Virtual Summer Intern Review

I really enjoyed this virtual internship experience. We had many different opportunities during this week including information on EY's business and structure, as well as advice on presentation skills, teamwork skills and time management which were really interesting and inspiring. We also had the opportunity to work in a group of our peers in a project based in the sector that I applied for which was very rewarding and was concluded with a presentation and questions from the EY team. Overall, a really enjoyable week.

I felt very valued whilst I was doing my internship because everyone who was a speaker or member of the EY recruitment team was very happy to answer any questions and were encouraging and helpful in their answers. They emphasised that there was no silly questions which definitely made me feel more valued because I knew that they were interested in my personal opinion about topics that were covered and the internship week as a whole.

The internship was very well organised with the technology working very successfully. We were very well supported with the student recruitment team working around the clock to provide support for any problems which arose. When there were issues with the technology, the EY were very helpful in sorting these out. Moreover, we had a mentor for our group project who guided us in the right direction and helped us curate and deliver our slides. I found the mentorship programme incredibly useful.

In terms of skills developed, there were really great opportunities to learn new skills and develop existing ones. We had seminars in team work, time management and presentation skills which were very useful and I felt as though I gained new skills in this area. I also had the opportunity to take part in a group project, in which, I developed my team work skills further and also developed a greater understanding of the sector and of technology that can be used there.

I thought the week was very well structured, the days were full of talks and information so I wasn't bored! The week logically progressed through introductory talks through to the presentations at the end. We had seminars on key skills before we needed to utilise those skills which was incredibly useful and each day ran perfectly to time. We covered many different areas of content and didn't have repetitive sections or repeated content which made the week very interesting.

I thought it was a really great atmosphere. The student recruitment team were very friendly and really helped us to feel welcome and involved. They also helped to keep us on track throughout the week. All the speakers were informed and the presentations were well-presented with clear information. The other participants of the internship were very nice and friendly and we had no issues working together as a group. Overall, a really great week with a really nice group of people.

There were many opportunities to develop personal skills during this week with seminars on teamwork, time management and presentation skills. We had a project with our peers which we had to complete which involved a presentation at the end which definitely helped me develop my presentation skills. There were quizzes and interactive presentation which helped us stay engaged and helped us to learn more from the presentations. I think I've developed my presentation skills, my team work and my ability to work completely online.

We definitely got an insight into what working at EY would be like as we had talks from current employees and lots of information about the grad scheme and future employment. We also had the chance to work with a group of our peers which simulated an EY project with a client and helped us understand what the approach to this would be from EY and how EY would go about presenting a solution to a client.

I feel as though I better understand the company culture now as we have had lots of experience to talk to and meet different employees at EY who work in different sectors of the business. The culture came across as incredibly friendly, and welcoming and it felt as though they really valued our opinions and questions. There was an emphasis on learning and development and the EY team were very nice and friendly to all us interns.

I think it has helped me understand EY as a business and what a career in consulting would look like because we've had the opportunity to work a simulated case study, to talk to different people from EY and hear from different networks and communities inside EY. We've received lots of information about what a graduate scheme would look like in a consulting firm and what sort of projects the consulting sector works in and how best to approach these projects.

We were paid for this experience.

There were many opportunities to network both within the internship but also within EY as a whole. Everyone who spoke to us was willing to connect over Linkedin and gave us tips on how to network effectively on the internship. There was a strong focus on networking during this week and many useful tips were given. I think that I have built a strong network from this week and I hope to stay in contact with other people from this internship.

The networking opportunities were very welcome and varied. We had lots of opportunities to meet other people on the internship through the group project and the ice breakers that were run. We had opportunities to ask questions of many different EY employees and really find out about the business. Everyone who worked at EY was very friendly and welcoming to us so I enjoyed the networking events. They weren't at all intimidating which sometimes can be the case.

We had different talks on the networks and opportunities available at EY. We had speakers from all the different EY networks and they were all very friendly and welcoming. The networks seemed inclusive and fun. We also had talks on the EY learning system through badges whereby there is ample opportunity to personally develop through online training or learning courses and earn badges (achievements) which are recognised outside EY as well. We also had talks on the EY foundation and what charity work we can get involved in at EY.

I would definitely recommend this experience to a friend. I feel as though I developed my personal skills in presentations and in the understanding of the financial sector. I also feel as though we had lots of opportunities to network with both our peers but also with the EY community as a whole. Overall, was a really rewarding experience and I had a really great time meeting other people on the internship and learning more about EY.