Summer Intern Review

This was overall a really great internship. I was given a lot of responsibility and work to do. The people at EY are all incredibly supportive and friendly. I was very comfortable in the offices.

My colleagues made me feel that I was doing meaningful work, which is the most important thing to me. However, I wish they had also made me feel a bit more valued as a person. Most people did do this individually but overall I felt a bit like a burden. For example, I would have loved a proper send-off or something but my team was too busy to arrange anything.

My senior and managers were all very helpful and gave me lots of support throughout my internship. I never felt alone or confused. And even when I was a bit down one day (not due to work reasons) my counsellor reaches out to me to make sure that I was okay, which was very touching. You really get the feeling that people at EY care about your wellbeing.

I wish that there had been slightly more work to do but there was still a decent amount overall. I think that’s the issue with an internship in the summer, everyone goes on holiday, so everything kind of slows down. Given this, I felt like I was quite busy but wish I had more of a chance to prove myself.

I was given responsibility for my own tasks and even organised the team for one day. I wish I had been given more responsibility but I understand that it was quite appropriate for the stage of my career that I am currently in.

I study accounting and finance so I think that a lot of what I learnt is transferrable and will help me in my final year of uni. However, I feel that the soft skills I gained, for example communication in a formal setting were much more valuable. The feedback that I received also helped me grow and become a better team member for my future career.

The atmosphere was more relaxed than I was expecting as most people came in business casual clothing and people were quite talkative and friendly. That being said, it was not disruptive and I was able to get my work done without unnecessary distractions. EY, as always, has found the perfect balance between work and play.

The HR team had clearly put a lot of time and effort into curating a good experience for us. For example, they had an overall induction day and a separate office induction day arranged, as well as, a CSR day, fundraising day, and other networking opportunities. Realising that during Summer the work usually slows down, the HR team had also ensured that we had web-based training courses do to fill the quiet periods. The only constructive feedback I would give would be that they could have made sure that our buddies were working for the same clients that we were.

The firm has already invested a lot in me as I have completed two internships with EY in the past. It was clear that they cared a lot about helping me grow as an individual and gain soft skills from the beginning. This came through in this particular internship over the copious amounts of guidance and advancement opportunities I was given in my time at EY.

There is a very clear and stable route of progression or 'pipeline' at EY. This job security is very important to me, making future employment prospects highly appealing. I do think that EY could improve on this by giving its employees more perks or higher pay to match what the other Big Four are offering. That being said, no other company that I have worked for has been able to give me the perk of such a caring, collaborative, and ethical culture, which goes way beyond what EY's competitors do, in my opinion.

There were quite a few social events for all the interns to catch-up in. These were in various settings, which allowed me to meet new people in new ways. Although this is not a key factor for me because I am an introvert, I did find that my more extroverted friends really enjoyed the social scene. The only thing that I would say is that the events were clearly aimed at extroverts, as in there was no break in the engagement and I found it all quite exhausting. I understand that EY is a people company (one of the many reasons why I like it so much) and part of that is networking but they just took it one step too far.

My internship was in London. Therefore, the cost of living and socialising was inevitably high. Although, the wages that I earned were more than enough to cover these expenses, I would have liked to save a bit more from my internship. The main costs I incurred were for travel and lunch as we usually charged coffee/ snacks to the client.

Being in London Bridge (other London interns might end up in the Canary Wharf building), this internship meant I was right on the doorstep of London's nightlife. To be fair, I was so tired from my internship that I didn't really have the energy to go out but it was still nice to have after-work drinks sometimes and chill out.

Yes! The second day of the internship was a (Corporate Social Responsibility) CSR day, where we went out and did some gardening with Trees for Cities. This was a very cathartic experience and really set the right tone for the rest of the internship. EY is a company that helps others and makes a positive contribution. We also participated in a fundraising day for the EY Foundation, where we collected money in groups with our own ideas. This was another great way to give back and get a break from our desks. There are also many societies or sports teams you can join at EY, just like university societies or clubs. For example, the EY Women's Network, which organises events after work to empower women.