Renate de Vries recently took a significant new step in her career at EY, joining as a Staff Auditor. However, her connection with the organization goes back further. With great enthusiasm, she shares her story of transitioning from a student to a professional career at EY. From her initial exposure to the field of accounting to her current position, Renate describes the challenges and opportunities she has encountered along the way. She highlights the importance of practical experience, finding a balance between work and studies, and the supportive role that EY has played in this journey. Additionally, Renate is actively involved in various company activities, including organizing the ski trip and assisting with several recruitment events. Can you tell us a bit more about yourself and how your EY adventure began? I’m Renate de Vries, 24 years old, born in Hoek van Holland. After high school, I moved to Tilburg to study Business Economics at Tilburg University. My journey with EY began in the third year of my studies when I got the chance to start an internship. My year as Secretary at Asset | Accounting & Finance had already introduced me to various sectors and companies in the financial world. Ultimately, I decided that accountancy appealed to me the most, so I started at EY in Eindhoven. I enjoyed it so much that, now more than two years later, I’m still here, and last September I started as a Staff Auditor. How was it applying theories from the classroom directly to your internship, and what did it teach you? When I started my internship, it felt as if the theories I’d learned in class weren’t directly applicable to real life. Everything was new and somewhat overwhelming. But as the weeks went by, I started to see connections. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place, and even subjects that I initially thought unrelated to accountancy turned out to be unexpectedly useful. During my internship, I also took two courses from the Accountancy minor, which provided a direct link to my daily work. This experience sped up my learning process and made my time in lectures all the more valuable. Balancing studies and work is a challenge. How did you manage that, and was EY flexible with your study schedule? Combining studies and work was a challenge that I was eager to take on. I had classes on Tuesdays and Fridays, and I worked on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. At first, this was quite an adjustment, and I had to improve my planning skills. Luckily, I received help from my Buddy at EY, and you learn quickly through trial and error. EY also offered a lot of flexibility. If I couldn’t work on a certain day due to my studies, it wasn’t an issue. I could rearrange my hours or take a day off. EY was very supportive, making it much easier to combine my studies with my internship. What advice would you give students considering a post-master RA program after graduation? If you’re considering the RA program, make sure to gain practical experience in the audit department first, for instance, through an internship or a working student position. This program requires a serious commitment and discipline. Also, it’s important to check if you have any prerequisite courses to complete. Sometimes, you can finish these during your master’s, which saves time and stress later on. Finally, don’t be intimidated by the program. Everything you learn in it is highly valuable in practice. Although it’s sometimes demanding, I also enjoy Fridays when we have study sessions. It’s refreshing to return to university after four days of work and listen to lectures again. We wrap up Friday afternoons by celebrating the weekend together at Esplanade, which always gives me a boost. What helped you transition from student to Staff Auditor? The induction process at EY was incredibly valuable for me. In the first two weeks, you get to know all the new starters, the organization, and what’s expected of you. During the day, we had many training sessions, which felt similar to classes, and there were fun activities planned as well. For example, we did an escape room and had a beach BBQ. In the evenings, there was always an activity like a pub quiz or theme night. This made the transition from student life to a full-time job feel much smoother. After the induction, you start working. I received a lot of support from my teams, coach, and mentor. You also still have a lot of training at first, so some workweeks are only three days, which eased my transition to Staff Auditor. You are also part of a “year group”—the cohort with whom you start in September. This group provides a valuable support network, as everyone faces similar challenges while adjusting to a new job and study program. We still get together for social activities, like going to a terrace on Thursdays or attending office gatherings. You had multiple career options. Why did you specifically choose EY, and what set EY apart for you? During my board year with Asset | Accounting & Finance, I’d already been introduced to different accounting firms. I weighed the pros and cons of a smaller firm and the Big Four. I ultimately decided to start at a larger firm and see where things went from there. I joined Asset’s accounting expedition, where you visit Deloitte, KPMG, PwC, and EY in two days. EY just felt right to me. After my internship, I had the option to apply elsewhere or do another internship, but I chose to stay. I felt good about it, loved the office and colleagues, and thought, “If it feels right, why look further?” This, of course, varies for everyone, but it worked for me. “The fit with EY felt right from the start, so why look further? When you feel at home and see opportunities for growth, it’s a sign you’ve made the right choice.” Looking ahead, where do you
Working at EY – Thijs Kerstens
Thijs Kerstens | Staff Audit & Consultant Climate Change and Sustainability Services Thijs Kerstens has been working at EY as Staff since September 2023, having previously completed an internship at the Audit department in Eindhoven. At EY, we offer you a flexible career with many opportunities for advancement. This provides the opportunity to seize new opportunities. Thijs has arranged his personal development through a dual package with both Audit and also Sustainability. Who are you and how did you end up at EY? I’m Thijs Kerstens, 24 years old and born in Rucphen, a village between Roosendaal and Breda. After high school in Roosendaal, I started studying Business Economics in Tilburg in 2018. After this, I did a master’s degree in Accountancy and a master’s degree in Strategic Management, still at Tilburg University, which I enjoyed. During my studies, I was active in Asset A&F and attended many accountancy events this way, where I ended up being most enthusiastic about EY. Then, in 2022, I did an internship in the Audit department of EY in Eindhoven. Why did you choose to do an internship during your studies? During my studies at university, mainly during the Bachelor of Business Economics, I noticed that in my opinion we did not get much of what possible work would look like later in practice. This was the main reason why I wanted to learn more about what work was like in practice during my Masters in Accountancy. During my time as an active member at Asset A&F, I attended several formal (and also many informal, but that is another story) accountancy activities and here I had several positive experiences with EY. So from these experiences, I can recommend all students to attend activities of study associations and if possible to organize similar activities yourself. I am convinced that you can gain a lot from these kinds of experiences later on, but I would especially like to mention that I experienced these as very nice extracurricular activities. Finally, because of the positive experiences, I decided to do an internship at EY, where I was able to combine writing my thesis with shadowing and working in the field. What motivated you to apply to EY next? Ultimately it was mainly because I liked the internship I had done, I liked the people I was able to work with at the time and I also liked the work. Eventually, after finishing my master accountancy, I still doubted whether I was ready to start working, especially since there had been the Corona period in between and I wanted to do something else before starting my full ”working” life. At the time I discussed this with several fellow interns, with the recruiter from EY and with friends, after which I eventually chose to start a second master’s degree in Strategic Management. Here I came into contact with several consulting companies, which was mainly due to the track (Consultancy) I had chosen. However, I always compared the companies with my internship at EY in Eindhoven and, this combined with the contact I had always kept with several interns and colleagues within EY, made me want to come back here at the end of this master. After an extended period of contact with Lisanne van Ree (the predecessor of Madelief Berendsen, campus recruiter of EY Eindhoven/Limburg) I was eager to return to the place that had pleased me very well during the internship. You chose a dual package with both Audit and CCASS. Why did you choose this? I noticed during my internship in the Audit department that I enjoyed the work, but also that I wanted to see more things. So this was one of the reasons I chose my second master’s at the time. Eventually, during my studies, I found out that there was a lot of legislation related to sustainability coming up (think of the European Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSRD), which I was very interested in. So I ended up writing my master accountancy thesis, for which I did a thesis internship at EY on this topic. During my internship I also got in touch with several colleagues who worked in the sustainability department, which I found very interesting and after which I noticed that I became interested in both audit and sustainability. This eventually made me want to combine them. At the same time, during my internship I also found out that I wanted to use my background in accountancy, and would like to develop further to become a chartered accountant, which is why I am still following the postmaster at Tilburg University. EY was open to this and that made it possible for me and allowed me to pursue this combination. “My interest in sustainability and the legislation surrounding it, combined with the diversity and challenges in accountancy, led to the unique opportunity to combine these two fields” What does a workday look like for you at EY and what are the aspects of your job that you enjoy the most? This is a fun question for me, but very difficult to answer. My first six months are now behind me (I started on September 1, 2023) and I don’t think any week has been the same for me, let alone an average workday. Generally, I have college on Fridays for the postmaster, but this has been on hold for the past 3 months (from January through March you are free from the postmaster because during this period many companies prepare financial statements and therefore there is a lot of work for accountants), so I’ve been able to focus a lot on work for the past few months. I enjoyed being able to focus on work the past few months, but I am also looking forward to the start of the postmaster again, which means that as of April 5 I can be found on the Tilburg University Campus on Fridays. Furthermore, I like that at EY the days are different and
Working at EY
For the Dutch version, click here. Who are you and how did you end up at EY? I am Bas, 22 years old, originally from a small village in Limburg, but since the start of my student days I have been living in Tilburg. After finishing my Bachelor in International Business Administration (including an exchange to Melbourne, Australia), I started the Master Accountancy, which I completed last summer. During my Master I oriented myself considerably on the life that would follow after my studies and this led me to a thesis internship at EY Eindhoven last February. Why did you choose to combine writing your thesis with an internship? When I started my Master I felt the pressure of adult work life slowly approaching. At the time, I had doubts whether a future within Accountancy was really my ambition. My friends and fellow students advised me to get in touch with companies in order to find an internship. I took part in several events of the study association ‘Asset | Accounting & Finance’ and that’s also how I came into contact with EY. A thesis internship felt like a safe choice to get a better idea of what work life is like this way, but at the same time still have enough time for my studies. Did this give you an advantage over your fellow students? My internship definitely gave me an advantage over fellow students without an internship. I had time available every week for my thesis, since the days I spent writing it counted toward my thesis internship. This motivated me to actually work on my thesis. In addition, I was assigned a “buddy” and “mentor” at EY. My buddy helped me with daily tasks and general questions. This was very accessible because he had also completed a thesis internship not long ago. My mentor, on the other hand, had been with EY for some time. Therefore, he was able to give me good career perspective and advice, as well as substantive support for my thesis. Were you able to achieve your personal goals during your thesis internship? I quickly noticed that I could achieve the most if I took a proactive approach and clearly stated what exactly I wanted to get out of my internship. It was recommended to spend 2 weeks with a team, but flexibility in that was possible. In total, I interned for 5 to 6 weeks myself, because my main reason for a thesis internship was to experience what the real-world work was like. Before I started as an intern, I was hesitant about whether I would be able to do my work well because I had no practical experience within Accountancy. During these internship weeks, these doubts quickly disappeared. Due to a warm welcome from the team and good supervision, my learning curve was fast. I realized that it was perfectly normal that I did not know everything yet, and everyone was open to help me where necessary. Partly because of these weeks, I discovered that I found the work extremely interesting, which suddenly made me a lot more confident about a future in Accountancy. “In my opinion, the best way to orient yourself is through a (thesis) internship or work-study.” Why did you choose to stick with EY? In fact, I was so sure about my future in Accountancy that I started as a Staff Audit at EY Eindhoven last September! Like many students, I was in doubt for a long time whether I wanted to extend my student time or was ready for a job. Since I liked the work and the atmosphere in the office so much, I decided to take the plunge and start working. During my internship, regular activities were organized (e.g. lunches, drinks and training sessions), which allowed me to get to know more and more people within EY. The switch from student to working took some getting used to, but in the end I am very happy that I took this step. Moreover, I am currently still following the Post-Master Accountancy on Fridays, so I still feel a bit like a student. You mentioned that you have now started, how have the first months been? So far, the work has suited me well. During my internship period, the corona measures were stricter than now, which made it difficult for teams to go to clients together. For that reason, I find it extra nice that this is now possible again. Over the past few months I have been able to see and learn a lot. Every day I learn new things and I am definitely not finished with my personal and professional development. Moreover, through both my internship and the two-week starter induction in September, I have been able to build a good relationship with my ‘year layer’ of EY starters, whom I can now also call colleagues. I am surrounded by people who have also made the step from intern to employee, with similar experiences, and this is very nice. What else would you like to tell students? I hear many doubts from students: “Am I going to do Accountancy, or Finance, or something else altogether?” In my opinion, the best way to orient yourself is through a (thesis) internship or work-study. During this period you will find out what work involves and what it is like within a sector. One last tip from me: go to (Accountancy) events, talk to fellow students, or send a message to a campus recruiter. A (thesis) internship can really help you clear your doubts! If you have any questions, you can always send me a message on LinkedIn.
Accounting Expedition 2022
After a good preparation, a large promotion campaign and a lot of worrying about Corona, the 22nd of February was finally here: the kick-off of a physical Accounting Expedition! Deloitte At 7.45 a.m., 23 motivated, and still a bit sleepy, students gathered at Tilburg Central Station to leave for Eindhoven. After a few quick coffees and sandwiches, we were off to our first company. After a smooth journey to Eindhoven Airport, we arrived on time at the kick-off of the expedition: Deloitte. With a warm greeting we were welcomed, and after some cups of coffee and glasses of orange juice, it could really start. First we got a short introduction about Deloitte itself, what they stand for and how the company distinguishes itself from the other offices. Then we could get to work in groups on the case they had developed for us. The case was about internal control and risks; we were allowed to look for potential problems within the operational management of an electric scooter supplier. Part of the process was to interview the sales manager of the company (or, a well-prepared Deloitte accountant), from whom we had to get as much information as possible about the internal operations of the company of the case. Afterwards, the groups presented their findings to the employees, who were impressed by this group of aspiring accountants. To conclude, we had a nice lunch at the office with tasty healthy, and okay, somewhat less healthy sandwiches. The first company visit was a great success, and everyone was eager to see what the next company had in store for us. KPMG After dropping off our luggage at our hotel in the centre of Eindhoven, we could immediately continue to the second company of the day: KPMG. Here the programme opened from the ninth floor of their office, with a fantastic view of Eindhoven. After a fun and personal introduction by the KPMG staff, we worked in groups on an audit fee proposal presentation for the Netherlands’ hippest foodtruck company: ToetToet FoodFood BV. During the presentation we had to give well-founded reasons for increasing or decreasing the audit fee for the coming year. The presentations were given with the necessary creativity, which made it a very fun and certainly educational challenge. Of course, the attentive KPMG accountants and some of the keen students also asked some difficult questions. Together with KPMG, we ended the day with an excellent dinner at restaurant Plein 4. With the necessary bottles of wine, it was an exceptionally pleasant end to an intensive and fantastic first day. Afterwards, part of the group went for a drink at the Vooruitgang, while the rest went back to the hotel. After all, after a successful first day, there was still another day to come. “Although a shopping spree appealed to a number of students, we decided to head for the office anyway” PwC The next morning, the first alarm clocks went off at 7.30 a.m., the sleep was washed away and the suits were taken out of the closet again. A hearty breakfast was served in the hotel restaurant, so that we could start the second day of the expedition fresh and reinvigorated. The suitcases were already packed and put away, so that we could immediately proceed to the third company: PwC. The office was easy to reach thanks to its excellent location in Eindhoven, at the top floor of the Piazza shopping centre, with the Bijenkorf as neighbour. Although a shopping spree appealed to a number of students, we decided to head for the office anyway. Unfortunately, the 23 students couldn’t fit into the lift, so we got our morning workout in by climbing four floors of stairs. At PwC, we were received in true Brabant style with a nice warm sausage roll for all participants, after which we started the programme in good spirits. After a fun opening quiz, we got down to work on the case study in groups. It was an interesting case, it was about a festival and all the risks that go with it, especially the risks you have to take into account as an accountant. And of course, the goodie bag also contained a pair of bright orange festival sunglasses! With an extensive tour of the fairly new office behind us, we moved on to At the Movies for a delicious lunch with a group of PwC partners and accountants. One partner had imagined a very quiet lunch, thinking we were actually going to the movies together. After another successful morning, we went on to the last office of the expedition: EY. EY At EY we were also warmly welcomed by the staff, and a few working students who looked very familiar to us. We were also well looked after here with a bowl of tasty biscuits and muffins, unfortunately most students were very full by now after the morning. After a nice introduction of the staff we were divided into two groups for the rest of the afternoon. The first group was going to do an activity that would not have been out of place in an engineering course, a game of mega jenga. With a list of requirements, we had to build one big tower in groups, after which the groups competed against each other in a game of jenga. Each brick had a number, which was linked to a quiz question about EY itself. So we had a fun and educational start to the afternoon. One particular group was significantly bad at jenga, as they managed to knock over the entire tower with every second piece they tried to pick up. The group then proceeded to take a more serious approach with a case study about an Asian restaurant chain, in which an EY employee took on the role of restaurant manager. The focus of the case was on financial fraud detection within the company. We actually got to analyse financial statements in search of misstatements and other mistakes and oddities.
Working at EY
For the Dutch version, click here Vitality is a theme that is often put high on the agenda within large organizations, but where people do not always have a clear picture of the concept. EY is one such firm where, alongside Tech, Diversity & Inclusiveness and Corporate Responsibility, Vitality is referred to as one of the four main focus points and where personal career development is central. We talked to Marieke Brouwers to find out how this theme manifests itself in practice. Marieke Brouwers is Manager Audit at EY, but in November she also won the World Championship Duathlon! After 10 kilometers of running, 40 kilometers of cycling, and another 5 kilometers of running, she was not only the fastest of her age group but also the fastest overall. She traveled to Aviles (Spain) with the motto ‘participating in a World Championship is more important than winning’ and eventually took home the title of “World Champion”. Something that had not even occurred to her beforehand. Could you briefly share a bit about your career path and your current position within EY? In 2014 I completed my Master’s in Accountancy at Tilburg University and then started at EY Eindhoven in September. In the meantime, I have also obtained my Post-Master (RA) and I am a manager in the audit practice. During my first years, I served many different clients and gained experience in different sectors. In 2018 I worked in Tokyo for EY for six months, which was a hugely cool experience! Currently, I am working in the Amsterdam office where the biggest client in my client portfolio is one of the clients I served in Tokyo. How do you manage to combine this busy job with everything else you do besides work? One of the sayings I often make is “time, is priority”. I really enjoy exercising and find that it makes me a better person. If I didn’t prioritize sports, I’m sure it wouldn’t benefit my performance at work. Especially in busy moments, I find it very important and nice to clear my head by exercising. Despite having a busy job, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a large number of hours in the week that you can arrange yourself. There are colleagues who find it relaxing to then sleep in, “Netflix” or have a family that they invest a lot of time in but draw energy from. I live with my boyfriend, have a rich social life, and a busy job but I can arrange my own time in such a way that I do exactly the things that I need and get energy from. Sports is one of them. What does a day in your life look like? Actually, there is not really a standard day in my life. I train about 15 hours a week according to a schedule that I get from my coach. Each day is then indicated what I should do, which can vary from running to cycling to swimming or strength but also a combination of the aforementioned sports is quite possible. I always get this schedule on Thursday or Friday for the next week. However, I can indicate in advance if training on a particular day is not feasible because, for example, there are deadlines for work or client appointments outside the door. Also for work, I know what needs to be done each week. Based on this, I plan my week on Friday with a combination of work and sports. Of course, this is not set in stone but it gives me peace of mind that I basically don’t have to think about it anymore. “Within an organization like EY everything is possible, as long as you communicate clearly about it and indicate what you need.” Today, for example, I was at the gym at 7, was showered, and sat behind the laptop at 8:30. I will go for an hour run as soon as it gets dark and have to answer some emails after dinner. Tomorrow I go to the office and there is a 2-hour bike ride scheduled as training. So then I’ll try to get to the office nice and early so I’m not home too late to eat, let that sink in, and then get on the Tacx (indoor bike) to do my workout. What does the theme of ‘vitality in the workplace’ mean to you? In my opinion, vitality in the workplace is the right balance between work and other things that are important to you. Personally, I get a lot of energy from my work, but if I only worked that would no longer be the case. The balance you need between work and home is, in my opinion, important to be a happy person. Only when you are happy and pleased with yourself can you get the best out of yourself and others. So when my colleagues have found this right balance they can get the best out of themselves and other teammates and deliver the energy at work that they deserve. In my eyes you are then “vital” or “fit for the job”. For me personally, that is clearly sport and my social life, but there is no right or wrong here. Vitality in my eyes is therefore not directly related to sport. Why do you think this theme is so important? This theme is especially important in order to realize that more is not always better. Many people have the impression that the Big-4 firms are all about working long hours, but that is not the case at all. I also try to communicate clearly to my teams that balance is very important. For example, I would rather have a staff or senior indicate that he needs to do something for himself and is productive for 8 hours and recharges himself than work 10 hours but is only productive for 6. When someone is comfortable in their own skin they can function better which improves quality. It
Controlling – Accounting’s long lost brother
For the Dutch version, click here For the accountancy students among us, it’s a familiar ritual by now; as soon as the future comes up, the majority of students hear the all-too-familiar song: first, complete the master’s program Accountancy, then start the postmaster CPA while at the same time, starting to work for example at Deloitte, EY, KPMG or PwC. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this road. After all, the CPA title is very valuable and as long as people have not been replaced by technology, we will also need enough inflow into the audit practice, and the financial sector in general. In addition, working in auditing can also be fun, provided that this is where your interests lie. The demand for the CPA title is therefore growing every year. However, the ever-growing demand for CPA students also has a downside: when people talk about accountancy these days, we only think about Chartered Accountants. However, there is another branch within accountancy; Controlling. What exactly does a controller do? Generally, a controller assists the board or management in understanding and maintaining the financial affairs of a company. The controller oversees a company’s finance department and often leads this team as well. The controller also deals with financial planning and reporting for the benefit of management. Simply put, a controller is concerned with the quality of the entire financial process and ensures that the results and planning are optimally communicated to management, in order to support decision-making. For a career as a controller, you generally don’t need additional training like a CPA. However, these courses do exist. The executive master: Register Controller (RC). If you complete this program, you will be listed in the NBA register, just like a CPA, as an additional quality stamp on your resume. Why RC or CPA? The big question now, of course, is why anyone should choose RC or CPA. One is no better than the other. Both have extensive knowledge of financial data, and both are post-master educated. So the difference does not lie in the level of education. In my opinion, it will mostly be where your interests lie. Of course, your interests lie in finance, otherwise, you wouldn’t even think about throwing yourself into the world of financials. The big difference is whether you like to evaluate a company internally or externally. As a controller, internally you will be mostly concerned with the processes within the finance department and steering for growth and results. As an accountant in the audit practice, you will mainly focus on the correctness of the external reporting and compliance with laws and regulations. The question is therefore what you yourself find most interesting. It’s worth noting that there is a trend where we see a lot of chartered accountants choosing to switch to a controlling position in the business world after a number of years in the audit field. For example, many controllers and CFOs at large Dutch companies used to be CPAs. Think of the CFOs of Adyen, ASML, and Unilever. For those students who already know that they have the ambition to eventually hold a position as CFO: there is also another path than becoming a CPA. The road to RC is about as long, but if we are to believe the universities, you are slightly better prepared for the position you will eventually hold. Boxes The advice I would like to give current and future Accountancy students: do not immediately put yourself into the box of the chartered accountant. Of course, it’s a good profession with good prospects, but there are many other interesting jobs that are just as well suited to financial education. In my opinion, that is also the beauty of training in financial disciplines; at the basis, we all understand financial matters, and eventually, you can end up in plenty of amazing places. Even without a CPA title, you have a degree in your pocket that guarantees your ability to critically think in a certain field. And that piece of paper will get you there.
