Assurance Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed the programme and I wish it could have been longer! Overall, it was a really insightful introduction into the world of audit and I learnt so much about EY within just one week. We had a series of talks, interactive sessions including Q&As, workshops and a case study, all of which were designed to give us more information about the culture at EY and the skills required for audit. Overall I was really impressed with the way that EY adapted the programme, given the uncertain nature of COVID-19.

Considering the programme was virtual and that interaction was made much harder, I felt EY did a good job at ensuring we were made to feel valued. In particular, giving a presentation to a partner and receiving feedback made me feel very valued as an intern. Many companies had also cancelled their internships, so I felt very fortunate that EY were able to still deliver and pay their interns for the fantastic week that we had.

We received a lot of support overall. Across the programme, we were given a mentor, a buddy and put into groups to work on our case study. Furthermore, the student recruitment team were really supportive and provided us with guidance throughout the programme. From all of the employees we spoke to a EY, they were able to provide us with guidance in relation to our future career at EY and how to make the most of the programme, which was invaluable to me.

My degree is in Geography, so it has no direct relation to accounting/audit. However, I have picked up some extremely helpful tips in preparing and delivering a presentation which will be useful for group projects and I have also massively improved my ability to collaborate virtually. I think this will be very useful in the coming months where university is moved online and so I will have had some practise working in a team remotely.

The experience was well structured overall. Across the five days, we received a series of workshops and talks, all of which on a different subject. Each day we had time to work on our case studies in groups, which gave a good structure to each day. I would have liked if the schedule for the week had been released ahead of the programme, so that I knew more about what to expect and also so we were aware of how much time we would get to spend on our case studies.

The general atmosphere was really positive, everyone I met along the way was super friendly and able to answer questions wherever necessary. I could really tell that EY had a friendly, teamwork culture and I was able to reach out for help whenever needed. I think it would have been nice if everyone had been asked to have their cameras on during the main presentation, just so it felt more interactive. Other than this, I could not fault the positive atmosphere created.

I felt there were a lot of training workshops designed to build on our skill set, which will be helpful in our future careers. I enjoyed completing these and learning more about myself and also the way that EY upskills their employees. These workshops included High Performance Teams, Learning and Development, Assurance and Presentation Skills. Therefore, I felt that the company had spent a long time preparing these helpful workshops in order to invest in our development.

The internship gave me a good understanding of what a full time role in Assurance at EY would look like. I learnt a lot about the professional qualifications, the charity work that EY partakes in and the type of work that audit entails, all of which are critical to a role in Assurance at EY. There was a very friendly culture around which indicated to me that I would really enjoy working at EY with so many like-minded individuals.

It was hugely insightful into the company culture. EY has a really friendly culture and it was so much more laidback than I had expected. All of the people I met were friendly and not patronising, which is something I have sometimes felt with other internships. The partners and seniors were very happy to answer any of our questions, so I felt very valued to receive some of their time. Overall, the culture was very open and diverse.

The content was really valuable in helping me to decide my future career path. Prior to the internship, I had very minimal knowledge about what audit actually was, other than the research I had taken for the role. Therefore, hearing first hand from auditors about their day to day tasks was really insightful. Also, working on a group case study task to understand the audit of a fictional company was great hands on experience in audit.

Yes, we were paid for the week that we participated in the programme on a pro rata basis.

There were fantastic opportunities to network. I spoke to many employees from varying levels in the firm, from a graduate role right up to partner, which was really insightful to hear each of their views. I was able to connect with the majority of employees on LinkedIn, all of whom had mentioned they would be happy to answer any questions. Overall, I had the opportunity to interact and network with lots of EY employees which will be great for my future career.

Given that the programme was virtual I was not expecting there to be social events. The networking opportunities were quite good, however. I would have liked more of an opportunity to meet more interns, like myself, however I have connected with many on LinkedIn. I enjoyed interacting with the three others in my case study group a lot, and also some from my buddy group. As mentioned, I would have really liked if everyone had had their cameras on during the main event calls!

Yes, we found out about some of the activities that employees can get involved in outside of work. There seemed to usually be a lot of social events going on, but EY have had to transition this to a more virtual setting. Therefore, they have been holding virtual coffees and yoga sessions, which shows the importance they place on social communications and work life balance. I am really excited to join EY as a graduate!

Yes, I would 100% recommend this experience to a friend. Although it would have been amazing to have spent 6 weeks in the office, given the unprecedented circumstances, it was really well organised and well worth doing. I learnt so much about EY and assurance, but also about myself and where my own skill sets best lie. I have become a lot more confident collaborating virtually, which I think is a vital skill for the new working world we are transitioning into!