Placement Year Review at KPMG

The Role

Role Description

Worked within Banking Audit.
Everyday I would be talking to clients (where I would be based for anything from 1 week to 3 months) and either interview, discuss or retrieve data from them.
Analysis of data was crucial as was working to deadlines.
Working on listed clients offers a great experience to see how the markets react to the figures when they are announced.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The Placement was highly enjoyable. I experience a range of banking clients and this allowed me to gain excellent exposure.
On top of this the social activities were fantastic and as part of the KPMG Rugby team, we even went on heavily subsidised tours to Paris and Dublin.

At times the work can be dull (but thats work I guess), but efforts were made to ensure that you were working on projects you wanted to be on.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The support network at KPMG is superb. The managers and partners are always grateful for the work you complete and at the end of most audits, the partner would take the whole team out for a meal!!

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

A mentor scheme is run whereby you report to a manager in your department on your progress! You are also given a "buddy" who has just completed their first year at KPMG and they are really helpful for any ad-hoc queries you may have.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

At times there was very little work, and then suddenly it would all come in at once. I guess this is the problem when you are at the beckon call of clients!

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Had meetings with senior members of the client, in a range of divisions; finance, risk etc.
Had the opportunity to take on whole sections of the balance sheet and income statement and this was really satisfying on completion of an audit.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Fantastic!! Lots of training both specialised and generic (such as MS Excel).
I also completed 5 ACA examinations, which included paid time at college!!

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Office was always changing and so at times there were quieter offices, but in the larger teams on the bigger clients there was usually a fair amount of banter!!

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

As there were only 3 placements in the whole of London, we completed the same first year as all graduates - which is great, except when it came to leaving details etc. it was all very murky and nobody was quite clear how the process worked - hopefully this will improve in future years!!

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

So much training, time and effort went into us. As i said earlier they treated us like graduates and so we were treated like we would be at the firms for years!!

Also KPMG give you £4 a day when you are at a client to buy lunch which is a great tax-benefit on top of the salary!!

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

• Flexi Time
• Subsidised Canteen
• Sports and Social Club
• National Travel
• International Travel
• Company Parties/Events
• Above 25 days holiday
• Working from home
• Healthcare/Dental
• Travel loan

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

They have offered me a job!!

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Lots of graduates to socialise with and this was great. When at college studying for the ACA its like being back at university and there are plenty of pub trips!!

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Lived at home - otherwise London is very expensive

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Is there anywhere better in the world than London?

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Volunteering, sports, there were many options open to you at KPMG. With london on your doorstep you can always find something you want to do.

Review 120/142 for KPMG

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