Vacation Student in Deal Advisory Review

At the beginning of the 4 week programme, there was a 3 day induction to introduce us to both the firm and our fellow interns, as well as informing us about what to expect over the course of the vacation programme. During the programme, I enjoyed networking with people across the firm from recent graduates to partners, all of whom were happy to answer all of my many questions. I was also assigned to a real life project which gave me a valuable insight into deal execution. Through the project, I gained exposure to both internal and client meetings and had the opportunity to travel down to London a couple of times. I also participated in a powerpoint training day, which was especially helpful when preparing a business separation mock case study with a fellow intern. The firm also assigned each vacation student a performance manager and buddy, to help support us throughout the programme which was really helpful.

Through the programme, I have experienced working in an office based environment. I also improved my time management skills as we were given various tasks to focus on throughout the programme. When working on projects, I improved communication skills. For example, I wrote meeting minutes during a client meeting I was invited to sit in on, which really strengthened my listening skills. I had the opportunity to attend a really informative Powerpoint training day, which gave me really useful skills in how to create a useful and strong presentation that is appropriate for your audience. This was a skill I was able to put into practice when working on a mock case study and is also one that will definitely be taken forwards into my final year of university and my future career.

The vacation programme was a really good way of learning about all of the business roles and opportunities available in a career with KPMG. At the start of the vacation programme, there was a 3-day induction during which there were different sessions all about the opportunities at KPMG. As well as this, the firm really encouraged you to network with colleagues and reach out to people from all different workstreams to find out more about their experiences at KPMG. Everyone I spoke to, from recent graduates to partners, were really friendly and were happy to and helpful in answering all of my questions about a career at KPMG and the roles/opportunities available.

The company culture was really welcoming and inclusive. Everyone I reached out to from recent graduates to partners were super friendly and helpful in answering all of my many questions. The firm also encourages you to build connections with colleagues, e.g. through informal coffee meet ups. There was also a lot of socials that I was able to get involved in over my 4 weeks. When I asked people what they enjoyed about working at KPMG, they pretty much always replied "the people", and I can really relate to that having completed the programme as all the people I met were really lovely and nice to chat with.

I thoroughly enjoyed the insight programme. The firm was really inclusive and welcoming. Despite being really nervous on my first day, I settled in really quickly as I made friends with the other interns. The office atmosphere was also fairly relaxed and everyone I met, from recent graduates to partners, was really friendly and happy to spend some time catching up both virtually over teams or in person. I also enjoyed travelling down to London a few times to meet my project time and had a great time at all of the social events.

Yes

It is a really amazing firm to work for and has so many opportunities available. I think it is a great firm that lives up to its values, and offers so much training and has a strong reputation that is brilliant to be associated with, especially early on in your career. I'd say go into the firm being completely yourself as everyone I met was really lovely and welcoming. It is a super inclusive workplace and I really enjoyed my time with KPMG. I am looking forward to returning to the firm on their graduate programme.