UK&I Assurance Intern Review

My role involved a one month placement in the UK&I assurance sector of a regional EY office. During my placement I was given the opportunity to partake in numerous different teams for a range of clients. Day-to-day tasks included casting of accounts, an introduction to the EY Canvas software and basic tasks relating to the audit of numerous companies.

The skills learnt during my experience with EY were second to none. In university you are always told about the importance of work experience and having the opportunity to join EY for one month demonstrated to me the kind of effect that work experience can have. During my placement I believe that I developed a good basic understanding of the software which EY use and this will put me in good stead should I return to the firm in the future.

My programme was thoroughly enjoyable. EY has a real team mentality and the opportunity to work in different teams throughout your time with EY really helps you to network with different members of staff and with different clients. If you ever need any help, EY assigns each new joiner a buddy, who can help you through all of your problems and even if you just have a little silly question, your buddy will happily help you out!

Despite being with EY for only 1 month the review process was clear to see. At EY you are encouraged to set objectives for yourself through the help of your manager and my time at EY was given a thorough review upon completion of my placement. Each senior team member that I had worked with had prepared an A4 sheet detailing my performance whilst under their supervision and it was really useful to see what they thought I did well but also where they possibly thought that I could improve.

The programme that I undertook is reasonably well structured. Our induction day was held in London and once arriving at our regional office we were constantly provided with training and support, particularly in the first week when you are getting to know the software. As well as my buddy I was also assigned a more senior mentor who was very helpful in giving me work to do and providing me with feedback. One slight criticism of my specific programme is that we don't have that much contact with EY whilst we are at University and it would be nice to hear from them more often and maybe have some networking events.

Mentors provide large amounts of support with any problems and also buddy's can be helpful if your mentor is busy. EY as a whole are always happy to help and despite only being there for a month I was given the opportunity to work with 2 partners who were both equally welcoming. I found the placement thoroughly enjoyable.

As previously mentioned, EY were very helpful in expanding my knowledge, be that through my buddy, mentor or EY as a whole. There is a strong ethic of working & growing as a team and I never once felt looked down upon due to my lack of superiority, the teamwork within EY is truly incredible!

The likes of travel costs and expenses if you are on clients site are all covered. As a one month placement student I could comfortably afford to live in Edinburgh and rented my own one bed apartment. The salary is definitely competitive and as a placement student with limited skills I don't think that it would be fair to assume that we would get anymore than we did.

Yes, EY has networking events monthly if not more frequently. Everyone was very friendly and I even had the opportunity to play squash against my manager one night, although he did unfortunately beat me. I was made aware of a 5 aside football league that a few of my colleagues participated in and other events such as Gin tasting & professional networking events. If I was there for longer than a month then I think I would have had more opportunities outside of work.

Yes

EY taught me a lot in such a short space of time and I believe that they really lived up to there perceived image as the friendly face of the big four. I look forward to joining as a graduate and I would definitely recommend the company to anyone considering a career in accounting.

Be confident throughout the process but also ensure that you demonstrate your teamwork capabilities. At the assessment centre you may be involved in a group activity and it is important to let everyone else speak and not be too overpowering. Make sure you use all experiences that you have to the fullest and remember that a lot of the skills that you have developed in part time jobs/ at university may be transferable into your role at EY. Most importantly, be yourself and good luck!