Ernst & Young Summer 2015 Launch Internship Experience
Last summer I had a valuable opportunity to intern with Ernst & Young (EY for short) in their Philadelphia, Pa office. For those who aren’t familiar with Ernst & Young, it is one of the “Big 4” global professional services firms. Assurance, Advisory, Tax, and TAS (Transaction Advisory Services) are the major divisions of services that EY provides. Historically EY began as an accounting firm, so it is no surprise that most interns/staff members come from an accounting or finance background. However, there is an increasing number of non-accounting/non-finance interns and professionals joining the firm due to the increasing role of technology in business and the increasing diversity of services that the firm provides.
As a Junior I was eligible to apply for EY’s Launch Internship Program which serves as an introductory internship for underclassmen students who have two or more summers before graduation. The main objective of the Launch Program was to introduce EY’s culture & business operations to the interns, as well as teach us the skills and competencies that we need to build a strong foundation for our professional advancement. During the Launch Program we were put on a team on one of the major service-lines (Assurance, Advisory, and Tax) to help with their client engagement projects. After that service-line rotation was over we would then rotate to the next service-line. Depending on our major and career preference each Launch intern had a chance to choose one service-line in which they wanted to do a second rotation. In addition our mentor was a member of the service-line that we chose to concentrate on. The service line I chose was Advisory because it correlates best with my major (Management Information Systems).
In addition to working on engagement teams, we also participated in intern events, networking dinners, web-based learning sessions, national conference calls, and a trip to the Boston office to present a group recap video.
Overall this was an amazing experience and I’m glad my first internship was with EY. The culture fits my personality well and I got to work with some of the brightest professionals in the industry. At the end of my internship I received a return offer for the Summer of 2016 Risk Advisory Program. This is a continuation of the Launch Internship Program where I will have more responsibilities and the opportunity to be more involved with the clients of the Risk Advisory service-line.
