Intern Review

I was an intern during EY foundation's Smart Futures programme. I got to work in both tax and advisory. Whilst in advisory I was shadowing a worker and helped her with a current project that she was working on. I did some research and presented the findings in a powerpoint presentation which I presented back to her and her colleague. I also got to attend an interview and take notes. In tax I was given various tasks to do throughout the day. From industry analysis to filling out a spreadsheet I got to use different skills.

I have developed my confidence as the first week entailed some training and we did different workshops that were built around improving our skills for working in a professional environment. Quite often I found myself in a group with new people and had to network, be a team player and sometimes a team leader. The whole experience made me meet new people and therefore increase my confidence in being able to present myself and network.

I really enjoyed the programme as it gave me an insight to work in an environment that is not usually available for young people my age and from my background. I was able to meet new people and gain a mentor. I liked working in tax a bit more than advisory which let me know what I liked and what I didn't liked at all. Everyone I encountered was nice and friendly and definitely helped me to enjoy the experience and make the most out of it by encouraging me to ask questions.

I definitely felt valued even though I was just an intern. I do not feel that they underestimated my abilities and that allowed me to feel challenged. my 'buddy' who was the EY worker that I was assigned to was really friendly and even bought lunch for me on my first day. Whenever I was in an unfamiliar setting such as in interview where I didn't know the context or purpose, they would always fill me in and were very open to me asking questions.

Before we even started the programme we had an induction evening the week before. This allowed us to actually familiarise ourselves with the location of EY's office as it was held there. During that evening we met the corporate partners that some of us had the chance to work with, did a speed networking event and were given an overview of how the programme was going to be. Then on our first day we arrived and set ourselves up for the rest of the fortnight which involved IT induction and getting our own laptops. Throughout the first week we were doing some training by having workshops which helped to prepare us for the workplace. Throughout the programme as well we had to fill out learning logs which helped us keep track of what we have learned in each session. The members of staff were very helpful in helping us fill out the learning log and even supplied us with a booklet that helped us with each log. Finally during the week that we were placed in our department our 'buddy' were out point of contact for any difficulty we may had or if we needed more work to do. We also got to meet our mentors and had a lunch with them, we got each others contacts so that we can stay in touch. The programme was well organised as it ensured that we always had something productive and useful to do.

During the programme we had to fill out learning logs, on a few occasions I had difficulty doing so. The supervisors helped me out whenever I requested it and made themselves available. With out 'buddy' we could've emailed them or skyped them through our work laptops if they were not within our physical reach and I needed help.

They made sure that if them themselves were not available they could provide me with the contact of someone who would be available. We were notified of who we could contact in case of an emergency where we could access first aid. Whenever I was stuck on a task that would've been given to me by an employer I could also contact them via our work email and then ask for points to be elaborated and explained. They also tried to help by providing resources that we could access through EY which would help us to complete the tasks, and always giving us an introduction into what the task is and why it needs to be done.

We were paid for the two weeks that we there and for the first week where we were getting training lunch was provided so we did not have to buy our own. More often than not whilst I was working different employees would treat me to a meal which meant that I rarely had to use my own money to buy lunch. There was no need to pay for the commute as I took the bus and that doesn't charge me since I am 17.

Since I was there for a short time period I was made aware of every opportunity available but as I was able to talk to different workers some mentioned how they had opportunities to work abroad. There was also an opportunity for workers to go to Tate Modern that I assume was for free. Finally I noticed once when I had lunch in their canteen that they advertised different opportunities in there such as going on trips filled with outdoor activities

Yes

It was a very nice and professional place to get work experience in. You can encounter many different people and learn many useful skills such as how to write a professional email, be a good team leader and how to present. The first week of training also involved a Dragon's Den day where we got to get together in teams and create a product and present to the 'dragons' who were workers from EY's corporate partners. You also get to meet other people on the same programme as us, there were 52 of us in total so its an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends. We can also benefit from alumni opportunities and events.

As it is open to year 12 students typically it would be your first time ever going through such an application process that is similar to what you will have to do when you are an adult and looking for your first proper job after becoming qualified. There will be a long application process which will test your resilience so make sure you can endure it. They will also ask a lot of questions that will get you to think and give you a taste of the sort of questions you could get in a real job application. There will also be a phone interview which again could be your very first. Prepare yourselves by researching what sort of interview questions could be asked bad do your research on the company. It is also important to have some questions to ask yourself.