Audit Review

Having not had a background in accountancy, I didn't know exactly what to expect. However, I still found the work interesting and there was variety in what I was doing, which was great!

I felt very valued - the colleagues I worked with appreciated all the work I had done, under time pressures and managing multiple tasks too!

My line manager was extremely supportive - they left me to get on with my work, yet were always available should I need something. We had a couple of formal meetings throughout my internship to chat about how things were going and revisit my objectives which were set at the start of my internship.

Peaks and troughs - the majority of time I was busy at client's site, or in the office; during lulls I would catch up on admin work or 'personal development' (finding out more about different service lines, networking, etc.). During quieter spells, the onus is on you to fill that time - ask colleagues if there is anything you can help with, or do some constructive 'personal development'.

Plenty - from day one, I was able to book my own travel to a client's site, paid for by the firm. From an early stage of my internship I was on a client's site on my own, talking to clients. My work throughout contained highly sensitive financial and personal data, which obviously is a massive responsibility in itself.

Presentation skills - a two day course at a country manor (Bradenham) was great! The food was excellent, and the content of the course was very useful. I am now a lot more confident in presenting and answering questions (e.g. in interviews). Motivation - my uni workload no longer seems daunting after a summer of work (it's all relative!); also in terms of career direction, I am a lot more clearer about what I want to do and what I need to do to achieve it. IT - Excel skills have definitely improved and navigating complex spreadsheets is now a breeze!

Not in the office that often - mostly out and about at clients. This suited me.

Very - the was a structured assessment which ultimately determines if you are the right fit for Grant Thornton and thus a graduate offer. The assessment was based on you demonstrating the competencies Grant Thornton want and also based on your performance in a 5-minute presentation.

There was a 2-day intensive residential course on "developing your business impact" and a corporate responsibility day. Other than that, the onus is on you to get as much or as little extra in terms of personal development - my advice would be to make time to learn more about different areas of Grant Thornton and go out there and meet different people.

Graduate job offered.

There are socials on all year round as an office or region, which you are welcome to attend (e.g. summer BBQs).

Lived at home - extremely cheap!

Manchester is always great.

Generally it's your own responsibility to get involved if there is something you are passionate about (be it CSR, volunteering, sport).