Spring Insight Week Intern Review

I really liked the Discover EY Spring Programme. The programme taught me a lot about EY's organisational culture and provided valuable information regarding the different service lines in which EY operates, particularly EY's Tax and Assurance divisions. The Insight had a mixture of inspiring speeches and interactive activities which made the programme extremely enjoyable. I feel that one possible area for improvement could be the length of the programme, as the two days went by in a flash!

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by representatives from EY's recruitment team and we had an opportunity to informally network with some of the other participants which I felt was a great way to break the ice. I feel that assigning a current EY employee to every group was a great way inculcate a feeling of belonging into each individual. Personally, throughout the two days, I always felt like I was a part of the EY family.

I felt that our team coordinator was very approachable and I received a lot of guidance and support throughout the programme. I had quite a few doubts about the different service lines and work culture at EY at the start of the programme but they had all been cleared by the end. I also received a wealth of invaluable information about the personality traits of high performing individuals.

The programme helped me improve my networking, organisation and communication skills and gave me a greater insight into the importance of professionalism in a corporate environment. Organisation and communication are skills which are required for academic writing while networking and professionalism are two attributes which I believe are essential irrespective of the field in which you work.

The structure of the programme was very good. It was an action packed two days with a good mix of speeches from leading women within EY, interactive activities that required us to put on our thinking caps and opportunities to socialise with fellow participants. Furthermore, consecutive events were always different in nature, for example a speech was followed by a panel discussion, which kept the audience engaged.

Everyone was very enthusiastic and all the people there, from the experienced managers to the recent graduates, shared the same belief of making a difference to the corporate world. The social on the evening of the first day was also a great atmosphere to have a casual conversation with people over a friendly game of darts!

The interactive activities were a great way for me to get a taste for what it would be like to work for a company like EY as we were immersed into a situation that EY employees working in that service line would face on a day-to-day basis. However, as this was just a two-day insight programme, naturally there were not that many opportunities for one-on-one personal training.

By working on tasks similar to those faced by EY employees working in that service line on a daily basis, I was able to build a good understanding of the requirements of the role in terms of the skills required. There was also an event where we had a chance to speak to current employees from almost all the different service lines which gave me a really good understanding of where my interest lies.

We had some really good conversations about the company culture with our team coordinator and this really helped us in painting a picture of what it would be like to work for EY. The passion and energy with which all the speakers gave their speeches also gave me an indication of the company culture.

The content was mainly based around the tax and assurance practices of EY. This was beneficial for me as I felt that there was a gap in my knowledge of these particular fields prior to the programme. However, I feel that there could have been a few more speakers from some of the other service lines, such as consulting and transactions, to provide a more holistic picture and further help me in choosing my future career path.

I definitely feel that I was reimbursed adequately for this experience.

There were many opportunities for networking and meeting other employees of EY. After every 2-3 hours we had a 10-20 minute break where we could grab some coffee and chat with our peers. There was also a social organised by EY which was a great place to have an informal conversation. A 'speed networking' session was also organised where we got the opportunity to speak to current employees in EY's service lines.

The networking opportunities were very productive as we got the chance to speak to each other in an informal, casual way.

We found out that employees at EY can get involved in several societies and clubs such as sports societies and societies that run for a social cause. We also learnt about EY Foundation, an independent charity that even we as university students can join. There are also quarterly socials that are organised by the teams at EY which help to create a bond between the team members.

I would definitely recommend this insight to a friend. The amount I have learnt over these two days, looking back, I think it's absolutely amazing. I also met so many different people with an array of different experiences, something which I believe is only possible in events like these. It might have been just two days, but I have taken back a box full of memories and leanings from this programme.