Summer Intern - Corporate Finance Review

Working in CF is varied - on the deal side the work involves drafting materials for companies going to market e.g. powerpoints and financial models. As an intern this will usually amount to doing the odd slide or researching an industry. For business development there is a lot of screening of various database to find targets to approach as potential clients. I also had the chance to sit in on client meetings and speak with various partners about their job role.

I have learned various skills for M&A including valuation techniques and market analysis. I have also learned skills in terms of client interaction e.g. how to deal with clients in a business professional manner. Otherwise, my excel and power point skills have been developed significantly and I have had the chance to apply my knowledge. EY uses a rather limited set of tools which is mostly just microsoft office and so I haven't learned any useful tech skills.

I was not given much responsibility as an intern as most of the work I did was checked by others. I didn't lead any calls however got to do an internal presentation on M&A targets and draft a newsletter for private equity clients. i feel this is somewhat negative as being in a position of more responsibility would have been perhaps more conducive to faster learning, however sometimes I was given ownership of a task.

Everyone on the team was mostly supportive at all times. there was no formal training process but rather we were expected to start work straight away which was quite tricky. However, whenever i had an issue a member of the team was always on hand to explain a concept to me. Our buddies also organised informal training sessions on M&A process and valuation techniques which was extremely helpful as a safe space in which to ask any questions.

Good company culture overall. everyone is very friendly at EY and willing to help you. There is almost no competitivity which could be perceived as positive or negative as there is little drive to perform. However, the work life balance is mostly good and there is no judgement if you need to take a day at home to e.g. pick up a parcel. One thing about EY is that everything has a lot of process surrounding it and so it can be hard to get stuff done sometimes

I enjoyed my internship to a large extent as the peopel were very friendly and the work was broadly not too mind-numbing. At times it was slightly stressful as people will overestimate your level of competence and expect you to be able to understand the work they are giving you without further explanation. The social opportunities were largely good and a ncie chance to connect with new people. However, the pay is rather abysmal compared to industry averages.

Yes

The interview process is long as it is at any other large firm. The most important thing is to show your nature as a person and how that aligns with EY's values. A genuine interest in the firm and the industry is also very useful - treat the interview as if you are interviewing them rather than the other way round. It also helps to have a few cups of coffee before and psych yourself up a bit.