EY Smart Futures Programme Review

An amazing experience where I learnt a lot about the business world, earned a qualification and enjoyed doing it and earned money at the same time which was really just a bonus. I competed in challenges and worked with different people which I didn’t even know which pushed me to make connections.

I gained a level 2 CMI qualification and I boosted my confidence by doing presentations. We also learned interview skills which I did as a group interview. I also learned about the different departments in the EY business and what each of these departments do such as tax and and accountancy.

I enjoyed it a lot and I would definitely recommend someone to do it as it was a great opportunity that people should take advantage of. I made friends who I’m still in contact with and it was an amazing experience I even got to go to another company Big Lottery Fund are in partnership with EY.

It was very organised we had different activities to do everyday, a powerpoint to follow which we learned from and time to do the learning log at the end of each day. Each presentation was lead by different people and everyone was clear, helpful and made something seen as boring to be fun and interesting.

I learnt a lot about company culture. I saw that people in business aren't as serious all the time as people assume they are they were very friendly and open to answering questions. I also got to see two different company cultures at EY and at Big Lottery Fund.

It helped a lot because I found the skills I'm good at but also the skills that I needed to improve. These skills can then show me what I’m more interested in, jobs I could potentially go into and how my skills can help me to succeed in that job.

Yes I was given £5.90 per hour for three weeks and I worked 7 hours a day which was an average £41.30 a day and any expenses at Big Lottery Fund for example food and drink I was reimbursed for. I was also paid during my time at Big Lottery Fund.

Yes we were each given a mentor even after the programme ended to help us with our problems like time management finding work experience and UCAS applications. I also asked for emails of people within EY to use as a reference when I apply for other jobs and they happily helped.

Yes

I’d recommend this work experience to anyone. It was definitely a great experience that I really enjoyed and lots of people i know want to go into a business type job. It was also a great chance to earn some money and have fun while doing it and earn a qualification.

Fill in the application as soon as you possibly can. Be sure to read the small print which will tell you important information for example if you can qualify for the work experience. You’ll also need a teachers email such as your form tutors email as that’ll be required in the process.