Intern Review

The insight was enjoyable as everyone was very kind and friendly. Staff were happy to share current projects and experiences. They treated me as an equal and invested lots of time into me throughout the week. There were some areas that lacked structured, but overall it was a very good programme to gain insight into Advisory and EY as a company.

All levels of employees treated me like an equal. They were happy to share and discuss their experiences. I was also given some responsibility to help complete small tasks as part of projects. This allowed me to play a minor role in some of the projects they were working on.

Throughout the week I was allocated a leader and a buddy. They connected me with lots of people. My buddy was vital to supporting me throughout the experience and a key factor that improved my week. But I could have been given more work/ structure to do. They had developed a virtual learning series, that took a while to be shared with us.

During the week I developed limited skills. It was more a process of exploring the company. I definitely developed by communication skills, as I spoke to staff at all levels and had the opportunity to ask questions and draw on their knowledge and experiences. But there was no specific task/ project that allowed me to developed new skills.

This was the first year for the programme. Information about joining came out very last minute with limited explanation of what the week would include. During the week it was very much up to your buddy and leader to allocate you tasks and organise meetings during the week. Often you'd plan your day that morning or as the week continued. Although it was last minute I always had full days and was never short of something to do.

Everyone was very friendly and including. I always had something to do, whether that was shadowing a meeting, talking to someone or completing various tasks for my leader/ the programme. I think it would have been nice to have more interactions with the other interns during the week and perhaps a dinner one evening. Despite this, I definitely extended my knowledge of EY and advisory.

There was limited training and development as it was only a week programme. The main aspect of development was in respect to learning from senior employees. Staff were very open to spending an hour away from their day talking to me. These were members at all levels of the company - indicating a high investment of resources.

The week gave me an idea of a typical working day. As a university student it was very different having a full working day - something I found very tiring. Observing gave me a good indication of a typical day of staff at various levels in the company. Listening to people also allowed me to explore the typical weekly/ monthly changes in work.

Employees all seemed very happy with the company. They liked its ethics and practices. Employees spoke to good working relationships and very nice friendly colleagues. From spending a week in the company I experienced the kind relationships between staff and how friendly they were to a newcomer. Staff also explained other initiatives, such as outreach to the local community that illustrates its culture.

It would have been very useful if I had been given mock tasks to complete during the week to experience what it is really like to work in the sector; as I strongly believed you need to try something to decide if you like it. However, it dramatically increased my knowledge of Advisory and EY by listening to employees and being in the environment for a week. I think it would have been better to get some more hands on experience, however, this can hard to achieve in the limited time period.

I was paid about £10 per hour. The company did not reimburse travel, food or accommodation during the week. This made it quite expensive for me as I do not reside in London. I was fortunate enough to be able to commute from Cambridge each day, but the trains were still costly and it took about 1.5 hours each day. A residential programme would have been much better as it would have allowed the group of interns to meet each other and saved more the expense and time associated with the commute

There were loads of opportunities to meet people all over the firm. My buddy and leader were very keen to match me with people all over Advisory. At the start of the week I shared what I wanted to get out of it (i.e. exploring the different sub-divisions). From this they helped connected me with other staff members. If anything I met with too many people and was overwhelmed with information.

I had a lunch with my buddie and leader. This was a good experience as I was able to have a long chat with them in an informal setting. Whenever I met someone it tended to be over coffee. However, there were not any larger events with the other interns or with the wider company that would have been beneficial.

Employees explained lots of initiatives within the company. E.g. 1. Volunteer Days - where they are given two days/ year to given back to the community. They are given freedom over what they do in these days 2. Networks - networks that cross all EY offices nationwide. This allows people to connect on issues that matter to them Other things such as charity work etc. were mentioned. Employees also said the company was very open to flexible hours that allowed them to fit their work around other commitments.

I would definitely suggests someone to get involved in the programme. 1. It gives you a week to draw on the knowledge and experiences of experts 2. Allows you to explore the company and sector in a quick time 3. Key if you are unsure what to do in your future career