Business academy Intern Review

The work experience I conducted with EY was both informative, fun and has proved important with career progression. By attending the 2020 virtual insight week for assurance, I've learned about the company's work culture, how audits are conducted and all about diversity in the business world- and had some hands-on experience with conducting the planning of an audit. While some of my experience was limited because it was virtual and it would have been much more insightful to visit their site in person, EY conducted a brilliant program on such short notice and with many competitions and quizzes managed to make it fun too! Plus the pay for Year 12 students is extremely generous.

From their presentations, I learned about the audit, the general processes in assurance and a little on tax too. I was shown how to conduct a risk assessment in audit, as well as how to spot the legal, political, economic, social and environmental factors that might contribute to a company's accountants being/ not being true and fair. We also learnt about the controls that must go into a business to prevent fraud, and how to conduct professional business writing.

I'm an active learner, so my enjoyment was hindered a little by the fact much of the work was done through listening to PowerPoint presentations rather than actually getting involved, however, this was not solely in control of the company due to circumstances with COVID-19. EY did their best to make it fun, and with a variety of kahoots and quizzes throughout the day, this did make it enjoyable! One thing that made it slightly less enjoyable however was the fact that many of the presentations were an hour long, and the information could have been given to us on a sheet and we would have been able to digest it much more quickly. On the whole though, it was enjoyable and totally worth it for the great pay rate.

Insanely organized. The work experience was conducted on microsoft teams and all the members of staff seemed very familar with how to use the software, and when there was small bugs the staff handled it very well. There were always people on call to help and I never felt as though I was alone, despite the experience being conducted virtually. The program was structured well, and the staff were always very friendly and happy to help.

While it was hindered again slightly by the fact we weren't physically in their offices, I learned a fair bit about company culture and the social events and charity events that the company run. However, they did not go into much detail and I would have liked to hear more about reward systems they have in place and office atmosphere, but it was overall good. I would have liked to hear more about work-life balance though.

It has helped me decide that I would very much like to work in a company such as EY, and has showed me that assurance is perhaps not the right department for me. However, there was not much flexibility with the experience in that I only really heard about the assurance department, when it would have been beneficial to hear from tax, digital and technology as well. From getting employee's perspectives it helped me to make a decision on my own career path.

Yes, I was paid higher than average wage for an U-18 which was worth a lot more than the job required. EY also ran a competition that you could attempt an elevator pitch and could win a talk with a partner and a pair of airpods so that's really awesome! From the amount I was paid, and the extra opportunities offered by taking this placement I felt very valued and that my time was well imbursed.

Yes! We met with multiple employees all across the country over video call, some of whom were apprentices, some who joined the company as graduates and some interns. Overall the people we were able to network with were very varied, and it was all the way from associates to even hearing from a partner. They ran focus groups for us to ask questions to employees in the branch closest to ours and it was super informative.

Yes

I would recommend EY for work experience as they really are a great name and experience to have under your belt. As well as being one of the Big 4 they really value the young people in their firm just as much as senior managers and partners, and getting experiences with them early is not only a foot in the door in EY, but in the accounting world in general- their programs are competitive and recognised.

Work on your interview and maths skills! You will have to submit a video interview at some point, as well as do a bunch of timed maths assessments (nothing that goes beyond GCSE, just financial maths) and there really are thousands of people applying for a program that takes less than 100 people. Make sure you show them you're intelligent and passionate about the job, and you can offer them skills and interest others can't.