Audit Vacation Student Review

I really enjoyed experiencing what the culture is like at KPMG first hand. I was very impressed with the quality of equipment we were provided with and how quickly we got through training, so that we could be on client sites on the 3rd day. My first client was especially useful as I was able to work closely with an E1, however on my second client, the team have struggled to find me work, hence I often get bored in the struggle to find work.

With KPMG being such a large corporation and the fact I was only a temporary employee, made me feel undervalued at times. There seemed to be a lack of organisation from the start and I had to do a lot of the digging myself just to even find someone to contact for my second client as KPMG were not helpful in guiding me. However, when working closely in a team I did start to feel valued by the other team members. And they all feel valued, so this wouldn't be a worry for me if I started on a grad scheme.

The induction was very good on first day and the instructions for first day in office were clear as well. However, there were problems with finding the correct training and ended up wasting the first morning. My buddy was very helpful even though KPMG had not even told her that she would be my buddy. I had to do the digging with support of my buddy to find out who I would be working with on my second client with limited support from the people who should have provided me the information.

I have definitely picked up skills in Excel, especially with keyboard shortcuts, which should help me work more efficiently whenever I am coding in some of my modules. I have learnt the key fundamentals of Audit and Accountancy and would be at an advantage if I choose to work in that field later on.

I received little information about my start date until nearly 6 weeks until I started. The induction and first training day was well structured. The 2 2-week placements at 2 different clients was a good idea, however I believe more could have been done to find the right clients as both clients I had involved a lot of higher level work that they couldn't delegate to me. If I had been given clients where I would have been given work that was accessible but still challenging, I would have had a more enjoyable time.

It was really nice to meet all the other vacation students in the same boat as me and everyone was excited for a thrilling opportunity. I would say that I kept this enthusiasm for most of the first 3 weeks. However, have now got a bit fed up that I have not been able to make the most of the scheme. I have barely been given enough work- since the team were awaiting information from a client and they delayed on giving the information. Now, we have the information and I am still not getting any work. I have asked the team for work, but they are all too busy for me or they don't have any work to give me in which they should have been honest to me, rather than saying they'll be work in an hour. I would have asked if there was any way to move client so that I could make the most of the scheme. It is now too late for that and I must make the most of what I am given.

I had plenty of KPMG's training modules which were interesting, however were more about rules than actually developing my skills. I think the company have invested the bare minimum in training and focused on giving an insight, which is fair enough as that makes sense for such a short scheme. However, I was impressed with the induction at the very beginning.

I managed to ask a lot of questions to my team members on their experiences at KPMG. They gave me lots of helpful responses and I feel like I have a good idea of what life at KPMG would be like. I believe that everything they told me was honest and they genuinely wanted me to know truly what KPMG is like so that I would be working there for the right reasons.

Yet again, I learnt most of this from the colleagues I was working with closely. I got a feel for what KPMG would be like at the busiest of times and the quietist of times. I got a feel for what it is like to be working on client sites and fitting in together as a team.

I really don't think I have been given the correct work to help me decide if this is the right career path for me. I almost feel that it is like doing work experience in a barber's and only being allowed to sweep up the hair, without being allowed to cut anyone's hair. I have enjoyed most of the work that I have done, but I'm not sure it is a true representative of what I would be doing.

I was impressed with the level of pay, considering it is only an internship and there is no commitment for me to stay on for the actual graduate scheme. KPMG's lunch expenses policy is something that I have made great use of and believe that it has to be a selling point for KPMG. I do think the internship could have been longer as some people would not have been able to afford university without a summer job to do before/after the internship.

Yes there was an event after the induction, to network with the other vacation students. I have been able to network with all the people I have worked with on client sites. Then finally, there is an event at the end, which should be good for developing further on networking already made but to expand further with the rest of the vacation students.

There was high quality complimentary food and alcohol at the networking event after the induction. The leaver's event at the British Museum is very exciting and very out of the ordinary for me as a work social activity. However, I am sure KPMG likes to assert its place as not as an ordinary place to work.

This information is not well advertised and I have only managed to get insight by digging on KPMG's website and asking questions to my colleagues. They have been helpful and explain that KPMG run events organised themselves, however teams often do their own thing such as socialising in a bar after work.

Despite a lot of my criticisms, I would recommend it to a friend if they knew they wanted to go down a certain route, as I still have more KPMG knowledge than someone who has applied without having done the vacation scheme. For someone who is not sure what they'd like to do, I'm not sure this is the best vacation scheme as they may be able to get more out of one that is over a longer period.