Business Academy Intern Review

A series of sessions to learn more about EY as a company, about the Business Apprenticeship program and the service line we chose (Tax or Assurance). There were many guests, such as current apprentices and graduates, to talk about the programs and the experience of working at EY with many opportunities to ask questions and learn more. There was also a case study created for your service line which you independently wrote notes on and then came back for group discussion to give a example of the work an EY employee could do.

I gained a lot of knowledge about EY and about Assurance and how it is carried out. This means I have learnt a lot about the different skills required to carry out the job in the future and how to best prepare myself for interviews/tasks. By completing an analysis of a case study I think I have learnt about the different things that EY look for and how to be more confident and professional in a working environment, although this was slightly limited due to the fact the experience was online.

There was a wide range of guests and the whole experience was very informative and interesting so I definitely feel it was a useful program and I feel a lot more confident that this is the path that I want to take. I feel I understand what the next steps are and how to be successful in them a lot better. I would have liked to do more practical experience in case studies but I am very impressed with the program, especially considering that it had to be organised and moved online in a short space of time.

Overall it was very organised with clear instructions on the different links to meetings that we had to attend and the day was clearly set out and explained with a timetable that was followed very well. There wasn't any major technical issues and all the guests attended and had plenty of time to answer questions. There was also support throughout for any issues we may have had. I had one problem that my group was provided the wrong link for a meeting, however, we were sent the correct one later.

There was a lot of emphasis on the company culture and teaching us about what working for them would be like. The wide range of guests and the fact they answered every question asked throughout means I think I learnt a lot about the company and what the experience of working for them would be like across many different levels in the business. There was a lot of detail about the different support systems available and what is expected in various roles at EY.

This experience made me a lot more confident in the career path I had been considering. There was a lot of information about the apprenticeship and it all sounded very interesting and exciting for me. There was a lot of support to help with the next steps applying for an EY Business Apprenticeship, including a fast-track straight to the EY Experience Day and lots of information on what the Experience Day will entail and how to be successful.

Yes, we were all paid for the experience and would have been reimbursed for any expenses we had in order to attend the experience at an office. Due to the current circumstances, the Business Academy was moved to be virtual, so we were still paid the hourly rate that was included in our contract from our offers but if the experience had been physical, it was included that we would have been reimbursed for any travel expenses.

Between all of the Business Academy Interns we were encouraged to create and share LinkedIn accounts and therefore create a network between us. All the guests as well were very open and encouraging that we could find and link with and message them on LinkedIn if we had any further questions in the future. Many also shared their emails in case we felt more comfortable contacting them there so I think there were many opportunities for networking.

Yes

If anyone is at all considering working at EY in the future (whether that be through the Apprenticeship program, the Graduate program or as an employee in the future), this experience is very informative and persuasive. Everyone was very friendly and supportive and provided us with a lot of information and guidance. I have come away with a lot more confidence that I know what I want my next steps to be and how to pursue them. Even if coming away from the experience you didn't want to work at EY, they provided many tips and developed skills that would be useful in any future job.

I would first say to look at the information they provide on the application process so that you can prepare effectively and look at their company values so you can think about how you fit and can support those. I think that it is important to be confident in yourself and understand your skills so you can talk about why you are an attractive candidate and practice numerical reasoning tests so that it isn't too daunting when you have to do it during the application.