EY Assurance UKI Summer Internship Review

I really enjoyed the virtual internship week with EY! Everyone at EY was so enthusiastic and helpful throughout the week, and as a result the experience ran really smoothly despite the change in format to a virtual experience. There was such a large variety of events and talks, and the days were really well structured so that they were engaging but not overwhelming. There was a great balance of talks and interactive sessions, and plenty of opportunities to ask questions, and I really feel I gained a lot from the week.

EY made us all feel really valued throughout the week. There was a large focus on Learning and Development sessions, including teamwork, presenting skills and mindfullness, and they clearly invested a lot of time in putting together sessions that would help us improve our skills which I really appreciated. We were able to talk to so many people at different levels in the company, and they were all more than happy to spend time answering all of our questions, and by the fact that so many employees were willing to give up their time to speak to us, its clear that they really value their interns.

We received a lot of support throughout the experience. The student recruitment team were constantly available to answer questions and hep us solve any technical difficulties and we had an opportunity to speak with employees in small groups to ask lots of questions. We also had a mentor to help us with the case study we were working on, who was so helpful! They gave us so much useful advice on our presentation and always took the time to explain the more technical points to us really clearly and to make sure that we understood.

The programme had at least one Learning and Development session each day, and these focused on a range of skills including teamwork, presenting and mindfulness. These session will be extremely helpful for me in the future as they are all such vital and transferable skills and the sessions gave us so many practical tips to help us improve in these areas. Working on the case study also helped us to develop skills like analysing data, making judgements, teamwork and presenting, which will all be really useful, especially as I'm hoping to work at EY in the future in a graduate role.

The experience was really well structured. Each day was busy and varied, but there were also lots of breaks to allow us to collect our thoughts and consider what we had seen. There was also a good balance between talks/learning and development sessions and interactive sessions like group work and quizzes. Having the case study presentation at the end of the week also gave us a goal to work towards, and helped us feel a real sense of accomplishment when we completed it.

The general atmosphere was really positive. The student recruitment team were always upbeat and positive and this created a really nice atmosphere where everyone felt comfortable getting involved and asking questions. All of the speakers were also really enthusiastic, and passionate about what they were talking about and all of the employees we talked to were really welcoming and always happy to answer questions. There were lots of interactive sessions as well which made the week really exciting.

There were Learning and Development sessions each day which were really interesting and informative, and the speakers provided us with lots of ideas and practical tips to help us continue to develop our skills. The case study was also a great opportunity to help us develop our skills. We were allocated a mentor who was really helpful and made a big effort to explain the more technical points to us, and we also received feedback after our presentation.

The experience gave a great insight into what it would be like to work full time at EY, as we heard from so many people about their experiences at EY.

There was a massive focus on the company culture as it is such an important part of EY. There were sessions on Diversity and Inclusion, which really emphasised how central this is to EY's culture, and there was also a large focus on leadership and teamwork, which are a core part of EY's Next Wave strategy. This was also reflected in all of the talks, as it was clear that every employee really believed in this strategy. It was also emphasised that the people were really what makes EY so special, and this focus on and investment in their people really came across in all of the talks and sessions.

The experience definitely confirmed to me that EY is where I want to work in the future. It also provided lots of information about Audit, really helping me to understand what it's about, and helped me to feel sure that its what I want to do when I leave university.

We were paid really well for the week, and as it was a virtual experience, there weren't really any expenses.

We had lots of opportunities to meet and network with other employees of the company. There were Q and A sessions at the end of each of the talks, and we also split into smaller groups and were allocated a buddy to ask even more questions. We also had mentors to help us with our case study work, and this was another opportunity to ask questions about EY. Most of the speakers also provided their email addresses to allow us to ask follow up questions as well.

There were lots of opportunities to network with employees at EY at a range of different levels, and they were all really friendly and willing to answer questions. WE also had an opportunity to work in groups with other interns which was another way to socialise and network. Unfortunately, there wasn't really any chances to socialise with the other interns not in our case study groups, but that is just because of the fat that it was a virtual event.

We had a talk about all of the different networks and communities at EY, and the different things that they do throughout the year, and we heard from members of each of the networks. We also had talks about charity work that employees can get involved with, for example the EY Foundation, and other mentoring opportunities at EY. WE were also told about extra learning opportunities available at EY, like EY badges to help employees develop skills

I would definitely recommend the EY internship to a friend. It was really informative and I learnt so much over the course of the week. It also gave a really great insight into what it would be like to work at EY, and to what the company culture is like. There were also a lot of opportunities to network and I was able to speak to some really interesting people and make some great connections