Summer Internship - Strategy and Operations Review

I really enjoy this opportunity. The internship was a real learning experience, and within the first week I was given real responsibility to complete work. This is different to what I was expecting, and this enabled me to really get to grips with how the office and the wider firm operates. Everyone was very helpful and accommodating to me, even though I had no experience of tax/corporate work.

My colleagues were friendly and supportive during work, and gave regular constructive feedback. This atmosphere, alongside the high profile nature of the work allocated, led to a feeling of being a valued member of the team, whose commitment and contributions were seen as important. In more social settings, colleagues continued to be friendly and interested, and would often strike up conversation, irrespective of the difference in seniority, allowing for a friendly atmosphere to be maintained both inside and outside the office.

There was a lot of support and guidance from more senior people. I tended to work with the more junior people in the office who were in my position only a short time ago, which helped them to understand any problems I was having. Even though everyone was really busy, they would still take time to offer advice and to take an interest in how I was doing.

How busy I was did tend to vary throughout the placement. During the first week or so, the work was quite slow and I did have to seek out additional work and responsibility. However, after speaking to my line manager, I was given more work. When working on important client work, I was very busy and I had to stay late in the office on a number of occasions but overall the work/life balance was positive.

After several weeks with the firm, I was given a significant amount of responsibility. I was tasked with leading a number of projects and I was held accountable for delivery of these projects. This was a great opportunity for personal development. I was managing conversations with clients and this gave me the opportunity to demonstrate my ability.

I gained a great deal of confidence by participating in the internship, this coupled with time management skills I learned have really helped with my degree studies. It also helped me to decide on my future career, which helps with my degree because it has given me something to work towards.

Everyone was really friendly and upbeat. The office was buzzing with activity. Everyone hot desks which gives you the opportunity to get to know everyone in the office There's always someone offering to make you a hot drink and I felt very comfortable. The atmosphere was perfect to work in but at the same time, I felt comfortable chatting to my colleagues.

The internship was very well organised, with a clear timetable for everyone and plenty of socials scheduled. I knew where I was going at all times and there were plenty of points of contact if you had any questions or needed help with anything. Everything ran very smoothly, and I never encountered any organisational problems or got the impression that things hadn't been adequately prepared for us.

The firm invested a considerable amount. At the beginning of the scheme, everyone on the theme met in Birmingham to undertake some initial training. As this was over a weekend, the firm paid for hotel rooms for everyone. At the office there was also extra training, running through computer systems and the service line I was working in. For most of the scheme, training and development took place on the job. There was also an office away day, at an outward bounds centre which helped to foster team spirit and to develop extra skills.

Future employment prospects at Deloitte are very appealing. Upon completing the internship, I was offered a place on the graduate programme, which tended to be the case also with most other interns. Deloitte has a great culture and invests heavily in its employees, I am really looking forward to beginning my career at such a well-established and respected firm.

There was a really good social scene. We had 2 socials formally organised by the company, which was a nice occasion to socialise with students who were doing their internships in different departments. I would often social with other interns in my office, often going for lunch or drinks after work.

As I travelled from home during the placement, I'm not 100% certain of the cost of living, however, I believe it is reasonably priced, and possibly cheaper than Edinburgh. In terms of socialising, the office is situated right in the centre of Glasgow, between George Square and Merchant City, so there are many bars, clubs, and restaurants within a few minutes walk from the office.

As the office is in the heart of Glasgow, the nightlife is excellent, with 3 universities nearby, the costs in most bars are essentially affordable for students and there is wide variety of choice in terms of bars and clubs. So the overall nightlife was excellent and everyone has something interesting to do.

There was a lot of opportunities to get involved in outside of work. There was regular drinks events held with other graduates and teams within the firm. Additionally we were all given the chance to meet the CEO of Deloitte which I thought was really good. During my first week, myself and the other Risk Advisory interns were invited to a department social event in Edinburgh, whilst we were frequently invited to lunch events throughout the placement, and events after work.