UKI Assurance Summer Intern Review

Throughout the internship, some daily activities included: - Completing a service line case study project with other interns, concluding with a presentation to our mentor - Attending webinars from EY employees from different areas of the business such as resourcing, learning & development and business development - Learning more about EY, their values and strategies in sustainability, diversity and inclusion, etc. - Learning about everything needed to set you up for success such as wellbeing, business etiquette, personal brand, presentation skills and emotional intelligence - Interactions with my buddy and mentor for support and guidance

This internship has allowed me to develop many skills. The group case study work increased my ability in working in teams which is important in audit and assurance. The presentation skills webinar well prepared me for our group presentation to our mentor and has allowed me to gain confidence and experience in presenting to groups. EY really encouraged me to improve my self awareness, reflecting on what I’m good at and what I can improve on through several webinars.

Summer interns were not given much responsibility which I was a little disappointed about, however due to the shortened length of the programme and its virtual nature without a work computer, this is understandable. EY did their best to increase our exposure to the business by having webinars from all business areas and from employees at all levels. Our case study project tried to simulated what it would be like to be involved on a project and team within the company.

There was a lot of support on offer. We were assigned a mentor who guided us with our case study. We were also assigned a buddy at a more junior level, who we met with weekly, and were able to chat and ask questions to. Both were very friendly and supportive! The student recruitment team were especially helpful and supportive; there was a large emphasis on wanting interns to enjoy and make the most of the experience and any technical issues were addressed promptly.

There is a great people culture at EY which I experienced throughout the application process and summer internship. Everyone I met was so friendly and chatty and I never felt intimidated to ask questions. I learnt about so many great initiatives in diversity and inclusiveness, sustainability, volunteering with EY Foundation and the networks and communities within EY. The student recruitment team planned many fun activities such as a virtual escape room, magic shows, kahoots and games to break the ice, have fun and get to know one another.

Despite it being a virtual experience and only for 2 weeks, I really enjoyed my internship with EY and would definitely recommend it to others! EY staff did an amazing job at putting together a unique platform and timetable to ensure their interns got the most from the experience. The culture is so friendly and conducive of personal learning and development. My favourite parts of the experience where learning about EY, meeting my group, mentor and buddy. I really hope I am able to go back to EY in the future!

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For the assessment centre, make sure you contribute in the group work and ask others for their opinions. Demonstrate that you can work well in a team and can be a team player! Be friendly and be yourself! EY really values its people centric culture and being able to have great interactions and form meaningful relationships with student recruitment and interviewers seems really important. Finally, research the company and the service line you’re interested in.