Summer Intern Review

It was really informative and we were able to learn a lot about the culture at EY as well as more information about each of our service lines. It was made very enjoyable as everyone was so friendly and always willing to help out with questions or concerns. Despite the current circumstances, the team really made sure that we were able to get the most out of the experience and provided interactive sessions to help engage us.

There wasn't much exposure or opportunity for this given that it was virtual so didn't work closely with the company's staff. However, among my case study team of other interns, I did feel valued and everyone's ideas were listened to, acted upon and formed part of our overall presentation at the end of the week. Whenever I submitted questions to the team though, they were very supportive and took time to carefully answer the question.

There was always someone there to help with any of the problems that we encountered via a number of different channels. Everyone who gave talks or presentations was more than happy to provide as much support as they good during their session as well as providing email address/LinkedIn details for afterwards in case we wanted to follow up with any more questions. There was support from all different sections of the business too which was nice.

I have definitely become more confident when working with people I have only just met and collaborating virtually. This will be really useful for when I go back to university and we need to work together even if classes are virtual for the first term. Additionally, the research element will be very useful for when I start preparing and writing my dissertation. The experience will assist me in my studies even though I am not studying economics etc.

It was structured really well, with a clear schedule for the days being set out the night before. I personally would have liked a schedule for the week sent out at the beginning and maybe a bit more information about the structure before we started working as I definitely felt that I went in pretty blind. However, on the Monday morning, the basic structure and major deadlines were communicated really well so everyone knew the key information.

Everyone contributed to a really relaxed and inclusive environment throughout the week. All of the speakers and guests seemed eager to make sure that everyone was relaxed in their sessions and a lot of them started with icebreakers to make sure everyone was engaged. The team running the internship were really nice all week and it was great to come back to them at the beginning and end of the day as they were always so positive!

We had a lot of talks around personal development and the training that you would receive upon joining EY. There appears to be a lot of support available to all employees. Throughout the week, it was slightly different as we were virtual so there was not a lot of opportunity for direct coaching, however they did provide sessions of wellbeing, mindfulness and health which were all great and probably the best in this kind of situation.

There was a huge emphasis placed on the grad role and your journey through that if you are successful in gaining a place there. It was great to learn about all the amazing things that can come from working at EY, both in terms of work and side desk activities. As places for the grad scheme hadn't been offered yet, it did seem a bit premature to be engaging us in this level of detail.

The company culture was made particularly clear throughout the internship and it was obvious from the beginning that there was a huge emphasis on people and having a community feel. As well as explaining about the culture it was also evidenced throughout the week with everyone that we met and engaged with. We were unable to visit the offices and see the working culture but that would only have reinforced the culture so I don't think it would have made much difference.

There was a lot of opportunity to meet other employees as there was a whole range of different sessions that they hosted. Being virtual, there were not a lot of opportunities for one one one contact time to get to know people and network in the traditional sense. However, everyone was encouraging us to connect with them and follow up with anything which was nice and gave us a chance to ask any questions we had later.

There weren't any social or networking events organised throughout the week so it was difficult to get to know people as we didn't have a chance to talk to anyone other than on our case study. It might be nice in future to organise small icebreakers in the mornings with small groups that can break out so everyone has a chance to get to know other people. Equally it would have been good to have an event on evening for another networking opportunity.