Intern Review

During the internship, I enjoyed the fast paced nature of the role. I tried to make the most out of my time by asking for new tasks which gave me a great sense of fulfilment. Furthermore, KPMG put on a variety of social events which are of great value in allowing you to meet members of the wider department and firm in order to gain an insight into their area of work. Overall, I would highly recommend applying for their four week vacation scheme and I would do it again given the opportunity.

I felt as thought the work which I did was important to the wider audit work. This was because I enquired as to the reason why I was completing a task and enabled me to better understand the audit process. Furthermore, the work that I was set was proper work papers and not just simple photocopying/scanning jobs that may have been the case with other internships.

Having come from the background of a degree in History, I was initially worried about my ability to perform the tasks which I was set. However, the audit team were very helpful in providing me with support and advice on completing these work papers. Furthermore, I was also set training modules from the start of the programme which allowed me to better understand the necessary information needed to achieve my goals.

My normal working day on a client site would begin at 8 am and end at 5 30 pm. However, when I was in the office I normally arrived at 7 30 am and left at 5 pm. Starting at this time was not the norm, however I wanted to do this to show my enthusiasm for the role. During the day I would always have a work paper to complete. Upon completing each task, I would always ask if there was more work that I could do.

I believe that I was given the same amount of responsibility as a new graduate trainee. This was because I was given the more simple work papers which would normally completed by a recent graduate. This was important as it ensured that I felt valued as well as making a significant contribution to the teams work as a whole.

From my placement, I have further improved my research, organisation, team work and analytical skills. These were developed while balancing the completion of the tasks which I was set with the rapidly changing demands of a fast paced work environment. In the future, these skills will be applied to my university work in order to ensure that my work can be completed more efficiently.

I have heard that of the people who gain an internship with KPMG that 90% go on to take a full time job. Upon the completion of the ICAEW exams after three years the possible options are very appealing and include the ability to travel all over the world on permanent placements or secondments.