Public Sector Audit Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Grant Thornton and was a great learning curve. I was able to find out and get hands on experience on the job which I wish to continue into the future. It was a very enjoyable expereince where I found out what the culture of the firm is like, experiencing the social aspects as well as doing the work.

I felt very comfortable right from the start of joining. In the first week was an office wide engangement day where we were able to meet all colleagues from differenrt departments of the office. From this I felt comfortable and valued as part of the team when going out on jobs to clients' sites.

I was given full support from my management team who were very supportive. They were able to give guidance but most importantly constuctive feedback on what little things to look out for or to improve on. They were available to us at all times when required and would go out of their own way, stopping their own tasks, in order to help me.

I was very busy throuhgout the internship given the deadline of the local government accounts was fast appoaching. The work load was managable and not excessive so was a great learning curve. It gave us the opportunity to learn so much about the audit process and gave us exposure to differrent parts of the audit which we may not have got otherwise.

Being responsible for conducting full cycles independantly on the audit job, the work was very important for the firm. Whereas on other experiences I have simply done needless tasks or shadowed people, at Grant Thornton I was apart of the actual team and completing important work throughout. I felt apart of the team and was given responsibility to do so.

My skills have hugely developed in the sense of communication and confidence. Having to approach clients to discuss any issues that we came across grew my confidence when talking to new people who we had not come across. We had to remain professional and confident in doing so. Also going on a presentation course for 3 days was one of the highlights on my internship as this skills is so broadly used and will help me in both studies and beyond.

Everyone in the office really gets along and the atmosphere is really good. You feel part of the team and everyone shares jokes and stories, really getting everyone involved. It is great to see this side of employees especially in the working environment which helps the day go alot faster and is a great way of sharing the culture of the firm.

The internship was set out brilliantly. We knew from day 1 what to expect on each day and personalised calenders had been created for everyone. They indidicated where you would be on each day, at which client so was very good to see how well organised the firm were. The intern conference was brilliant too as a way of meeting other interns so was great GT did this also.

The company were great in investing in us. We had 5 days off in total which were based on development on indivuduals, including an engagment day, a team day, and then a presentation workshop for 3 days. The workshop was for personal development of the individuals even though they may not stay with the firm so was amazing to see this.

The future is very good at GT. They have developed a timescale and steps for individuals to take on their journey. We know what the plan is for the next 3 years. Which exams and on what dates we will be taking to become a chartered accountant so it has been really set out well by the firm. This is very good to see that we take a long term view in the employee.

The social scene was great at Grant Thornton. we had many team days in which everyone would attend, and we would get a day off work (which was great). Everyone really got along well and regular nights out took place. One of the highlights was the Grant Thornton annual football tournament in Leeds where all the offices in the UK create teams and play between each other which is a great laugh and chance to build your internal network.