E&PC Tax Intern Review

I thoroughly enjoyed working at Grant Thornton and gaining the experience that I did. I was lucky enough to be in an office with a great set of Interns who really supported each other when it was getting tough/in the run up to our final assessments. Not only this, but the team that I was in was extremely friendly and allowed me plenty of opportunities to Network with other departments, thanks to them, not only did I experience Tax, but I got to do a day at an onsite Audit, which was an extremely eye opening experience.

It was clear that each and everyone of the colleagues appreciated even the smallest tasks that I carried out for them. They really took both me and the other intern in our department under their wings (particularly our buddies) and helped us with absolutely anything they could, but also allowed us to have a say in how we thought the way they operated could have been slightly better.

Although my manager was extremely busy, I always knew that he was approachable too, so if I needed the support it would be there. He allowed me to experience different sides of the business too, letting me work partly on organisation of a big event for the team, and also for other teams/departments so I could experience different sides and decipher what the best route for myself to take was.

Some days were extremely busy and slightly stressful, however this is only because I am a perfectionist and hate leaving work knowing that I have more work to complete when I go in the next day, so I would push myself to finish everything when it was set to the best of my ability. In our final week with our presentations approaching we got extremely busy and ended up skipping lunches etc. However, this was balanced out by days which we didnt have a lot of work to do, but we still felt useful doing the odd jobs.

I felt like I was given a lot of responsibility, particularly in helping to prep for an away day, where I was just given a brief idea of what the team wanted and allowed to go it alone to make a powerpoint to be presented to the whole of London Tax. For me this showed that we were given responsibility, because they allowed us to work individually on important projects and trusted the work we were doing.

The skills I developed were extremely useful and I will keep them with me. My communication skills massively improved through drafting client emails and letters, this was an important skill for me to develop as it has always been a slightly weaker point for me. I will use this in future job applications and interviews, as it will give me the confidence to put my point accross well. Learning how to use different softwares is also an invaluable experience, as part of my degree is programming and therefore, I need to be able to understand the use of programmes to push myself, I feel working at Grant Thornton has given me a stronger basis on this.

There was always a general buzz around the office, as an intern, you were immediately made to feel welcome with people consistently introducing themselves to you. I also felt that people in the office genuinely wanted to do well at work which is something which is hard to come across.

There was a clear structure from start to finish, and our managers had clear goals and work set up for us as soon as we started. Because of this I did not feel like an inconvenience there, asking for work etc. We were lucky enough to attend Networking events with different cmpanies, which had obviously been well thought out and to experience some of the perks of corporate life.

We were lucky enough to be sent to Bradenham Manor for two days, this is the companies training facility, and it was a great way to get to know other interns from the firm throughout the UK and to get to know more about what they look for in final interviews and presentations throughout the internship.

I was lucky enough to have been offered a place at Grant Thornton, as were many other interns who were working with us,this goes to show that as long as you put the work in and make a good impression you are likely to be offered a place at this firm, who will put you through your qualifications.

There was a great social scene, amongst this interns, we tried to do something every week, which was great. When we left we did a really nice event and all went to the Sky Garden for drinks, this was a great way to end the internship in style. Amongst the team, I was lucky to have got a place in a team that like socializing, so there were plenty of opportunities througout the six weeks to get involved with something, whether it be a football tournament or a night out.

Being in London the cost of living wasn't cheap, so I chose to commute, which again, wasn't cheap. However, I did manage to make some money from the internship, which is better than nothing. I was lucky enough to be in a very social department, which gave us plenty of opportunities for work drinks, and it was not too expensive to have a fun night out.

The Nightlife was great, lots of lovely bars, and a few clubs not too far away.

There were constantly opportunities with the other interns, but also within the firm, such as our away day at Ascot, that was great fun!