SVS Analyst Review

As a Tax Consulting Summer Vacation Scheme student, I worked within the Business Tax area dealing with a range of compliance and advisory work. This primarily meant I supported Analysts and Assistant Managers within the team with their ongoing client work and project work. A significant part of being on the SVS scheme is networking and getting an inside experience of what it is like to be part of the firm. So you're actively encouraged to network with people within your team and outside the team as well.

I've developed my professional skills; in terms of communicating effectively and professionally, further advancing my Excel skills, further enhancing my business writing skills and much more. Additionally, from being actively encouraged to network, I've developed some useful networking skills and am now more confident in reaching out to people who I do not know and asking for an introductory chat. The number of networking chats has given me a hands-on experience of developing how I approach these conversations.

This was a mixture. On the advisory side of things, I was primarily shadowing a Partner and given ad-hoc tasks that were simple to perform. On the compliance side of things, I was given more responsibility. Owing to my experience with Excel, I was given advanced tasks and developed tax statements using a variety of formulas and more. A significant focus on responsibility was ensuring that you personally took charge of your soft skill development, and making sure that you meet your personal development goals you set at the beginning of the scheme.

At the firm, everyone is assigned a People Leader who supports your career development and is your official point of contact. My People Leader was personally very supportive of my career and professional development goals, actively encouraging me to seek out opportunities both within the team, and outside the team through organising a few days of shadowing. The central Early Careers team provided lots of guidance both in the lead up to the scheme and during our time at the firm as well.

The culture and general atmosphere was not what I was expecting. It was not the sort of 'corporate' culture one might assume at a big company. Everyone was incredibly friendly and supportive; hierarchy was not imposed and it was really easy (and in fact encouraged) to speak with everyone single person from an Analyst to a Partner. The culture is also very diverse and you're appreciated for the unique perspectives that you bring to the firm.

I highly enjoyed my time at the firm on the Summer Vacation Scheme. It was a fantastic opportunity to further develop my professional skills, and it also enabled me to further ascertain what I wished to do after graduating. It gave me an insight into the culture at a big corporation and the opportunities to network were a fantastic way for me to have conversations on my career goals, in addition to learning about other people's careers. The work I got involved in was highly interesting as well, and rewarding.

Yes

Be yourself. That would be my first top tip. Everyone says this and I didn't really believe it at first when I was applying but the firm genuinely appreciates people for who they are. Don't try to fit in with the 'ideal model' that you think might be what the firm is looking for. My second top tip would be to really research the firm, especially their core values. The 5 Deloitte values really drives everything within the firm and influences the way in which we work.