Summer Intern Review

I had a fantastic time on my internship as I managed to learn a lot about my service line, my division, the company and, more generally, the finance industry and how clients are won and maintained. I took part in projects, took notes in interviews and was keen to help colleagues with any work they had.

Colleagues trusted me with any work and were friendly and approachable.

My buddy was always approachable for any questions I had and was relatively young so I was able to relate with him. My counsellor organised weekly catch-up meetings where I could express any concerns or desires. I felt comfortable asking for work and, although there was not always work for me, my counsellor managed to organise days where I would spend time in related divisions which really broadened my horizons.

As explained frequently, Transactions, by nature, is a project-driven service line meaning there was a lot of downtime for my team - however, there were ample WBLs (web-based learning) I went through to deepen my understanding. Other than that, I spent time reading financial news, and I hope to continue these habits after I finish there.

I did a fair amount of chargeable work that provided value to the end client but perhaps wasn't charged with too much other work due to my lack of experience and finance knowledge. I feel that if I had continued, my responsibility would have increased as people recognised my increasing knowledge and felt they could trust me to deal with more difficult work.

I hope to get the graduate job afterwards which will equip me with both work experience and the professional qualifications required to progress in Transactions. These will also help me to smoothly transfer to other lines such as investment banking. I currently study engineering so there were no technical skills that could be applied but I felt I have gained valuable transferable skills such as meeting deadlines, dealing with tricky situations and communication.

EY had recently moved office to a much more modern place- it had the look of a financial building such as those seen on TV shows! People were enthused by this and in general were very friendly and eager to help the interns. There was sort of a 'flat hierarchy' due to the hot-desking facilities meaning that on occasions I'd be sitting next to a partner or executive director!

I was expecting to be a lot more busy and for there to have been more structure that was planned in advance. Although I was given a couple of projects to get on with, I thought there would be more structure. It was explained to me however that if there were no projects available, I'd have little work.

As a large firm, it went relatively unnoticed how much EY invested in us, the interns. First of all, we were paid - not all summer internships are paid. This made it clear that EY were willing to invest and keep us on as graduates. Furthermore, they hosted a couple of networking events as well as a partner breakfast that allowed us to engage with the most senior people in the firm.

EY will let me know whether I have secured graduate placement shortly after the scheme ends showing that employment prospects are extremely good. Furthermore, it was explained to me that, in Transactions specifically, I could progress my career quickly but it would be challenging - something that appeals to me.

All fellow interns seemed very keen to socialise which was excellent. We'd frequently get lunch altogether as well as grab drinks after work a couple of times a week. This provided a great platform to discuss each other's work as well getting to know them better outside of work. I feel like I have made good mates during this internship!

I lived at home so no living costs.

Since it was only a 6 week scheme, there was little opportunity to get involved in activities outside of work. However, during the induction event, it was made aware to us that EY actively encourages its employees to get involved outside of work whether this was hiking, charitable events or be part of cultural and sports societies.