Assurance Summer Intern Review

It really depended on which project I was working on. Some days I was working till 8pm whereas other days I was straight out the door at 5pm. When I was working on a busy project there was a constant flow of work due to the tight deadlines. However in-between projects, I had to find ways to fill my own time by doing web based learnings or emailing colleagues to ask for jobs.

I was given a lot of responsibility. On my first day on client site I was immediately sent off to ask the client questions and was trusted with tying together work books with the information I was given from them. I also was given the task of performing a tie out for a rights case.

The office was set up in a hot desk manner which I found quite intimidating at first, as the main form of communication with your team is through skype rather than sitting with each other. However once I started sitting with the people I was working with I enjoyed it much more and the atmosphere was very friendly and relaxed.

The initial stages of the internship were well set up. We 2 induction events, one was a day in the Hilton hotel where we listened to presentations about the business and current market conitions, we then went to bounce for a social afterwards. The second day we had a CSR day where we planted trees. From then on the internship was based in the office or client site. The organisation of this really depended on which project you were working on. When I was designated to a specific project I found the internship well organised. However there were days where I had not been assigned to any work and despite my best efforts at emailing various people, I was not given any to do. I also think it would have been valuable to have more training in the software that EY uses.

There were a variety of web-based learnings which we could complete on the online portal. After every project we also received a detailed feedback form from the manager which was really helpful to see what I had done well and what I could improve on. I also took part in a pilot assessment centre for EY to test their new process, but it was also helpful to improve my interview skills.

Everyone was really friendly and the majority of people I spoke to only had good things to say about the firm. I would definitely consider taking the graduate job in assurance as EY support you through your ACA qualification. EY also has a huge variety of clients and it is easy to switch between sectors.

The social aspect was really good. There were about 15 of us based by London Bridge and we ate lunch together or went for drinks together frequently. EY also organised various socials during the internship including a networking event in the office, bowling and pizza and a ping pong bar.

I was based in Moore Place so the cost of living and socialising was very high. I commuted from home so didn't actually pay for accommodation but the oyster card fare was still high. I had one week where I commuted to client site in Chiswick but this was reimbursed.

The nightlife was really good. Around the Moore London office there are plenty of bars and restaurants which you can go to for after work drinks. The canary wharf office also has a rooftop bar, where the drink prices are very low! However the price of clubbing or getting drinks in a bar is very high.

As I was only there for a month I wasn't really able to get involved in activities outside of work. The interns did however participate in a fundraising day to raise money for the EY foundation. Around the office I did see various flyers for an upcoming charity trek to Kilimanjaro and various sports clubs.