Indirect Tax Intern Review

The team were all really great which made spending time in the office much more fun. Overtime as I got used to the legislation and technicalities, I started being able to get more involved with a greater variety of projects and to work with more members of staff from different areas.

The members of staff in my team were all such fun to spend time with. The team was quite large, roughly 30 people, and everyone was incredibly friendly and chatty! Also there were lots of level 1s in my team which was very helpful because they knew exactly what it was like to just have started out and so they were able to help me lots.

Having a buddy was very helpful, because he was my first point of contact for any problems and questions day to day, particularly at the start when you don't know everyone so well. My counsellor was also really nice and was there for any questions or problems that I came across.

The work comes in waves, so naturally some days were much busier than others, depending on the meetings that day and the queries coming in. Generally I seemed to get more busy as the internship went on, because my knowledge and skills were growing meaning I was able to take on more projects.

The amount of responsibility I was given was perhaps what surprised me the most. I was working very closely with many clients, attending site visits and meetings, and note taking for many of the engagements. I also made contact with other EY offers as well as HMRC on a regular basis.

I think the skills you learn will be more valuable for later on and more general life as opposed to university studies. Being able to clearly communicate with people, write concisely, present, and answer questions on the spot will be valuable for any career you choose to enter in to.

Our floor has a slight reputation being rather chatty and loud, and it's definitely true! There is such a great atmosphere; people are always in a good mood and happy to socialise which makes being st work so much more fun! What's most important though, is that everyone understands how to strike the right balance between work and pleasure, as well as the times where it is appropriate to chat and when people are busy and need to be left to get on with work.

The internship was very well ogranised; there were two days at the start when all the interns were together which allowed us to get to know each other a bit. Then we spent the majority of time in office, and had regular catch ups with counsellors and student recruitment throughout.

I think the greatest investment was everyone's time; all of my colleagues were incredibly generous with taking the time to explain things to me and help show me how to use the different platforms. I think the greatest investment comes in the form of college and completing the exams which is done as a graduate.

The general atmosphere at the company is really great, and probably what makes EY stand out in comparison to the other big 4! I would say that the work across all 4 is very similar, so choosing somewhere that you enjoy working is incredibly important, which is why I think EY stands out.

The social scene is great; we had the summer party in my second week which was a picnic and rounders tournament in Greenwich Park. We also frequently go out for lunch as well as for drinks in the evening, which provides a great chance to get to know your colleagues better!

I was lucky that I lived at home in London during my internship. I think London is a great place to work, but it is very expensive. Luckily we were paid well, particularly in comparison to other internships, but I was still surprised at the amount of money I spent on travel, food and drinks.

Canary Wharf becomes quite lively after work, particularly on a Thursday! There are lots of bars and restaurants in the centre, so we would frequently head out for drinks. We were also very lucky with the weather so would often stop for a few drinks outside in the sun which was always a nice end to the day.

There are tonnes of clobs to get involved with. However, I didn't particularly get the chance to because the six weeks just flew by so quickly that I didn't have the time to! I know though that lots of the employees participate in a variety of clubs which is a great way to meet more people.