Business Academy Intern Review

It was a virtual experience this year, and only 3 days, due to covid-19. I was on the 'tax' scheme, although we worked alongside those taking part in the 'audit' side. We were given opportunities to talk to partners, apprentices and graduates, and were given a really thorough overview of each service line and what they do. We also got to take part in case studies to give us 'real life' experiences (the companies were not real, it was just to give us an idea. I found this very useful).

We learnt how to do an elevator pitch, and there was a small competition based around that. I sound that useful, and I can imagine other people will have to, as it is not necessarily something that everyone will have come across. They taught us a bit about the business (through a Kahoot, which was quite fun) and made sure that any learning was not too heavy, and very engaging. We also had several people talk to us about the service lines they worked it, and why they enjoyed/chose them.

I quite enjoyed it. I came into it thinking that it might be quite stressful, but actually found that it was the opposite. The people running it were all very helpful and understanding, and made sure it was clear that you would not be forced to take part in anything any more than you would like to. This actually led to me taking part in much more than I otherwise would have done. I enjoyed finding out about the different sectors, and overall, every single person I interacted with was absolutely lovely!

This was very well organised, especially for a virtual event. We were sent to break out rooms, but not left alone/unsupervised, which meant that conversation was always flowing (apart from when we had to do our individual case studies). The slide shows were concise and easy to read, and there was more than adequate help on hand for both questions about the content, and also for any technical issues you may have been having.

I learnt a lot overall. As I've already said, everyone was absolutely lovely. They were all very supportive, and did not try to 'put down' other options, whether that be their competitors, or routes such as graduate vs apprenticeship. They did a brief session about culture and diversity, which was very useful, as well as highlighting that they fully supported people pursuing their interests outside of work, even in the form of adjusting the working week so you could go to college to study something that interests you, or take days off for exams.

I am still, personally, very undecided. One downside of them being so supportive about different ways to enter the business was that now I cannot make up my mind! It definitely gave me lots of insight on what it would be like to be an apprentice (which sounds really good, lots of benefits and lots of support) but also showed the benefits of coming through university :) Overall, it was very informative. It might just be me, personally, who cannot decide.

Yes! This was actually an unexpected bonus, as most schemes like this will not pay you at all, but EY were very good, and paid me £115.66 for the 3 days I was with them. This is, obviously, a great thing, and I can't say anything bad about it! I'm pretty sure that (because the programme was originally 5 days) I still got paid for the 5 full days of work, or around that amount, but I am still not sure so don't hold me to that.

We got to meet lots of employees, including partners (tax and assurance), graduates, apprentices, and many people from HR. There was a good mix of the different service lines, which is great, especially for someone like me, who has not quite made up their mind, and everyone was very nice :) They also really encouraged us to connect with them, and each other, on LinkedIn, which I can imagine would be very useful in the future :)

Yes

They had a really nice atmosphere, even digitally. You can tell that they are all very lovely, genuine and supportive people, and that they really care about both each other and the business. The experience was very useful, and it was definitely 3 days well spent (especially since we were paid for our time!), and I have come out of it knowing much, much more about both EY as a business, as well as the worlds of both tax and assurance. :)

I would not stress too much about which sector you apply to for the Business Academy, however do think about it within reason. If you are interested in two separate sectors, I'd go for the one you know least about. Also, I would say you definitely get out of it what you put in. Ask the questions. Don't be afraid to do that. These people want to help you, and they want you to succeed.