Internship Review at Ernst & Young

The Role

Role Description

Varies on a daily basis - constructing letters to creditors/making phone calls.
Analysing and summarising data to create reports.
Attending customer premises to inform of news/conduct site visits.
Attend meetings with lawyers/other big 4 accounting firms

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I thought the experience was excellent. The Internship was a chance to experience a big 4 accounting organisation, discover a department that I was interested in, and I also had the flexibility to make goals for what I wanted to achieve. An overall mix of a friendly welcoming organisation with strong support and encouragement to achieve.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Very welcoming organisation. A lot of time spent to make me feel at ease with the people I was working with. The first week was an introduction with the other interns to allow us to know them. From day 1 I was given a buddy, counsellor and an intern manager so I had someone to talk to if any problems arose. My colleagues were easy to work with, and valued my help within the firm!

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

A large part of the internship was about feedback. At the end of each task, the colleagues I was working with would fill out a feedback form to give an overall outline of how I performed/ suggestions on how to improve. Combined with regular meetings with my counsellor to discuss progess, I felt I was greatly supported and encouraged to maximise my experience.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

An intern manager organised work throughout the internship to ensure I experienced as much as possible. This allowed me to work on specific projects. The work given to me was expected to be completed within a reasonable time, however, there was not a strenous deadline. At times where there was less to do, the intern group project and web-based learning modules were available to maxmise learning throughout the internship.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

From day 1, I was treated like a graduate employee. I was expected to construct letters and make phone calls to external parties, as well as visiting customers. Enough responsibility was given to boost my confidence and feel valued within in the organisation, however, there was strong support from colleagues to ask questions and ensure that everything was completed correctly.

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

Every task I was given was a challenging one. Even basic letter writing improved my skills as the standard expected was high, and specific formats were new. Making phone calls to external parties and visiting customer premises allowed me to push myself further, and feel more comfortable communicating information to others.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

The office is generally pretty quiet as a high concentration is needed to get work done and prevent distractions to others. Despite the quiet office, there is a great deal of outside of office, social events organised.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The organisation was excellent. The first week was an introductory week with the other interns, as a social means as well as learning about the organisation. Groups projects were given to work on during 'downtime'. From day 1, all equipment including laptops, telephones etc were given to me, fully set-up, with passwords etc. This included a fully working personal email address and telephone number. IT induction was through a conference call and allowed an instant understanding of how to operate the equipment - support helplines were also given. I was assigned a buddy, counsellor and intern manager throughout the internship to organise work and offer support. I set goals for what I wanted to achieve throughout the internship, and progress meetings were held throughout to ensure I had the necessary experience to achieve the goals. Finally, there was a ball held on the last day with all the interns UK wide.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

A lot of time and effort was taken to ensure I fully understood the tasks I was given. The first introductory week gave training on the organisation as a whole. IT training was given. Web-based learning modules were to completed completed throughout the internship - some mandatory, while there were other voluntary ones.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

• Company Parties/Events

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

At the end of the internship, I was offered a position. I am delighted to have received the opportunity, as Ernst & Young are a very welcoming organisation, encouraging and supporting development. I am very ambitious, and I believe that Ernst & Young, have the support and world-wide network to help achieve my goals.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The interns I was working with were very sociable (no matter which office I was working in on a specific day). We always met up for lunch, and we had a few evening events throughout the intership as well. My colleagues were also very sociable. There were a few lunches throughout the intership to introduce departments/colleagues etc, and I was also invited to attend a show to celebrate the start of the Edinburgh festival and thank everyone for the hard-work throughout the year.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I didn't live in Edinburgh throughout the internship as I travelled each day, however, Ednburgh city centre can be quite expensive to live - the further out you go, the cheapear it tends to be. Socialising can be expensive/cheap depending where you go. Edinburgh is very tourist-based, as well as student based, so there tends to be cheaper and more expensive areas.

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

Edinburgh has a great nightlife, as it's a clear tourist destination and beautiful city, there is always a lot of people around no matter what time of day.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Due to the short length of the internship, I didn't take part in many outside activities, however, I was made aware that there are several sports teams - including football and basketball that play every week.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

An internship with Ernst & Young is definitely a worthwhile experience. Despite being a big 4 accounting firm, the staff are very welcoming and you are given a lot of time to ensure you maximise your experience.

Review 268/284 for Ernst & Young

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