Assurance Review

The role involves completing audits for clients in the Government and Public Sector. These clients mainly include Councils, Universities and the NHS (completed at different stages throughout the year based on the financial year). Within the audit there are a variety of tasks involving a range of skills from council dwellings valuations, additions testing, loans testing and members allowances. Throughout the day you will interact with members within your team as well as partaking in client calls.

Before starting I thought I had a good level of technology skills but my skillset has exponentially improved since joining. I have developed my existing skills in excel by learning how to navigate the likes of pivot tables and learning shortcuts to what was before seen as a lengthy function. In general, I have developed my computer skills by working with a variety of software and websites such as canvas, glass and Zoopla. In this job you are constantly learning and developing new skills because it is either new to you or so that tasks become quicker and easier.

Yes, I was given more responsibility than I had expected. From day 1 I was being set work to do for clients which although it is checked, the initial work was completed by myself. As the weeks progressed I was tasked with getting information from clients by either email or the portal, which it was then my responsibility to check that this had been sent by the deadline and that everything was included. Despite having a good level of responsibility, the work is checked by seniors before it is then sent on to be handed off.

I received a very high level of support and guidance during my internship. Everyone in the office was always willing to help or take time out of their busy schedule to explain a task to me. This surprised me the most because I had not expected so much time to be invested into helping and guiding me, but this support is what helped me complete all the tasks I was required to do. However support didn't just take place in the office, the student recruitment team also made me feel supported throughout the process by scheduling mid internship check ins and sending weekly newsletters.

The company culture and the Newcastle office in particular is very friendly. The team seems to get on well and work effectively to achieve the company goals. The atmosphere was always vibrant when I walked into the office in the morning and there was a sense of belonging. Despite being an intern, everyone was willing to talk to me and make me feel included and part of the team. The company also has a strong coaching culture in that everyone was always willing to help or answer questions, even if they were working on a separate engagement.

I enjoyed my placement greatly and I am very glad I was given the opportunity to do it. I do not have a background in accounting and so I had very little expectations coming into this experience and no understanding of what an audit was. After completing this internship I have discovered the basics of what goes into an audit and have discovered that it is something I am definitely interested in working on in the future. The thing that stood out to me the most was the people. Everyone was so friendly and willing to help which ultimately is what made my experience.

Yes

I would say the main thing is to be open minded. EY has so many opportunities in regards to the work as well as interacting with people from a diversity of backgrounds. It is imperative that you make the most of the opportunity and embrace the challenges. If you are ever given the chance to do something you have not done before or work with someone new, take it. It is important to gain as much exposure to people and clients as possible so that you can develop on both a personal and professional level.