Audit Summer Vacation Scheme Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I was able to learn a lot about the audit process as well as about my client. It was great to have a first hand experience and the ability to get involved with real work. The insight I got most certainly improved my business understanding overall.

I felt very valued by the company. The team I worked with treated me as an equal and made sure to make me feel very welcome at all points in time. I was trusted and given responsibility and made to feel like one of the team. Everyone made an effort to get to know me and it very much appreciated.

Guidance wise, I received a buddy with whom I was unable to contact on most days because I had allocated to client site and so meeting up with my buddy was very difficult. However he promptly responded to any emails or Skype messages and was always a big help. The team was always on hand to handle any queries I had.

The information I got will definitely help me beyond my studies firstly in deciding which career path is best suited for me as well as the fact that it improved my overall business understanding especially that of banks. I have a greater understanding of the necessary qualities to work at a big firm and will strive to attain them.

In terms of structure, there wasn’t really much. We were essentially given an induction and then sent straight into our teams. It would have been nice to have a weekly or midway catchup with all the interns and the in charges to break down what we’ve done and we expect to be doing just to break it down.

The general atmosphere was always positive. It did however become stressful towards the end due to deadlines however I thrived off of it as I was indulged in the work that was assigned to me and it felt as if I was an actual member of the team rather than an intern and so the experience was extremely enjoyable.

In terms of development, I was provided e-learning modules to do however these were quite lengthy and tedious opposed to educational. However, working at client site with my team helped me learn a lot more than I probably could on my own and so that alone contributed to my development a lot.

In terms of this, I was made to feel like a fully fledged member of the team opposed to an intern and so I got a very positive insight into how it would be like to work for the firm. I was given responsibility and treated as an equal throughout.

The company culture wasn’t heavily stressed however there were a few occasions that our senior manager brought the team together to suggest alternative working hours and methods in order to help the teams work life balance which struck a positive note with regards to how they value those in the firm.

Being able to work with the team as an actual employee has given me a solid insight into whether I would like to continue working in that sector. The insights and opinions I got from those whom I worked alongside were invaluable and will definitely play a role in where I decide to go from here on.

I was paid pro rata to a fixed salary. Being on client site, I was given a lunch allowance which was fully reimbursed. Additionally, any additional expenses to my travel costs were reimbursed. This covered the extra fare from my regular commute to work to the client site and these were reimbursed according to a schedule that can be found on site.

Working in such a large team, I was able to network and meet so many different people all at different levels of seniority in the firm from those who have only recently joined to even partners and I have connected with them all on alternate social media and plan to keep in touch.

The social opportunities weren’t the most interesting for me however it brought together all the interns and so it was a nice way to catch up. There were not too many socials available however on many occasions the buddies would organise some outings for you and some other interns just to relax after work.

Being in KPMG, you are assigned a performance leader and so you fall into a certain group. In that group, socials occur and emails are sent out on a frequent basis reminding us of these events and encouraging us to come along ranging from darts, drinks and plenty of other sports.

I would definitely recommend this insight because it provides a first hand account of what it would be like to work for the firm and because you are not treated like a stereotypical intern, rather you are given actual work and responsibility which keeps you busy and gives you an insight into the type of work you’d be involved with in the future.