IT Risk Assurance Consulting Intern Review

I immensely enjoyed the experience. I've not only met loads of really interesting people, but have learned far more from them in such a short space of time than I ever thought I'd be able to! Between learning sessions, explanations of the different parts of the company and what to expect as a graduate if I do receive an offer I feel better informed and better equipped to tackle most challenges. Though it wasn't the 6-week internship I was expecting, given the circumstances I'm very pleased with what both EY has achieved and what I have been pushed to achieve.

Throughout each and every step of the process, the one constant reminder was that every one of us was valued. From small touches like the fact our preferred names were remembered even if our display names on Microsoft Teams were different to a mental wellbeing session and plenty of breaks, I was never at any point left to feel like my I experience didn't matter. Furthermore, the insights we've been given into the corporate culture at EY from the discussions we've had have made me incredibly excited to work at the firm in the future.

Whenever we had questions we were always encouraged to come forward, even if the question or answer was difficult to give. Every task that we were given was clearly laid out for us - especially the case study myself and my team of 6 had to present on. Throughout the process of preparing we had 2 separate meetings with our mentors and the feedback we received at the end was incredibly useful and very supportive.

There were plenty of breaks throughout each day to make sure we were all well-rested and not overworked. When we were kept busy we were always working hard to take in all of the information but I never felt overwhelmed at all. The type of work I was doing was also well-varied so even if I was working for a long time, the next task was interesting and I was always ready to get right to it.

Given the scope of the placement this year - being only a 1 week virtual experience rather than the standard 6-week internship, I would have loved to have had more responsibility but also completely understand I wouldn't have been prepared to. During the preparation for our case study presentation, however, our team was very much responsible for all of our own work and, while we had all of the support that we required, we were very much proud of how much we were able to accomplish.

The primary skills I've learned have been to do with time management and presentation skills. These will be critical during my final year of university given I will have to juggle exams with my final year project which I will have to present on multiple times. Furthermore, I was surprised by how much we were taught about the transition to the workplace - the discussion we had about health & wellbeing (specifically on financial wellbeing) was very enlightening!

The atmosphere was relaxed and fun. There was lots of interactivity during presentations and everyone was fully aware that we are all only human so mistakes will be made. Getting to know everyone at the firm who interacted with us was a lovely process (if you ever get to meet Shanade, Lucy or Dominic you're a very lucky intern!). Everyone was so warm and friendly and really did make me feel at home for the entire week.

Very well organised. There were, of course, the occasional technical hiccups that everyone is facing in these strange times of purely virtual working, but none of these took away from the well-structured programme we followed. It was always clear what we would be doing next and each presentation or activity flowed into the next very naturally so you never felt lost at any point. Again, it gave me a lot of confidence in the firm and I'm excited to see the same if I join as a graduate.

The firm provided us with a number of training and development sessions. I found the ones on time management and presentation skills particularly insightful - we've all had to sit through a lot of sessions like this and I have to say I've never found them useful before. The ones during this interview, however, were very useful and provided a number of strategies that were both innovative and actionable in a way I would love to apply to my own life in the future.

The organisation has a very clearly structured graduate programme. Furthermore, as I have come to learn, the firm is incredibly flexible and opportunities come thick and fast as long as you are willing to seize them. In fact, a large portion of the internship was devoted to drilling into us the importance of networking and getting out of your comfort zone so that you can try and move into fields which you have no previous experience in. This drives growth and the firm gives you the encouragement and support you need to achieve it.

Again, due to the nature of the internship this year there was very little scope for any kind of social scene. What I can say is that my work within my case study team has meant I've met a group of other very talented students who I am very happy to know and I hope I'll be able to maintain that relationship into the future - and hopefully we will all be colleagues again very soon!

Working from home is definitely the cheapest way to live and socialise in your work area!