Tax Associate Intern Review

I considerably enjoyed the internship, it was a great company to work for because of the opportunities available. Moreover the company really did look after the interns, and there was opportunities for the interns to get involved in other things. Even though it was mostly due to the people I worked with, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. It did not feel like I was prevented to do anything because of the understandable lack of experience. No matter how little the work was it felt like I did make a valid contribution, this is because I was doing valid work that they would have given to someone else to do. I felt like that even though I was an intern I was entrusted with work and they all felt I had the ability to succeed in these tasks.

I can't speak for others but the manager that I had was fantastic, she was supportive and really helpful in delegating work to me as well as finding work for me. Also she was very helpful in helping me with any queries that I had no matter how small they were. She was also very approachable and helpful when I needed some assistance and she would take the time to explain what things meant. She was very supportive.

Fortunately there were very few period when I did not have any jobs to do. There were occasions when I had very strict deadlines, but on other occasions I had work which I had time to finish. People would always ask if you had capacity to do work, so you would take on as much responsibility or little responsibility as you were capable of doing.

As previously mentioned I had lots of responsibility depending on what I had the capacity to do. I was given proper work to do, I was taught to do everything else would have been doing if they were a graduate. I was also involved in lots of project albeit at a junior level and had the opportunity to get involved in others if I wanted to.

Unfortunately the skills that I developed would not be useful for my degree considering that I do history and I worked in a tax department so the two would not overlap. However if I was to go into that field of work, it provided me with a great insight of what the job would entail and the basic introduction to legislations will also be useful for a future job. I also learned how to use basic programs which are quite common within the industry so will again provide useful if I was to work there in the future.

It was a great atmosphere, I have to admit that this was because I was working with two great interns who were also working the same area. This meant that I could easily relate to the interns in a similar position, but more so I could easily relate to the people that were working there as they had all been in the position as me. The group that I was working was so friendly with us and each other that it was a great place to work in because I fit seamlessly in a group of people who enjoyed working with each other.

The internship was very well organised. We were given both a buddy and also a people manager who we could report to for help and queries. Your people manager tended to be in the same department that you were in, so they were always there on hand. You set yourself goals for your time at the internship which your manager would review and verify. Your people manager would then have a mid internship review to see how you were getting on. So essentially you were always being monitored to ensure that you achieved your goals and got something out of your time there. This was one of the many ways that the internship was well organised.

The company invests a lot of training and development in its people, whether intern or manager or associate. This is exemplified by their training mansion at Bradenham. Usually this is where people attend courses and go to revise, but the interns had an opportunity to go there to prepare for their presentation that we were required to do at the end of the internship. I felt that on the two days I was at Bradenham not only did I have a great opportunity to network but I learnt so much on the presentation course, which will definitely help me a lot in my studies and of course employment.

It is an amazing company to work for, the people that you work with are amazing and make the job all the more enjoyable. Moreover the organisation really invests in its people, whilst working at Grant Thornton I felt that I was given the opportunity to explore and grow and I felt that there is an environment where each employee has the opportunity to grow and excel. Essentially they provide you with the tools to be successful. I am very fortunate to have been offered a job after my internship and I will definitely take it.

As mentioned I had a good group of interns within my department, but it was all about how you took the opportunities to socialise with your fellow interns. Grant Thornton did put on intern special events for the interns but not as much as they had in previous years. Usually however there are lots of social events so this year was an anomaly. Once you got to know a few interns there would always be someone wanting to do something on a Friday evening, moreover people tended to live in London so there was always the option to go out .

The offices are located in Finsbury Park and Euston. So central london. Obviously not cheap, but it was a great opportunity to network and socialise, plus there are always things to do in London that are not extortionate or expensive you just had to find it. I am from London so I was not aware of the costs of living, however many people rented out the halls in UCL/Kings whilst they were working and as far as I'm aware this cost around 110-130 a week in these halls. There were also people who studied at these universities and rented out their rooms for the summer.

London is a real good night out and this doesn't just include Leicester Square, around Euston there weren't many clubs. But there were lots of bars in Kings Cross and a few local pubs where workers would go. However being central london everything was in close distance, holborn and farringdon were just a bus ride away if you wanted to go away, you don't have to stay in Euston. I would advise that you don't plus many of the other interns who are from London will have places to recommend.

There were a wealth of opportunities to get involved in activities out of work, all you had to do is ask. A few guys on my team had the opportunity to play for our department in the annual 5 a side GT football tournament held in Reading. There was also the annual women's football and netball tournaments, as well as weekly sports events. Moreover on a non sports activity I had the opportunity to go on my team's Away Day which was a treasure hunt around London, these tend to happen in the summer so I was very fortunate