EY Summer Internship Review

Arriving at the office for 8:30am, I would be greeted by the partners of the private tax team within Edinburgh. The remainder of the team would then filter in throughout the morning, with each of us beginning our daily routines. Some of the tasks I'd get involved with would include: - Drafting Tax Documentation for Clients and HMRC - Preparing Excel Databases Populated with Assets and their Tax Features - Preparing and Delivering Presentations on Relevant Economic Issues around the World. Throughout the day I'd also interact with other interns across different service lines to get an idea of how their internship has planned out so far, with many providing some notable insights into the quantity/ quality of work they've been given.

I would say that I've definitely improved on my existing skills throughout the programme. EY offers extracurricular activities called EY Badges which provide supplementary courses in relevant knowledge areas such as sustainability and technology, to aid in your work. In my spare time I've worked through various courses, some of which I've been able to directly apply to some of the tasks I've been presented. I feel this was a great addition to my time at EY, alongside the technical insight I've gained of the different software and management libraries offering excellent guides to EY's services. Furthering this, interacting with the team has helped me improve on my personal and professional image, which I hope will aid me well if I end up coming back to the firm.

I think I was given adequate responsibility. Given how busy the team was during my stay, I appreciated the time they would take to bring me on board and explain some of the key roles that they would carry out on a daily and weekly basis. I was introduced to some of the key documentation that EY drafts up for clients, and placed with the responsibility of creating documents explaining tax directives in some of the Nordic countries, along with some peers. I felt this provided a breadth of knowledge covering international tax laws and reliefs, which will definitely stand me in good stead for the future.

The team were always on hand to provide support and guidance on tasks. I picked up a lot of the tasks fairly quickly and so I had few initial questions for the team. However, as the days went by and I was introduced to a more varied range of tasks, more questions began to pop-up. I felt that by scheduling a call with a member of the team I'd be able to cover more questions in a single sitting and not feel like a burden on the team. I felt comfortable in being open about my queries on the work and this was met with a supportive attitude by the team in helping to solve my problems.

The team would regularly schedule out of office meets and catch-ups which I felt had a significant boost on morale and inclusion. We would often meet up with the Glasgow private tax team as well for social events which was a great way to meet new interns and the wider team. Many team members were also involved with various sports and leisure clubs outside of work, some of which I had a shared interest in. This was a good topic of conversation both in and out of work.

I enjoyed the experience. I think it was one of the best ways I could have spent my time during summer, and will definitely be a great CV booster. Although I felt like I could have been given more work to complete, I still found the internship to be immersive and a great practical means of gaining hands-on experience within the working world. I would be glad to come back after university and pick up where I left off with the team.

Yes

Ensure you carry out proper due diligence with regard to the many service lines on offer to you. I would also recommend liaising with other students/ peers who are thinking of applying so that you can coordinate travel plans/ share your thoughts and opinions. This helps to get rid of any negative feelings you may have about the process and means you will not feel as pressure to perform if you know you will be there with other peers whom you'll have built good relationships with prior to starting the course.