I liked the variation of working on site and with clients. Obviously every job you're working with a different team, doing different things with different clients so I think you're experience is shaped by how well the people you are working with (by both clients and colleagues). I really enjoyed the training too where we got to visit London and High Wycombe in the first week so there was lots of opportunities to meet new interns and form a bond with them for support over the duration of the internship.
All the staff at Grant Thornton were incredibly supportive of me, and always made me feel valued even though I was an intern. Everyone was incredibly grateful for my patriation on jobs and always thanked me for the work I had put in.
The support was always there if you needed it. Throughout the whole application process and the duration of the internship there was lots of opportunities to get in touch and voice your worries and concerns. Everyone was happy to help with any queries whether they were your manager/ supervisor or not.
How busy I was varied upon the job I was on. I rarely felt overwhelmed by work and its good that the company allow you to complete work at your own pace and never make you feel like you're being too slow. There was always opportunities for more work if you asked for it, and this was really highly received by those who needed help. It was a perfect balance.
From the first day on site/ in the office, you are working on real jobs for clients, hence there is a lot of responsibility right from the start. When working on site I received a lot of encouragement to talk to the client on my own, make requests to them and complete testing along side them. I was seen as a part of the Grant Thornton team with expertise and never introduced as an intern.
A whole week is spent on training and learning more about Grant Thornton which was really useful. Having the opportunity to meet the other interns and placement students and be with them all week meant we all formed really good friendships to support each other alongside our time at Grant Thornton. There was also e-learning tasks to complete which helped assist me in learning more about the financial sector as well as the audit programmes used in the firm. Everyone was very supportive of my development here.
The atmosphere in the office was lovely and relaxed. Everyone always offers to get you a drink whenever they get up and are always keen to get to know you on a personal level.
I think the combination of training and hands on work experience is really good. Some more guidance could've been given on the audit tools to know which jobs you're on, timesheets and expenses, but whenever I asked anyone they were happy to assist me.
The e-learning modules really helped aid my knowledge of the financial sector, and I learnt a lot about business' in general and working in a commercial environment. Setting goals and working towards them with my people's manager really helped aid my learning. At the end there was the opportunity to do a presentation which I found really enjoyable and really good for my development.
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Grant Thornton provide a non-competitive atmosphere. It was evident we were not competing for places and hence made the environment a much nicer one to work in.
I was invited to numerous social events including the Summer BBQ and the football tournament. There was also lots of opportunities to socialise with the other interns and placement students in London.
I lived at home during the duration of my internship.
There is definitely a good nightlight in Manchester.
I met up with the interns a lot after work which meant I always had support from people my own age whilst I was completing the internship.
Internship (1-4 Months)
2nd August 2019