Working at EY

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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.