FS Assurance Intern Review

I was actively involved in the FS assurance department on client engagements throughout the internship, I saw lots of different parts of the audit but in particular completed a lot of revenue testing. We would typically have a client call or two a day and then for the rest our managers would distribute tasks to us for completion and then we would also have internal meetings. I also took part in a CMI registered qualification in business management which EY provided.

Absolutely, I do not have any background in finance so this was all completely new to me. There is a strong coaching culture at EY so I had lots of training on the job from my experienced colleagues. At first the meetings seemed very fast paced and confusing but by the end I had developed a better understanding and could keep up with even some of the more confusing client calls. Perhaps an improvement would be if we could have a day where staff explained how each of the departments worked together and what work is undertaken by each department so that we all have a better understanding of how the company operates.

I was given a fair amount of responsibility, I had autonomy over when I completed tasks as long as it was before manager set deadlines which allowed for some flexibility in work, but I was very much responsible for completing the tasks given to me. As by the nature of audit all my work was checked by more senior members of the team but this meant that feedback was given to me quickly for every task I had completed.

I had both an internship buddy and a counselor. My buddy was a first year grad scheme student whose role with me was to settle me into the office and help me get my bearings. My counselor had a more performance assessment based role in regard to me, ensuring that I was making progress and developing my audit knowledge, as well as assessing the quality of my output throughout the internship. On my team there was a lot of guidance from more senior members as they taught me the necessary skills for my part of the audit.

EY company culture was far better than I was anticipating, there is a big emphasis put on 'collaborative work' and team effort which is conducive to a productive but also enjoyable work atmosphere. At lunch and in the evenings everybody was incredibly sociable, with a table tennis in the break room getting a lot of use which was a nice way to meet people from different parts of the company in a more natural way.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship and will be sad that it has come to an end. Learning about audit and wider accounting methods was a new challenge which I greatly enjoyed, but also the people at EY are really great and I have made some friends who I will absolutely stay in touch with. The work/life balance at EY is far better than perhaps the stereotypes would make you expect, which leads to a fulfilling and satisfying life whilst in the business.

Yes

Go for it! EY have an intuitive application process and you are guided through every step of the application process via email, make sure to be proactive in your judgements and decisions both in interviews and within the business itself, you get out what you put in to your internship, so actively speak to members of your team about work because they will be more than happy to coach you and provide you with contextual information regarding the audit as a whole.