Summer School Intern Review

Summer School Programme - I was in Audit PSTM sector and I had to work with different clients on different projects. The whole experience lasted for 2 weeks and each week I was working on one client. For my first week, I had to visit the client's office which was based in Guildford. The second week, I was in the Baker Street office. Daily tasks - I had number of different activities to do which gave me a real insight about audit. For example I had to check the accounts, whether the figures match with the invoices. I had to send numerous emails to the client as well as to my colleagues to carry out certain tasks. I read the board minutes and had to summarise then into concise notes which I thought will be useful for audit.

I have improved my communication and team work skills. On the second day, we were given laptops to check our timetable and to set up our signature on outlook. After that we had to email our managers to ask them about the jobs we were assigned to. This was a scary moment as we did not know what to say and how to introduce ourselves. However, this meant that we had to come out of our comfort zone and to be confident. This experience really pushes you to your limits and helps you to show case your talents and skills.

I enjoyed the programme very much, the team was very helpful and friendly. They were happy to help me with any work I was not sure about. On some occasions I had finished my work early and so I asked my team if they had any work for me to do. This meant that I was always busy and not just left alone. The company was spectacular, everyone was very inviting and extremely professional. BDO really gives a true taste of how it is like to work in the City amongst highly professional people. The programme was above my expectations, I enjoyed my time here at BDO. We had team lunches and networking sessions where you could really get to know others and build some contacts. Overall, it was a good experience!

I felt very valued because I was appreciated for the work I did and for my professional behaviour.

The programme was very well structured. The first day we had an induction about BDO and on the second day it was a more detailed induction of the sector you are in. For example, I was in audit and they were talking about what audit is and why we have to audit. It is useful if you have some knowledge about this beforehand as you will be able to understand. Before any task which I had to carry out, I was given some prior training, therefore this meant that I knew what I was doing and was not stuck. As mentioned earlier, they have a website where you are assigned to tasks. It is something similar to a timetable which you get at school. It tells you which client you are working on and where you had to be. In this way, you are not lost. It was very well organised and structured.

The student recruitment team was very helpful. I had various questions regarding travel and they were happy to answer me.

I received constant support. If I had any questions I can always go to my manager or my buddy for help and they would answer my questions.

We get paid £200 for the 2 weeks we work, which I think is an incentive for you to work hard. As well as some valuable work experience you also get paid which is fantastic.

As I was in the Audit stream, this requires you to travel quite often as you need to go to clients sites to access their documents. I went to a clients office in Guildford. It was a good experience because it gave me an idea of what I will be doing if I join Audit in the future. We had team lunches which was very nice.

Yes

It gives you great work experience which you could put on your CV and overall it is an amazing experience where you can learn new things which you did not know before.

Interviews - Be prepared, read BDO's website inside out as that is what they will be looking for. Practise competency questions and pick out scenarios from your CV/experience. Be calm, honest, friendly and smile.