Business academy intern Review

It was an informative experience where there were speakers from Assurance apprentices and people working in the industry. There was a panel of EY business apprentices where we could ask questions which was very useful. There were also dedicated skills workshops in developing key skills such as business writing, presenting, confidence and resilience. I also personally enjoyed the mentoring and goal setting; this included personal branding. This technique was very useful as i identified my strengths, weaknesses and what i wanted to be portrayed as. We also read over a case study and used the PESTLE technique to analyses and also identified any risks and potential controls that could be put in place.

There were many sessions dedicated specifically for training and skills development. For building confidence and resilience we learnt about our strengths, areas of development and how we could put into action our personal brand which i found useful. We also had a session on business writing and presenting where we had many tips to make sure our writing was formal and fit for the workplace. We were also given important factors to consider when trying to communicate a message across or presenting.

Considering the virtual nature of the experience, i did enjoy it. There were sessions dedicated to making sure we had an enjoyable experience. For example, there was an icebreaker session where we contributed our favourite hobbies, what ice-cream flavour we would be and why etc. There was also an energiser session where we did a kahoot quiz which quizzed us on random trivia to do with EY which was a nice break from some of the technical sessions we had.

The work experience was well organised with the agenda for each day being released beforehand so we knew what to expect and we could plan ahead. There was a good mix of technical work to do, webinars, activities, and skills building workshops everyday so nothing felt too heavy. We accessed the programme using a teams link which was emailed to us a week in advance and it was the same link for mostly all of the sessions which was convenient.

I learnt quite a lot considering the fact that the internship was only 3 days long. I mostly learnt about the company culture from the existing business apprentices as well as the guest speakers. I learnt that everyone was very friendly and there were many aspect of teamwork in the job. They also touched on the social aspect assuring us that we would not be missing out as there are many events organised throughout the year so there is something to look forward to.

I think it definitely gave me an insight into the sector more and into the difference between the specific roles such as tax and assurance. Being able to question current employees perspectives certainly helped as they answered many questions such as what their day to day life is like, how the company has supported them and how they balance studying for exams as well as working with clients. We also had Buddy Q&As where we could talk to someone in the year above us in the same region as us which was really useful.

As this was a virtual work experience i was not re-imbursed. However, i was paid for my work experience at a rate of £6.96 an hour which i felt was very rewarding. For my age-group this is also above the minimum wage which i thought was very interesting. To be able to gain an insight into the accounting sector at one of the big 4 firms and get paid for it was very nice.

There were many opportunities for meeting other employees and networking. One of the keynote speakers was a tax partner so was in quite a high position. We also spoke to assurance graduates and what their experience was like, what they took for A-levels as well as their career journeys which gave me a good insight into next steps. We also had a chance to speak to Business apprentices who answered all our questions which was very useful.

Yes

I would recommend EY because i could definitely see my career flourishing and progressing there. I like their company culture and i believe it would be beneficial to anyone working there. They have many systems in place such as a mentor/counsellor to help you along the way. The internship was very good and well organised and would give a good insight into the activities and daily tasks that you would do if you worked there.

When applying the application process includes some written questions, a learning on the job simulation and an interview. As you have time for the written questions i would spend some time carefully thinking about why you want to work at EY. For the interview it is best to just be calm, honest and confident. The job simulation is timed so try to do it as quickly and as accurately as possible; this will include numerical tasks too.