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In my 4-week internship, there was quite a lot of variety day-to-day: I got an overview of the different teams within technology consulting (financial services), got to shadow a partner at the firm, worked on case studies and side of desk (activities within EY but not for their clients such as internal newsletters and team events), and shadowed on a project where they were implementing a new trading system. There wasn't a set schedule 9-5 but there was an overall goal to each week, and it was up to you to reach out to people for catch-ups/more exposure opportunities.

I've learnt so much new terminology, both for consulting (EY has so many acronyms) and for technology (as I was learning about a trading platform)! It's also taught me to embrace a new mindset and be comfortable with embracing new areas of knowledge, be proactive and not being afraid to ask questions, and to stretch yourself! Having access to EY resources on the intranet and tapping into the wealth of advice of people at the firm really enriches your experience - people are always friendly and willing to share career advice. I've improved on how I communicate and make effective presentations, as well as learnt to multitask - you'll have to learn how to balance doing client work, work for others in your team, and any side-of-desk projects you have!

I would say for my role, I wasn't given much responsibility - although this tends to vary by service line. From what I heard from my fellow tech consulting interns, they had quite a different experience. I had to actively look for more side-of-desk work, and I would say I had hoped to gain more technical skills/more client experience - I think I honed more soft skills and gained more from the informal coffee chats. However, due to the nature of the team's specialisation, it was a bit more tricky to be onboarded to a project as client information is sensitive (and the approval process takes a while). It's unfortunately a limitation but I did enjoy the opportunities to job shadow - even though the managers I shadowed were very busy, they took the time to catch-up with me, explain terminology, and provide valuable feedback in the process.

I would say I received lots of support - there are multiple points of contact: the early careers team (who provides all the introductions and structure of the program), the early careers champion (the person in the team who helps get you inducted), your counsellor (who advocates for you in the role), your buddy (someone who's on a similar entry level to you, but has been at EY for longer). Everyone was quite friendly and welcoming and constantly checked up on me, I also had catch-ups with managers and senior managers who were more than welcoming to provide advice, and other teams also were welcome to you reaching out. In general, they make you feel quite welcomed and guide you through the different tasks - rarely did I ever feel thrown into the deep end of work or forgotten. I also was really supported by the partner and managers that I shadowed a day/a project on.

Want to avoid sounding repetitive but EY really does encourage you to reach out to people - even if they seem like very senior people, as long as they have time in their calendars they seem very willing to schedule time in to catch-up with you. They will hear your story and have great insight about their own career stories! Everyone's quite friendly, although there isn't an emphasis on being the office the entire week - I feel like that might be the only disconnect but it's quite easy to ping somebody on MSTeams or arrange a quick call. There's also no stress on you being in the office and sitting at the desk to attend to your work for long hours - the important emphasis is on how efficient, effective and productive you are. As long as you are capable and are able to complete tasks to the best of your ability, people will give you constructive and positive feedback. If you're struggling, they are quite understanding and can provide support to you - but you have to be vocal about it! They understand that as an intern, you are entering a new environment and provide plenty of support and guidance.

I think overall, I enjoyed the internship. It was a great exposure into what technology consulting is like, what the team and culture at EY is like, and an insightful corporate experience as everyone is willing to, and keen to support you to succeed. I was slightly disappointed that the work I was assigned was not overly technical, but that's more to do with the duration of the internship and the nature of the service line. Ultimately, the people are very supportive and even in my 4 weeks, I can say that I have made meaningful connections and gained lots of career advice. I think it's a great experience for someone who might not be sure if they want to join consulting, as they provide you with lots of advice on how to continue down this journey - there is an opportunity to gain a return offer to join the grad scheme, and there are lots of current graduates in the teams that are willing to share their experience and network with you.

Yes

Have a curious mindset and don't be afraid to ask questions! The culture really encourages it, and there is a great diversity of backgrounds to the team. I myself do not come from studying finance - and you can easily turn it into your advantage by demonstrating your perspective and unique insight. Be a team player and definitely work on your communication and presentation skills - it's absolutely crucial to consulting.