Internship Review at KPMG

The Role

Role Description

I spent most of my time working in a KPMG team at a client's site. My duties consisted of looking at sets of financial accounts of a financial services company and agreeing the figures to third party confirmations such as letters from banks and last years' accounts. The clients I worked on included HSBC, Abacus and F&C. I also carried out analysis of the movements in costs and assets throughout the year to see if there were any significant changes. In addition to that I compared the performance of funds to the industry benchmark to see if there were any significant movements.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The people I worked with made my placement very enjoyable. Everyone was going out of their way to help me and explain new things to me. It was also interesting to learn about the financial sector and the issues that big financial services companies face.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I felt that I had a lot in common with the people I worked with as most of them were recent graduates and had similar interests to me. I got some useful feedback during and at the end of my internship which showed me that my work was valued by the people I worked with.

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Again, I was given a lot of support all throughout my internship and if I was ever unsure about something I knew who to ask for help.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

The first week was fairly quiet as there was not a lot of work going on but soon after it picked up and I always had something to do but was never overworked.

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

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

As I was working as a part of a fairly big team which included senior managers and partners I was never given the full responsibility over a project. However, I felt that I was able to make a valuable contribution to the work of the team.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I gained some valuable knowledge of the way financial firms, such as an asset manager for example, operate which will be useful in my studies as well as my future employment.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Very friendly atmosphere where everyone seemed to get on. Everyone seemed busy but at the same time relaxed and ready to help others.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Very well organised overall. I was assigned a mentor who looked after me during my placement and who was very approachable and helpful. I was always assigned some work in advance so was never bored.

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

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

All my travel expenses were paid for and I had £2.85 to spend in the office canteen daily. I also had a chance to go to a CSR day organised by KPMG where my overnight stay in a hotel as well as all my transport was paid for.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

• Subsidised Canteen
• National Travel

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

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

After my internship ended I had an interview with one of the partners of the firm and based on that and the feedback I got I was made an offer to join the firm in 2011.

Other Information

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

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

I still keep in touch with several other trainees. We had a chance to bond during the first two days of training where we got to know all other trainees in the country. I then saw some of them at the company CSR day.

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

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Edinburgh is pretty expensive compared with other cities in Scotland so the cost of living and socialising is high.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Nightlife is good, there are a lot of bars, clubs, cinemas, theatres etc.

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

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

We had a BBQ and drinks night which was a great way to talk to people and get to know them informally. There are also a lot of volunteering opportunities.

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?

I would recommend doing an internship at KPMG to anyone who likes working in a team with friendly and approachable people. Even if you had never considered working in accounting before you will find that this is more about communication and people skills than numbers. Also the chances of getting an offer at the end of your internship are really high!

Review 141/141 for KPMG

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