Assurance Intern Review

During the mornings, I attended talks which taught me how to engage with clients and have me a large amount of understanding around the culture of EY and why it was a place that is so rewarding to work at. Following this, in the afternoons I engaged in a case study project with a cohort of other assurance interns, where we researched and created a project to do with a retailor struggling during the COVID pandemic.

I developed and learnt lots about client-facing skills, such as communication and teamworking skills to help build the optimal project. I also improved my interview skills, and learnt lots about the importance of networking. Using the case study, I implemented some of these skills and furthered my researching skills, however I would have liked to of practised more of the skills that we learnt in the mornings such as how to give a client-pitch.

There was a lot of insight into EY's business and all of the various networks that it has, which was very interesting to hear about and is definitely a great way that EY connects people from various departments and offices. Furthermore, we were spoken to a lot regarding potential career growth within EY, which makes EY sound like a highly appealing place to begin a career, as it definitely wants to help employees become the best versions of themselves.

There was a strong people-focused culture at EY, where a lot was made about the flexibility of EY with regards to how they want you to succeed. This sounds phenomenal, however in practise I din not find this to be true. When I asked to move offices for the graduate scheme conversion, I was given a very swift "no". I asked to switch offices as I attend university at my internship location, however I live with my family in another location. I found this to be rather inflexible and quite restrictive of EY, which was really quite in contrast to the message they were trying to give out.

The morning talks were insightful at the beginning, but towards the end of the internship it definitely felt like they were being used to fill up time as oppose to actually giving us good information that we can use and learn from in the future. The afternoon case study was highly enjoyable as it gave us a great opportunity to engage with materials, however when we finished this a few days before the final presentation, there really wasn't much for us to do, so I would have loved for there to be more material to engage with.

Yes

EY is centred around its people culture - it wants to help you grow and become the best version of yourself. They pride themselves on teaming, and not only being able to deliver results of the highest quality but the way that you do it also matters. You need to be inclusive, welcoming, and have a good strong set of morals and values. Integrity is key to them, and they really do want to try and build a better tomorrow.