EY Summer Intern - Transaction Diligence Review

I work in the strategy and transactions service line, specifically due diligence. My team deals with the energy and infrastructure sector. I got to work directly with clients on deals and was able to receive both on the job and formal training. I had opportunities to work with and shadow experts within the industry. I took part in diligencing the performance of companies and understanding how they operate. I was able to work on various projects with different teams which consisted of graduates to Partners. I was able to build my network and formed many relationships. This internship allowed me to earn the fundamentals of using excel through experience and the EY badges learning platform.

Through the certificate learning programme I receive weekly lectures with a professional coach and do 4 hours of coursework a week taking the form of reflective feedback. This learning results in 4 certificates, 2 from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). EY also has many learning opportunities throughout the internships, such as lunch and learn, which are topical sessions with professionals. EY badges is a learning platform where anyone can take a course in their own time on a wide range of topics. I undertook a course in Data Integration, which really helped me with my excel skills.

I was given responsibility and real work during the internship. However, you do not feel like you're thrown in the deep end. You are always given lots of context about the work done, and everyone is very open to answering questions. People do check your work, so you don't need to worry too much about doing the work even if you have very little experience! There was a time I was in a client call and I was given full responsibility to take notes - I was the only person on the call taking notes. This gave me self confidence as the manager trusted my notes would be enough based on seeing my previous work.

The internship programme was very well organized and structured. All interns have a buddy that they can go to as an informal point of contact. This was really helpful at the beginning of the internship, you have someone to show you around, help you get set-up and introduce you to the team. Interns also have a counsellor, your counsellor can always guide you throughout the internship for any professional or personal issues. Regular meeting with the counsellor means there are always opportunities to flag up any issues and discuss how things are going so far. The student recruitment team is always happy to answer questions and they call you up before the internship every few weeks to ensure you are happy to start. Half way through the internship you have another call/meeting to ensure everything is going smoothly!

The company culture is very diverse. People from all over the world work in very collaborative teams. There isn't a strong sense of hierarchy, which is surprising for a big four company. When I talk to other interns in different service lines or offices, the first thing they tell me is that the people are so nice. Everyone I have met has been very friendly and welcoming. EY is a place with lots of hard working intelligent people who love to learn - they get excited by challenged, new projects and learning new skills. I think this is part of the EY culture.

I think this is a very good experience for people who are considering a career in accountancy and finance. Diligence is particularly a very interesting service line to go into - you gain a wide range of skills which will be really useful for your future career. I really recommend doing the internship as when you work here you really get immersed into the role and the company - you will be able to very easily find out whether it is for you or not. I enjoyed the experience as I never had the opportunity to work at a big company like this. I worked with an accountant at a small construction company - the experience was very different. You are able to learn a lot about the company, the job and get lots of tangible things to put on your CV/LinkedIn, making you more employable. I also met some amazing people on the internship who I intend to stay friends with after the experience is over. Including interns that work in different service lines in different offices.

Yes

You should definitely apply! Even if you don't end up working there the experience is very valuable. You need the experience to know whether the job/company is for you. I would recommend in the application process to do lots of research about EY - lots of information about the company is present on the website, you can also try to speak to EY people at events (I went to events at Bright Network). Preparation is key! Make sure you practice doing all the practice tests - e.g. NRT tests.