Analyst Review

Analyst - The Accenture Horizons scheme is an 8 month gap year placement. Your role will depend on the project in which you are allocated and my day to day activities vary greatly. I am on a small project with a great deal of client contact, therefore I spend much of my day interacting with the client in meetings and creating deliverables for the client, such as building and updating trackers and writing powerpoint presentations.

We had a one week training programme at the beginning of our internship, however I have learnt the most through project work. Interacting so much with Accenture colleagues and the client, my confidence and business skills have expanded greatly. My IT skills have improved, especially with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Visio and Access. I have also learnt about the banking and financial services industry, as this is the area in which my project is based.

I have loved the 8 month internship! My colleagues and team are great, and make going into work every day a joy. There are always plenty of social opportunities within your team, as well as the intern community. It has been such a fresh experience, especially as a break from education between school and university, and amazing to have the opportunity to be part of the business world at such a young age.

I have had the opportunity to become involved in important and key parts of my project. I also have weekly 1:1 meetings with my manager, who always gives me recognition for tasks I have completed well and the client has been pleased with. I have therefore felt greatly valued by Accenture.

The structure is great - the HR team are always happy to answer questions and we have had activities and socials throughout the programme. Our first induction week was also organised well with a full schedule.

When you join your project, you are allocated a buddy as well as a manager. My buddy is a graduate Analyst, on the same project. He also did the Horizons programme before going to university, so he has been a great support for questions and advice throughout the placement.

My Manager has given me a great deal of support. We often have feedback sessions, completing objectives twice throughout the internship. If I ever have any questions, she's always happy to help. All other senior members of the Accenture leadership team have always been happy to help/offer advice too.

I commute daily from home into London, and although the travel is expensive, I have found I am still able to save a bit after travel, social, food etc.

There have been many social events for both my project and the intern community. I have organised many socials for our project, for both the client and the Accenture team. In addition to this, there is a large range of clubs and socities within Accenture to get involved with.

Yes

A brilliant company, great people and really interesting work.

Ask for advice and feedback at all stages of the application process. Try to get involved as much as possible within all aspects of the company and make sure you network - you never know what opportunities will arise! Most importantly, it's a brilliant experience - so enjoy!