Business Academy - Tax Review

On the Business Academy for a week I worked in the Tax department, moving between TMT (Technology, Media and Telecommunications) and Energy. Over the week I assisted professionals in their day to day tasks, helping on client projects through making spreadsheets, reading accounts and helping with PowerPoint presentations. I also worked on my own presentation about a client, giving an overview of their business and providing a general SWOT analysis. At times. due to client confidentiality, the work can be more administrative but the insight into the clients in very interesting.

I havent gained a professional qualification, however i have gained valuable insight into working in Tax as well as how to interpret certain figures for a companys account - which is something i didnt expect. Being time efficient and multitasking are skills i ahve developed over the week also as i have juggled tasks.

I strongly believe my experience at EY could not have been more positive and I hope this is a firm I have the opportunity to work at in the future! Again, I would like to say thank you to the countless amazing professionals who have taken the time to advise me and have conversations with me throughout the week, I genuinely now have a better understanding not only of EY and Tax but about how I will choose to shape my future and career. Again, it cannot be helped that the work can only scratch the surface of a client, but this can be tackled by helping out on as many prjects as you possibly can. EY truly have treated me so well during the week and have allowed me to have a level of independence within the workplace, something not alot of work experince placements in big firms allow you to do.

I feel extremely valued by EY as they treat you as though you are an equal in a team and accommodate any help you need. There are multiple people at any given point who are willing to help you out, and generally if you are proactive in asking you can shadow people and sit in on meetings - allowing you to gain a real feel for what it is like for the professionals. Everyone is so polite in asking for ammendments or extensions on the work you are doing and will appreciate anything you complete.

The programme is very well structured as you are given your laptop and equipment upon arrival on the first day and are given a full induction, this can drag on slightly but overall gives you all the information you need to be prepared for the week. There are so many employees who are helping out on the programme or are generally approachable around the office, which means if at any point you are stuck there is always someone to help out. You are delegated tasks but if you find yourself bored you can always ask for another task or you can comlete one of the online video tutorials to learn something new. Overall, there is always something to be doing as long as you are proactive about it.

There is so much support here at EY, everyone is willing to help, even if youve never met them and they are simply sitting next to you in the open desk space. The best thing is that there is no designated seating so you dont feel hesitatnt to ask a colleague beside you for advice, and they will almost always help you with anything you need, or if they cant they will certainly guide you towards someone who can. You are given a buddy and a mentor, who you will grow to know and build a professional relationship with. It was such a womderful experience, and i can say for sure that the best part of EY are their employees.

Again, the HR team are always there and available for you to email should you need any support. Everything is so well planned that there is always a port of call the first being your councillor who will pretty much always have the answer to your questions or will point you towards the person who does.

I didnt have any living costs as I stayed at home, my travel costs were minimal as i use my zip oyester and travel from zone 3, these costs of which were easily covered by my salary. I was only there for a week so didnt incur much of a social cost as this tok place over my summer holidays.

Again i was only here for a week and therefore didnt get to experience many opportunitites outside work, although i am aware that colleagues do go out after work and teher are many community driven activities that employes take part in.

Yes

Not only are they one of the Big 4, but my experience here has shown me just how wonderful the people here are to work with - making your job and your day even more enjoyable.

For the telephone interview, my best advice would be to think about everything you do outside of the classroom, and have prepared what youve gained from those experiences because you want to show examples of all of your skills. Whilst you're here, make the most of your opportunity and network with people you may never get the chance to meet again.