Business Academy Intern Review

In the EY Business Academy, I attended several sessions by members of EY's team from across the country, who each delivered helpful and interesting presentations. These included information on specific subject areas, alongside some more general tips for being successful in future corporate life. I was also given a case study to work on and consider, which was then discussed thoroughly with other members of the Business Academy programme. Therefore, after the discussion, we had a plethora of information that would usually be used in the planning stage of an audit opinion.

During the Business Academy process, I attended sessions on corporate writing skills, which included information on how to structure emails and reports etc. Also, there were various opportunities to pick up knowledge about EY themselves and the various ways that they would structure a working day for an assurance worker. There was also an opportunity to call with members of the Luton office, which was very useful, as I was able to gain insightful knowledge about what to expect from a working day in the Luton office for a Business Apprentice.

I thoroughly enjoyed taking part in EY's Business Academy, which was held virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One reason for this is the sheer amount of content that becomes available to you as a result of taking part in the Business Academy. For example, I was urged to set up a LinkedIn profile, on which I now have a multitude of connections with others on the Business Academy. There were also some very fun and interesting sessions, such as an 'energiser' on Kahoot to keep morale high throughout the programme, which I think is reflective of EY's values as a company.

The Business Academy programme was extremely well organised, as we were given a clear timetable of sessions at the start of each day of the programme. This timetable was followed rigorously, which allowed and accounted for breaks in the working day. Also, since it was held on Microsoft Teams, breakout sessions were organised to separate candidates in the tax and assurance departments, which were extremely well implemented and organised, along with being extremely helpful overall.

Throughout the whole Business Academy process, it was reinforced that EY's business culture is very accepting of people in all different circumstances. All of the people leading sessions were very friendly and always opened themselves up to questions throughout their sessions, which I found very useful, as sometimes I had thought of a question or situation that had not been fully explained. Overall, it seems as though EY would be an amazing company with whom to begin a career in tax or assurance.

The Business Academy programme gave me a huge insight into what it would be like to work as an auditor, which is something that i had been interested, but not fully invested in for a while. It is safe to say that after the Business Academy programme, I am now fully invested into doing what I need to to become an auditor at EY, since the path that I will need to take has been fully explained and explored. The guidance I have received from this programme is nonparallel to the information that can be found on the internet, as your own personal detailed queries can be frequently answered by staff on the programme.

I was paid to attend the Business Academy, although the pay that you receive is really the least important part of the process. While being paid to attend was admittedly a lovely bonus, the real payment came in the form of the knowledge and connections that I have received from the people running and taking part in the programme. Since the programme was virtual, there were no travel/meal expenses necessary to be reimbursed for.

The networking opportunities that I gained from the Business Academy were frequent and extremely helpful. The other Business Academy Interns were mostly happy to share their LinkedIn profiles, and the guest speakers also shared theirs, which allowed me to vastly expand my social and corporate networks. While the programme was short and did not have chance for any external events due to COVID-19, EY managed to allocate plenty of time for team-building activities such as quizzes, which helped to broaden our networks with each other also.

Yes

While recommending the programme to a friend who would be in direct competition with myself for a business apprenticeship would arguably be unwise, EY are an amazing company with wonderful values, who are very focussed on investing and developing in young talent. For this reason, I would certainly recommend them as a way to kick-start your career in accounting. I feel the EY are a company who really value their apprentices, giving them lots of responsibility from day one.

Be yourself. EY love to hear about your own personal life and the reasons that you want to apply for an apprenticeship with them. The more you differentiate yourself from other candidates, the better. Relax. Everyone at EY is very friendly and will always be happy to answer any queries that you have, therefore leading to an experience where you feel at ease, even when in the company of people who are very high up in the firm's hierarchy.