This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
I thoroughly enjoyed my internship because I felt that I had a role in the team and was readily given support when it was needed. Grant Thornton have an attitude to providing clients with excellent services no matter how big or small the client is. This meant that I was able to experience audits in all different sectors of work. They try to make your internship schedule as full and varied as possible, so now I can say I have made full use of every opportunity given to me. If learning how a business works is something that you are interested in, then I would highly recommend an internship in the audit department at Grant Thornton.
Grant Thornton is the most social and friendly company that I have ever worked for. That could be one of the reasons it is one of the fastest growing accountancy firms of the last few years. I experienced work with partners, managers and trainees and have found that they treat all colleagues and clients with the same respect and friendliness.
At Grant Thornton they focus on support and building strong relationships. Everybody welcomed any questions I had, and they took the extra step to ensure I understood each procedure. I was reviewed by my manager on a weekly basis, and my buddy helped me to meet the other ACA trainees at social events.
Out of the whole of the six week internship, there were only 2 hours where I struggled to find work. Colleagues were happy to find work for me and explain each task thoroughly.
You are given real responsibility for every piece of work you complete from day one as each task has to be signed off by you. I was treated the same way a graduate trainee would be treated.
An internship is probably the most useful way to spend a summer before you graduate. The experience gained from an internship is invaluable, especially at Grant Thornton because you are not just a little fish in a big ocean! The presentation skills course was very impressive and of course the knowledge that I have attained every day at Grant Thornton will be extremely useful for my career development. As an undergraduate you don't know the real definition of audit unless you have experienced it first hand.
The Company
Working with a team of people on an audit is a great way to build working relationships. Everyone at Grant Thornton is light-hearted and friendly but at the same time the work is taken seriously.
On day one I was given a personal timetable, with most days booked up by client work, courses and talks from other GT members and social events.
Grant Thornton sent interns on a presentation skills training course for three days at an old manor house outside of London. Personally I wanted to experience a few days in the tax department so I asked for it and they were able to accommodate me.
Sports and Social Club
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
It seems to be the best place to get a wide variety of experiences while you train for the ACA qualification.
The Culture
I was able to attend the GT summer BBQ with the whole of the office, and colleagues were always up for drinks after work on a Friday. I spent a total of 4 days with all the other interns across the UK, which was a great way to hear their experiences too.
Manchester isn't the cheapest place to live, but like all places it depends where you live and where you choose to go out.
Manchester has a huge choice of nightlife!
BBQ's, lunch with the managers, drinks with the trainees, team-building work with the other interns... numerous opportunities
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Accounting
West Midlands
August 2009