Smart Futures Student Review

i was part of the smart futures programme which was a 3 weeks internship for us to get an insight into accountancy and develop transferable skills such as communication, team work, presentation and interpersonal skills. We had to perform many presentations to managers and partners of EY and then work in a real business department in the third week where we also had to present to the department managers. The presentations includes advisory topics.

I developed presentational, communication and team work skills. We had to do these everyday and network with managers and other smart futures students. It was a great opportunity for me to develop these skills which are very useful for the future in university and when i am applying for a graduate role. We had to come up with presentations in a group and gain feedback from the EY staff which allowed us to improve on areas we are weaker at.

The EY staff were very friendly and helpful and I managed to ask many questions and the team tried their best to help us understand EY and accountancy. I really liked how EY likes investing into their people and their values were very strong. It was amazing and met my expectations although it would get a 10 rating if we could actually get a taste of the real department even sample case studies rather than not being able to do work related to the business experience department. Overall I enjoyed it.

I thought that the organisation valued every person and we were all recognised and had a role everyday. However, the group we were in seemed quite big. The managers and staff recognised and helped everyone and overall I am quite satisfied.

The structure was very good and logical. There were sometimes where things went wrong such as mentors not appearing during mentor meetings but overall, everything went smoothly. The team was very organised and everything such as smart future teams. There were new people coming in everyday and there were many changes and we had to travel around but everything still went very smoothly.

My tutor gives me some support but not much. There are many resources online and I do lots of independent research. The school provides support only when we ask.

My mentor has been very helpful and have been helping me with university choices and personal statement. The managers of EY has also gave me lots of advice regarding EY and applying for EY after university and all the options available to me. Overall EY has given me a lot of advice.

My salary was pretty low but seeing that I was there to learn and it covered all my costs, it was amazing!!

Yes, there has been many opportunities outside of work. There were many networking events provided by SMF and it really helped me get to know more people; it was excellent. I also play badminton outside of school.

Yes

This has been a great opportunity and I would highly recommend it.

When telling the company you have specific skills, use examples. Show, don't say. Don't be nervous in the interview and take a deep breath when you are nervous. Keep eye contact with the interviewer and show them you are the best candidate.