Tax Vacation Student Review

I had a fantastic time at KPMG - the work I was given was varied, engaging and helped give me a good insight into working in tax. The people in the office I was working in really welcomed me, and at no point did I ever feel in the way. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone looking to enter professional services.

My colleagues were great! Even though I had had no previous experience in tax, they all took the time to explain things thoroughly to me, and I felt as though the work I was given was of genuine use to them, and not just photocopying/coffee rounds. Everything was reviewed, so even when I did go wrong, they made sure they explained what I hadn't quite done well. Plus I was brought along to all sorts of meetings - it didn't take all that long to feel part of the office.

The support was really good. I'm glad to say that I was sufficiently well prepared by KPMG that I didn't need it all that often, but I the help and guidance I was given to really get the most out of the internship was excellent.

Considering July/August is effectively the low season in tax, I was kept busy most of the time. There was the odd day where it felt as though I'd not stopped working, and the odd day where I was going round asking for things to do, but for the majority of days the right balance was struck.

The amount of responsibility I was given was just right I felt - after being briefed on what each task entailed, I was generally given the responsibility of completing the task myself. Obviously I could ask for help if needed, but it really helped me to work on my initiative of finding out an answer first if possible. I was held back a little by my lack of technical knowledge, but for an intern that's expected.

The skills I've developed will definitely be of use. Being able to manage your time is something that develops naturally in an office environment, (i.e. when instead of having deadlines right at the end of the semester, you have plenty every week). I also sharpened my communication - switching from emailing colleagues to clients certainly calls for this, and knowing the strengths of your team, and so who to go to for help on particular issues is also something you'll build on (And will hopefully make group projects at uni that little bit easier to manage). On the technical side of things, the training I received was nothing short of brilliant - I was given a 4 day induction (quite some time for a 6 week internship) at KPMG's Business School, which was the best start possible. I certainly hope to use this training in the future!

The office was far from overly serious, everyone got their work done well, but you never felt bad for stopping for a quick coffee or chatting briefly to a colleague. I also had the chance to get involved with the charity day which was great - cakes, raffles etc. which was a lot of fun.

I was really impressed by this - I was put on a rotation scheme whereby I spent one to two weeks in each area of the tax department, along with a buddy/mentor in each area, so the internship was really well put together.

What I loved about KPMG was their approach to training and development - not only was there the induction at the Business School, but every employee/intern has access to all their training material online, which can be done in your own time. Plus there were a handful of training sessions throughout the internship that I was invited along to, which definitely helped me.

I'd definitely love to join, but haven't yet had the final interview that KPMG set up for all interns.

I was the only intern in the tax department, but the social scene with the other recent joiners was great. I got involved with the 5-a-side team that played, as well as a few other socials such as a trip to the driving range. I was really impressed how well I was integrated into the social side of the office.

Being so close to London, I was under the impression Reading would be most expensive, but on the whole I spent less here than I do at home (Cardiff)

I only went out the once, but had a brilliant night! The general trend in Reading is to go into London, but I found Reading had more than enough to occupy me.

There were usually things going on in the business park each week, and socials were set up outside of work, so it wasn't work work work all the time.