Summer Intern Review

I was introduced to different methods of valuation including the market approach, income approach and cost approach. My role involved using these methods to support members of the Valuations team with their current projects. I had responsibilities using Excel to evaluate a company's financial performance, as well as market research to gain a better understanding of companies as well as the industry environment they work in. Some of my work involved contributing to PowerPoints for clients and organizing findings from research.

I have developed skills in teamworking and communication, as part of my experience involved a case study and presentation with another intern. We collaborated to prepare our research, valuation and presentation on an existing retail company. This helped me to develop business acumen and market understanding. I also did research into business strategy and ESG initiatives so I developed my understanding of current issues and challenges in the industry. As well as this, I learned more financial skills including the calculation of discount rate and its application to the DCF method. This helped me to understand all the facets involved in valuing a company by this method.

Yes, I was given the opportunity to support members of the department in real ongoing projects. I received comments towards my work and was able to amend these. This allowed me to grow and learn from more experienced members of the firm, whilst also being trusted to deliver work towards current projects. I was able to ask for support from EY employees when needed, but independent work was encouraged and I found that this allowed me to gain a better understanding working through challenges.

I was supported by a first year graduate buddy, as well as a support team member who was a third year graduate. As well as this, I had access to a department counsellor and regular check ins from the student recruitment team. This set up ensured that I had lots of sources of support throughout my internship. My support team member was always available to contact and made time to talk me through different approaches and methods, and also check over my work. This helped me to feel confident as I worked through my role.

The company culture was welcoming and the department was very friendly. We were involved in social events as well as being invited to networking events and wider meetings within the company. As our contract was hybrid, the hotdesking culture and the ability to reach out to anyone on Teams, including members of the department from other offices, helped to enhance the approachability of department. I found that I enjoyed coming into the office and use the breakout areas to speak with support team members also.

I enjoyed my internship and the cohort of interns and grads I spent my time with. However, I would have liked to have more interactions with members of other departments and gain a better understanding of EY as a whole. It would have been helpful to have exposure to the wider strategy and transactions team to be able to see the impact of the work within the valuations department. the only opportunity to meet other interns was the CSR day in the first week, however overall the internship followed a good structure.

Yes

I would advise gaining a good understanding of the business structure and how clients interact with different departments. Make sure to find a sector that you will enjoy and that will make the most of your skillset as interns are encouraged to stay within the departments they applied for initially. Also research around recent EY news to understand how the business structure may be changing. If the role you apply for is a technical role, then ensure that you have a general idea of different methods and techniques used.