Discover EY Programme Review

Despite having EY Discover delivered virtually in 2020 (Coronavirus), the sessions were informative and multiple panels of EY employees from around the UK provided a deep insight into the company. Having a degree of interaction and loads of Q&A was also appreciated. Overall quite enjoyable, almost like a physical experience

I felt the company really committed to its potential future intake by creating a virtual programme and bringing together as many people as it did for the panels despite the logistical complications. The kindness and friendliness of all the participating employees further reinforces how they value everyone's efforts.

We received loads of guidance from Assurance, Consulting, Transaction and Tax teams as well as direct from the EY HR teams. The degree of support shown actually was really surprising - I haven't seen such close support from any other company I've had an insight/internship with before.

I am sure that the skills and areas of development explored through this programme will really help me in my personal development! I am sure these will also prove transferrable in future working activities

Considering the virtual structure, it was actually well structured and the number of speakers was all the more impressive in this context. The structure ensured all questions were answered and guidance was provided towards further progression. Help and advice was quite comprehensive - a little more interaction would be amazing!

Very positive and friendly throughout. Such positivity and open-mindedness among candidates and among the HR and other teams at EY was surprising and very pleasant to behold :)

In terms of personal training, the company provided a lot of advice on the skills we should focus on developing and advised us on soft skills and technical skills that could prove useful in industry. EY also provided us with advice on our development, and it was very generous of them to not limit their advice to entry into EY and in fact provide comprehensive guidance for us to follow at university and beyond, by identifying all the different support networks that are available.

The extent really gave me a good understanding of what it would be like to have a full time role within the company, arguably more so than an EY WIser event I'd attended before. The Discover EY programme was quite comprehensive, and hearing from a mix of new entrants, previous grads, previous interns and even some managers was quite refreshing in giving me insight about different parts of the firm. The only matter that could be improved would be to physically see the offices and meet the employees in person (but Coronavirus Pandemic made that impossible)

I would argue that this insight's main usefulness was in helping me and other candidates understand the company culture. The friendliness, openness and general helpfulness of the Human Resources Teams at EY really reflected the company's culture and this was mirrored in how all the panels overran to cover extra questions and go that extra mile to help participants on the programme develop. This was really appreciated.

It was harder to judge whether or not the actual work is work that I would be happy to engage with due to the practical difficulties in providing us with casework or case studies, considering the breadth of programmes covered within Discover EY and considering the technological complications of hosting a traditionally in-person insight programme virtually. Nevertheless, this programme has helped to shape my understanding of advisory and consulting businesses better

I was not paid or reimbursed expenses for this experience, however, considering how the programme was delivered virtually and how there was no expense required for me to tune in to Microsoft Teams - the software used to deliver the BHIB Discovery programme, I found that EY provided all the digital support I needed and financial support wasn't relevant.

There were definitely opportunities to meet loads of employees at EY and this was perfectly illustrated by how so many of the panellists and individuals that came to speak to the Discover EY candidates volunteered to provide their contact details, take further questions beyond the programme and offer advice via LinkedIn.

On this programme there was an icebreaker event, however considering the digital structure, the opportunity for networking largely lay in what we did with all the contact information we were given after the programme. So the opportunities are/were there but it is more focused on the candidates taking the initiative and contacting others on the programme and connecting.

Yes! We heard quite a bit about the diversity and inclusion support at EY and in doing so we also heard about the various interest groups and activities that tend to form at the company. It was interesting to see how positive all the employees were in explaining their to-date experience at EY, and how they all said that work-life balance wasn't an issue - suggesting that they can also find time for personal activities beyond work.

Definitely. Even though this was delivered virtually, I found the insight really helpful in understanding the culture of EY and getting a deeper insight into the various divisions, and spatial influence of EY in the UK, finding out that they have offices covering almost all of the UK, i.e. "From Aberdeen to Southampton". Moreover, this opportunity provides you with a chance to get fast-tracked towards further internships and perhaps even grad roles, which is also really cool.