Technology Advisory Intern Review

I enjoyed my vacation scheme with KPMG greatly. The organisers of the scheme went to great lengths to ensure there was sufficient interesting work to be done and involved me in a range of different project work. I spent the first week at the office but was quickly introduced to clients and felt able to contribute significantly despite only having been with the company for a short time. The induction held at the beginning of the scheme enabled me to network with a number of other interns, with whom I kept in contact with throughout the internship. I was impressed at the number of formal training events I was given the chance to attend and the desire of those supervising me to make my time as enjoyable and productive as possible. The vacation scheme gave me the chance to develop a number of skill sets I was not previously able to. A good example of this was presenting to a local school regarding the potential threats of cyber attacks and good preventative measures for these threats.

Given the short length of the scheme (4 weeks), it was difficult to feel as though the work I had produced was of any lasting use to the company. However, I did feel valued by the colleagues from the start of the scheme to the end. On my first evening at the office, I was invited for drinks with my colleagues and got to know them in a short space of time which made adjusting to the new surroundings very easy. I felt valued in the sense that my work was utilised by my colleagues for presentations being given to both clients and internally. I received constructive feedback on work I had produced which was reassuring as it showed they were carefully looking at, and likely using, the work that I had produced. I was involved very quickly in team meetings and helped to organise an annual meeting of the cyber security teams across the UK.

The support and guidance I was given throughout my time at KPMG could not be faulted in any way. I was assigned a 'buddy' who was a recent graduate and helped with everything from time sheets and expenses to professional advice. She met with me each week to ensure that the vacation scheme was keeping me busy and I was happy with how everything was going. My performance manager and buddy together helped to get me involved with a number of training programmes including third party assurance and control system security. This was all organised despite the short time period and the locations of the training being in different offices around the UK. I also had weekly meetings with my performance manager who would give me advice on how to develop behavioral qualities such as 'commercial awareness' and 'making an impact'. Aside from my performance manager and 'buddy', other senior members of the office took it upon themselves to explain concepts which were foreign to me and guided me on how to complete tasks. They were approachable and provided insights on the different areas of security including topics such as 'privacy'.

I was kept busy throughout my four weeks with KPMG. In the first week I had to complete compulsory training regarding integrity, safety and software used within the office. Aside from this, I was quickly introduced to team meeting and some of the client work which was ongoing. I spent some time trying to learn new terms regarding security certifications and the different security policies and ideas such as access management. In the second and third week I was working with a number of senior managers on different tasks which introduced me to a number of the different arms of KPMG. For instance, I spent two days on a security audit of a government organisation to ensure data was being handled with sufficient care. I attended a number of training events including in third party assurance. One of the key learning curves that I was introduced to at KPMG was the idea of time management and not taking on too much work. I had to often ask if anyone had work they needed help with but had to learn not to take on too much to ensure the work I was producing was of a sufficient quality.

I was given a great deal of responsibility within my placement at KPMG. I was producing work for managers who would use the slides I had produced to present to partners regarding the engagement. I was often left to complete work whilst others were busy with different tasks and, as such, was solely responsible for individual pieces of work. I was also given responsibility in representing KPMG with local schools visiting the office. I, as a team of four, helped to present to the students from the local schools. In a similar vein, I represented the company at external client presentations and engagements.

From my background of engineering, the work at KPMG was a great experience in the commercial sector and one which provided me with a much better knowledge of the company and professional services in general. It helped to develop my networking skills and provide contacts which is a huge part of the consulting industry. Through formal training, my knowledge of fields such as third party assurance and how it is carried out, increased greatly. I was given the chance to develop a number of intangible skills such as presentation skills. This will help me both in my academic studies and throughout my career.

The atmosphere in the office was firstly very friendly. I had no nerves going into the office in the morning and quickly built a good rapport with those in the office. I was always invited to go to the canteen and eat with others and would often go to grab a coffee with colleagues. I would also add that while the office was very friendly, a good working atmosphere in the office was nearly always maintained. There was little noise in the office (aside from construction noises) and I felt able to get on with work without issue,

The internship was, on the whole, very well organised. The organisation regarding the induction day was great as well as our contacts for the team we were to be placed with. In the consulting sector when engagements can often be short, the organisation was well maintained and planned in advance which was reassuring. The placement was 4 weeks which I would say is a bit short but the 4 weeks are undeniably well organised.

The firm invested heavily in training for me. I attended training in London, Birmingham and Manchester and the expenses were all covered by the company along with the costs of the training itself. The people in the office invested a great deal of time to ensure I was sufficiently busy and producing high quality work. The company also invested in developing my skills by ensuring I had the chance to present on a number of different occasions.

I was offered a graduate role within the company having successfully passed the interview at the end of the programme. The chance to develop in one of the most renowned graduate schemes is particularly appealing and the networking chance I was provided is also invaluable.

I was in one of the regional offices which had fewer interns; however, I spoke to one of the interns in my office on a daily basis and kept in contact with a number of others. The social scene among colleagues was really good. I was invited out for drinks with the people in my office on my first day and explored cities with colleagues whilst on client engagements. I was invited for leaving drinks after my 4 weeks and enjoyed the 'social scene' a lot.

The cost of living and socialising in the office where I was based was not really that expensive at all. The accommodation was around £600 for the month which is reasonable given the short term basis. Having been used to living in London, I found it much cheaper but the cost of travel was quite significant (£50ish for a return which start to add up).

Being based in the manchester office, the nightlife is particularly good. The nightlife in central manchester was surprisingly good and it's as diverse as you can imagine with the gay village close to the centre of manchester. It's cheap for drinks in most places and there are some really great bars.

There were some, albeit not a huge number of activities outside of work. Most surrounded going for drinks with colleagues. I imagine there would have been much more if there were more interns in the office in which I was based but I still found it a very enjoyable experience and managed to keep in touch with a number of my colleagues and other interns.