Assurance Intern Review

My internship was 5 weeks but I worked on 4 different clients so my role was very varied on a daily and weekly basis. A lot of my time was spent preparing documents for an audit which meant updating them from the prior year to the current year. I also did things such as conducting background checks but also got to do more audit-related things creating lead schedules, and calculating year-on-year account differences existence testing.

I've improved my Microsoft Excel skills substantially, learning how to use a wider variety of formulas but also the shortcuts that save a lot of time. I also developed lots of soft skills for the workplace such as communication skills, teamwork, organisation and time-management. In addition I also developed my problem-solving skills. Pre-existing skills that I've been able to develop are keeping calm in stressful or frustrating situations, relying on myself to come up with solutions.

It varied depending on who I was working for. For one client I was given a job that is usually done by partially qualified or newly qualified accountant - it turned out to be too technical to do but I got a great insight into more high-level accounting work. My colleagues made a conscious effort to give me as challenging work as they felt I could handle but also gave me some more simple tasks too.

You get as much support and guidance as you ask for but it's also important to try and do it yourself to ask for help. I was very conscious that I didn't want to ask for help and then realise that I could have done it quite easily. But everyone was very accommodating and always happy to help. If I didn't understand something immediately they didn't mind going over it again with me.

I can't speak highly enough about the EY culture. It has been such an enjoyable place to work. A lot of companies say on their websites that what separates them is their culture. Only having worked at EY do I understand what they mean. It was a very friendly environment and I always felt involved and included. I was offered to go out for drinks with some of the trainee accountants a few times and although there is a hierarchy in terms of job title it is very difficult to tell in the office who is at what level because of the workplace culture. I mean this in a good way! Everyone is friendly and talks to everyone.

Overall I have really enjoyed my internship. The teams I worked in were all very friendly and I found that the work was something where the more you understood what you were doing and why you were doing it it became more enjoyable because you had a better overall understanding of the work. I would say that it met my expectations - I've done audit shadowing before so I had an idea of what it would be like. However the culture was more friendly than I was expecting. I would very much like to go back to EY in the future.

Yes

It's cliche but read the website! In my assessment centre we were discussing something to do with sustainability. Reading through the EY website beforehand I had come across the topics on the website and this made me feel more comfortable. Obviously this was lucky but understanding as much as you can about the company, it's culture, how it organises its service lines etc... can be very helpful. One thing I would liked to have known is that if you get an offer, it is in your service line, for the office you worked in so I would consider whether you would like to work in the service line you are applying for and in that location in the future.