Assurance Intern Review

Assist in the preparation of workbooks (such as equity workbooks, intercompany loans workbooks, etc.) as well as performing sample testing on things suchs as lease agreements, payroll, and asset purchases. Highlight any material variances that arise or anything unusual (such as difference in dates, or values) that come up while preparing the workbooks or performing the sample tests, and communicate with the client to see how and why those variances or differences have come up.

I have learned a lot about Auditing and what the day to day tasks involve, such as learning how to check if there are any material variances in the accounts that appear in the financial statements or in the annual report overall. I also improved my usage of Microsoft Excel, for example I learned new keyboard shortcuts and different functions such as vlookup and xlookup, which both came in handy while performing my day to day tasks.

I was given a lot of responsibility from day one, and even though I was an intern I performed the exact same tasks as a first year graduate. I performed tasks that helped the audit team deliver the audit engagement quicker and meet the deadlines that were set, while also identifying variances in the client company's accounts and purchases. A member in the team mentioned that I was a very valuable member during the audit engagement.

At the start of the internship I received a lot of support in terms of setting up my account and about the overall IT systems. I received guidance on how to access the different files and documents for an audit engagement, as well as submitting my weekly timesheet. In terms of the tasks that I was assigned, I received support initially but then it was up to me to figure out how to complete the task. I enjoyed that because I had the ability to explore and learn more.

The atmosphere and the company culture was very welcoming. Everyone is willing to help out in case someone is experiencing a difficulty. There is support for any type of setback that someone may face, and people can understand and appreciate the time it takes for someone to recover after they have experienced something difficult. People are very open for conversation and no one is being left out. All of the interns had the opportunity to enjoy EY's summer party which enabled people to meet and connect.

I enjoyed the skills that I picked up while I was working at EY. Even though the tasks may have been boring at some times, the few instances that I discovered something strange or unusual made the work very exciting. The team members were also open to help and answer any questions I had, which improved my experience. Although I would have enjoyed to interact more with the rest of the team by going out together for food/drinks after work and get to know each other.

Yes

I would advise anyone who wants to apply to EY to do extensive research about the role that they are applying, so they will know that they are making the right decision. I would also advise to always apply to the role that you like the most, no matter how difficult it may be to get into. What inspired me to join EY was the large amount of opportunities to learn and develop many skills that can be applied to other positions in finance.