FSO Tax Summer Intern Review

The internship was provided as an online experience due to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Despite all of the challenges that it taking place virtual can cause the internship was excellent. There were a wide variety of sessions covering areas specific to the service line to which you applied but other general sessions such as Health EY, Learning and Development and Professional Qualifications. It was clear throughout the internship how positive the culture was at EY and therefore could not recommend it highly enough.

From the beginning of the week it was made clear how valuable the people at EY, all the way from interns to directors, are to the overall business. There were group tasks undertaken throughout the week and everyone in the groups worked extremely well together and ensured that everyone had a part to play and felt valued in that sense.

Another fantastic aspect of the internship with EY was the amount of support available for interns. Throughout every session there was a dedicated team within student recruitment that ensured they were available for any questions or support, especially technology support, that interns needed. The constant support provided was one of the main highlights of the experience.

Every day there was a jam-packed schedule set out which included speakers from almost every aspect of EY as a whole. In saying that, the team at EY made sure that there was plenty time for breaks and lunch etc which made it possible to fully digest all information provided throughout the week.

The main task that time was dedicated to every day allowed small teams to work on a project that closely relates to real-life projects that we would undertake if working with EY. We were given full autonomy in how we decided to undertake that task and then present back to the wider co-hort.

A key focus of the week was the learning and development aspect. Every day there were sessions provided on things such as presentation skills, mindfulness, high performing teams. The soft skills taught in these sessions can be easily transferred to any aspect of university and professional life. I found these sessions to be extremely valuable.

Given the internship was undertaken online it was maybe less obvious what the atmosphere was. In saying that, the whole experience was incredibly inclusive and interactive and created a sense of belonging to the organisation. This would only have been enhanced if working in the physical offices across the UK.

There was a clear schedule set out for every day that made most efficient use of the time possible and therefore I would argue that the set-up of the internship could not be faulted. The team running the internship ensured a wide variety of presentations were given and did a magnificent job of making the most of the situation.

EY dedicate a large amount of time ensuring they employ the right people and so to get a place within the company they obviously feel as if you are going to add value going forward. They have specific measures in place that allow career progression at different levels of professional qualification.

Even though this took place virtually, the emphasis on the positive social scene of the organisation was massively emphasised. They place huge importance on encouraging employees to get involved in the wider EY networks such as sport, women's network, faith network, unity network etc. It is clearly important to the firm that employees feel as though they belong and offer a wide range of activities to allow employees to feel that.