cannot fault the colleagues that I worked with, I never felt as if I was doing a piece of work for no reason, I knew I was actually helping the team progress in the audit.

The various teams I worked in were always willing to put time aside to explain new concepts to me and made sure I understood what I had to do. I also had support from my counsellor (one of the senior managers) and careers counsellor if I ever needed any guidance or had any questions about the EY itself or the career progressions available within the company.

The tasks I were given were always manageable in the time frame I was given, so I was never worried about having to complete tasks after work. At times I did have very little work to do simply because the tasks were either too complex (I have never done accountancy before so they wouldn't be able to teach me in that amount of time!) or it was a quiet time in the audit.

At the beginning of the internship I was given a lot of help and support as I had never done accountancy or audit before, but as the weeks progressed I was given more and more responsibility to complete tasks independently and go directly to the client to ask for any information I needed from them.

I developed many skills during the internship, especially Excel skills which I had not had any need to learn prior to the internship. I also became more confident with talking to the client and asking questions, developing my communication skills. As I study Economics, the skills directly applicable to audit perhaps won't assist my degree, however the maths behind it and basic knowledge of business that I learned certainly will.

The atmosphere in the office was always friendly and welcoming, everyone being willing to talk to you and answer any questions about the work you're doing or about EY as a company. During the internship I was mostly positioned at client sites, where there was a more professional atmosphere, but the people I worked with continued to be friendly and helpful.

The internship was pretty well organized. On the first day we went to Glasgow for an introduction to EY and networking with other interns working in the Scottish offices. We then had two days in the Newcastle office doing inductions, including familiarizing ourselves with the office and IT equipment. One thing that could be improved is which clients we are booked on to ensure there is enough work for us to do, but other than that the organization was good.

The people I worked with were very keen to ensure I understood the work I was doing and how it fitted into the bigger picture of the audit, so in this sense I learnt a lot despite no formal training. I did learn a lot about the accountancy qualification that you get through completion of the graduate programme, so it is evident that EY invests in its graduates to ensure they get the training they need.

Future employment prospects with EY are very appealing, because not only is it one of the 'Big 4', but there is a genuinely nice, helpful and approachable community in the Newcastle office. EY itself offers a lot of opportunities for growth and development, and being able to work for such a reputable company that invests in its employees is very appealing.

There was a good social scene amongst the other interns, we went for several meals and on nights out together. We were also able to attend the 'Summer Party', which everyone in the Newcastle office was invited to. This was a great opportunity to socialize with all of the other EY colleagues which we had not yet had a chance to meet, and showed that EY is not just about the work but also making lasting relationships with colleagues.