Summer Internship - Assurance Review

Summer intern working in UK&I Audit. On a day-to-day basis, an intern would work with an EY audit team and be coached to carry out basic level audit tasks. Some days involved travelling to client sites to interact directly with client sites, and other days involved hybrid working (a choice between working in the office or at home). Day-to-day tasks depend on the client and team that you are working with, and the stage of the audit process that you are working at. Interns also participate in certificate learning each week, where they can earn qualifications in leadership and other skills, to further develop their skills.

I have gained a large amount of knowledge in terms of how audits work and the processes involved in conducting an audit. I have developed my IT skills greatly and now have a very strong knowledge of Excel. I have learnt to use new IT applications throughout this internship. I have also developed my communications skills through interacting with large teams, and through communicating directly with clients both online and face-to-face. The internship has also strengthened my time-management and organisational skills.

Yes. Responsibility was placed upon me to complete all of my tasks given within the time frame required. All tasks completed were relevant and will be used in the audit process for each client, therefore there is a responsibility to conduct each task with professionalism and to the highest of my ability. Furthermore, I was given the opportunity to speak to clients personally and discuss questions and tasks with them, which is a great responsibility for an intern.

Interns are given a lot of support throughout the internship. Every intern is assigned a buddy and a counsellor. These are people who are able to offer support to interns at any time and are friendly and approachable. They help you settle in to the company and set you up, and you have regular meetings with them to discuss your progress and any issues you might be facing. Also, each team that I worked with offered great support and were very eager to help and guide me in the right direction. The student recruitment team were always available to get in contact with throughout the internship if any other issues arose.

The company is a very social and friendly place to work. There are a lot of organised social events for everyone to attend, such as quiz nights or sport matches. There is a welcoming atmosphere and everyone is willing to help and offer support to those who are struggling. Most teams are made up of people from all levels of career, from manager to first year grads, meaning that there is always someone to help. The company encourages a lot of charity and volunteer work too.

I enjoyed my internship, and I especially enjoyed working with all the people I got to work with. Everyone was friendly and helpful and there was a strong support system for every intern. All interns were very social and it was great to have a large team of interns to share the experience with. The company culture is welcoming, diverse and encouraging and exceeded my pre-existing expectations. I got the opportunity to experience a variety of audit procedures and was given tasks that challenged me and taught me new skills and knowledge.

Yes

Ensure that you understand what it is that you are applying for and that you have some basic knowledge of the service line/industry that you are applying to, and make sure it is something that you think you will enjoy. Make sure to not rush through the online assessments and to focus on each question individually. In interviews make sure to be yourself and to be friendly. In assessment centres be open to suggestions and have self-confidence in your own abilities.