Business Academy Intern Review

We were given a virtual work experience which gave us an insight into what it would be like to work for the company. We were able to experience mock situations which may occur when working for the company and we had the chance to talk to a lot of people from EY, from people only a few years older than us to partners of the company. The information we were given allowed us an advantage when applying for an apprenticeship, as we have the opportunity to be 'fast tracked' ñ.

We were given opportunities to experience how someone would perform an audit in the company and we had a chance to write our own financial statement for a mock company using skills we learnt in a previous workshop. There were also several workshops which focussed on writing professional emails, how to give a presentation and how to give an elevator pitch. This information was extremely useful as these are the sorts of integral 'soft' skills which are useful across any type of jobs.

It was a very enjoyable event which the company clearly placed a lot of time and effort into to ensure that people had a good time. I found that the information I received during the work experience was useful not only specifically to the company but in any type of work for the future. I loved that we were given the opportunity to speak with people working at EY who had joined recently as it was useful to see people in the position that I was looking to join at the company.

It was clear that a lot of effort had been put into not only making the work experience event but also in transferring it online due to the pandemic. Each of the days followed a strict schedule but still provided breaks throughout the day to give us a chance to relax. Despite the fact that the work experience was virtual there was no problem with us splitting up into smaller groups or with new speakers joining the call etc.

I think the work experience provided me with a very clear idea of the company's culture and working environment. It's easy to tell that all of the speakers loved working for EY and that the company took good care of its employees as part of company policy. The work environment looks friendly, inclusive and caring with strong bonds between the employees. You can easily see the heart of EY and the company culture as they have strongs beliefs on giving back to the community.

I took the work experience at EY to decide if it was the kind of company I could see myself working for in the future. Having that work experience and taking with people that already work at EY and experiencing the type of work that you do there has solidified my plans for the future as I would love to work there. I didn't think I would have such a strong reaction but I really love the company policies and can really see myself working there.

Normally the work experience would last a week and participants would be paid £200 but because of Covid 19 the work experience was made virtual and reduced to three days, meaning participants were paid a reduced amount. However, it's staggering that we were paid for this opportunity as this is one of the only work experience offers that I have seen that pays, as many are either free or if they are particularly sought after, you have to pay to attend.

This was a huge networking opportunity as we met with and spoke to people from all areas of the company, from all over the country. We were given the LinkedIn profiles of everyone that spoke for us and we were given a lot of information on how networking events occured within the company. I found it impressive how even employees as high up as managers were offering contact information and chances to meet up to lowly interns.

Yes

Completing this business academy not only gives you the opportunity to 'fast track' which increases your chances of gaining an apprenticeship offer from EY but also provides you will a lot of 'soft skills', such as presenting skills and how to write professional emails, which can be useful and applicable for a large range of jobs. Finally, getting this work experience increases your chances of being hired by EY which is a company that is personally invested in your career and as a result will do anything they can to help and support you.

Make sure you have a clear idea of what job you are applying for. It is difficult to change 'service lines' once you are accepted into the program and it also looks unprofessional. There isn't a lot of preparation work you can do for the tests but for the interview stage, male sure you have done at least some basic research on the company as that kind of motivation is something the employers are looking for in people they hire.