Summer Intern Review

Really enjoyed working in a team on a case study throughout the week, as this was an effective and fun way to network. The case study allowed us to all draw in our own ideas about a topical industry, we could all relate too. Feedback was also provided by EY graduates to support our case study, pushing us in the correct direction. Some of the larger non-service line specific sessions happened to be a bit longer, and technically more difficult to ask questions. But within the individual service lines ( I did consulting) there was extensive opportunity to ask questions.

In particular, we spent at least an hour on each of the 5 days with our case study group. There was overall a very respectful, engaging and fun group dynamic, which allowed us to create a piece of work that we all were proud of. We also were all assigned buddies and these were incredibly welcoming and answering our questions, as well as encouraging us to reach out to them, after the program.

Relevant to the case study set to us, there was some ambiguity, but this allowed for scope for development and subsequently all the groups were presenting something from a different angle - making it more fun to watch at the end. Our mentors were good at providing us with support for the case studies, although it would have been helpful to know just how many sessions throughout the week we would have to work on this, in advance. There was also a networking sessions, which allowed us to ask questions outside our own sub-service lines, therefore allowing us to absorb more information.

The Agenda was jam-packed. We had breaks at good and regular intervals, but the day was incredibly busy! Fortunately, there were a mix of sessions, which prevented this busy schedule from becoming overwhelming. Sessions were also on different topics, such as Health at EY, mindfulness, Learning and development, as well as more service line specific content. This allowed there to be variety within the day, which meant that things stayed fresh. The level of interactiveness also varied throughout the day, although I would have personally liked to more smaller group sessions with more interactivity.

I appreciate that in the real internship in a non - COVID world, the level of responsibility given to interns is usually much higher. Of course due to the nature of the current situation, we were unable to work on actual client work. However, the first few sessions as a group for our case study were not guided by a mentor, and just involved our group of interns. This meant that we were given the responsibility to take ownership and structure our presentation from early on, without relying on external direction.

I will most definitely use some of the deliverables in my future presentations at universities, such as strategy plans and SWOT analyses. I will also use the idea of assessing individual stakeholders and their power/relevance with regards to a situation in my future work on environmental policy throughout my degree. There are also much softer "skills" developed through this, such as upholding non-negotiables and practising mindfulness in some form to relieve anxiety. Additionally, I'm sure the team working skills developed, especially the skill of working remotely will come more useful in a situation, where in person group work may not be possible. I'm also sure this will be useful to allow more flexible working in the world of work in the future.

There was generally a very positive atmosphere in the office, despite this being virtual.

Given the pace of change needed, I think the team did an absolutely amazing job at putting together the program. I also much prefer having one week of a busy schedule, as opposed to the sessions being spread out over multiple weeks. There were some technical difficulties, although this is anticipated and overall the team have been very quick and effective at resolving these.

Given the virtual situation, the team were able to provide mentors and buddies to answer questions both in terms of the technical aspects of our case study, but also with regards to the role and how we can prepare ourselves for a future role at EY. There were several talks about different aspects of learning and development and although they were not direct activities to invest into myself, they were relevant and informative starting points, from which I can go on.

Very appealing.

Within our individual case study groups I think we all bonded - especially towards the end. I'm hoping that we will stay in touch, as we all applied to the same service line and office!

N/A, living at home and virtual

N/A Virtual

N/A - due to the COVID situations, but non work related activities took place like a Kahoot Quiz in the morning after registration.