EY (Ernst & Young) is a global professional services firm that provides audit, consulting, tax, and advisory services to businesses and organisations worldwide.
Maddy Allam, a current student at the University of Bristol, recently joined EY on a paid, four-week Audit Summer Internship Programme.
We caught up with Maddy to find out more about her experience.
Application process
I first saw this opportunity advertised on websites such as Gradcracker and Brightnetwork. For me, the application process was relatively quick and easy to navigate, completing an application form and partaking in several online assessments. For future students looking to apply, I would advise applying early, giving yourself enough time to complete the application process whilst continuing your studies!
There’s something incredibly inspiring about seeing someone who was in your exact position just a year ago now standing at the front of the room.
That’s exactly what happened at the Solirius Reply workshop on 8 October, when Lucy, a BSc Economics and Management graduate now working as a Digital Consultant at Solirius Reply, returned to Bristol. Not as a final year student frantically navigating applications, but as an employee of the very company whose workshop she attended last year.
Why in-person workshops matter
As Lucy put it in our interview after the event, final year can feel like an endless cycle of applications that “gets very draining.” When you’re reading company website after company website, everything starts to blur together. “Actually having a workshop in person, I thought was so, so useful,” Lucy told me. The chance to meet people from Solirius Reply and hear real stories made all the difference.
What we learnt
The workshop started with a practical exercise: what skills do tech and digital consultants have? We brainstormed together what these roles look like day-to-day, moving beyond the usual “problem-solving” buzzwords.
Then came Exercise 2, where we reflected on our own experiences and identified skills we’d already developed. It’s so easy to think “I haven’t done anything impressive,” but this exercise forced us to realise we’ve been building relevant skills all along, we just hadn’t framed them properly.
Exercise 3 was probably the most valuable part. The team showed us real CVs and interview answers, asking us to guess which candidates progressed. What made applications stand out wasn’t the most impressive experience, it was how well candidates tailored their application and communicated their skills. They walked us through how they assess applications, breaking down behavioural versus competency-based questions.
What really matters
Simon, Senior Business Consultant at Solirius Reply, had a refreshing message: you don’t need fancy corporate internships. He’d worked in a bar and played sports before getting into consulting. What matters is relating your experiences, whatever they are, to the role. “So many skills you can draw from everything you’ve done,” he emphasised.
He also shared how his recruiting perspective has evolved. It used to be about whether he’d want to grab a drink with a candidate, but now it’s: would he put this person in front of a client? Do they fit the company’s ethos?
Eva, Operations & Talent Acquisition Specialist at Solirius Reply, drove home the importance of communication skills, especially for consulting where you’re constantly client-facing. Lucy echoed this: “Communication is key, being able to talk to people, being able to work in groups.” Hearing this from someone who was literally in the audience last year made it feel more achievable.
Lucy’s journey: making the most of Bristol’s Careers Service
After the workshop, I sat down with Lucy to hear more about her journey. One thing became clear: she’d been strategic about using Bristol’s resources. “I tried to really make the most of the Careers Service, especially after speaking to people who’d graduated saying that they wished they’d used it more,” she explained. She attended sessions on career options and CV workshops, which were game-changers. “I think I’d never fully learnt how to actually make a good CV and learn what was important, what to include, what words you should be including,” Lucy said. She realised her CV had been cluttered with unnecessary information, and she’d never properly understood how to structure a cover letter.
She also pointed me towards the AI CV evaluator on mycareer. “I found that so useful because you can put your CV in and you can see what bits are good and what to improve on.” What really struck me was Lucy’s enthusiasm about Bristol’s Careers Service specifically. “I’ve talked to people at other unis and it’s not the same,” she said. “I think the Bristol one in particular is very good.”
What now?
Watching Lucy help run the session she’d attended as a student just a year ago made the path from graduation to employment feel less intimidating. Here’s what I’m taking away:
Use the Careers Service – book those appointments and attend the workshops
Every experience counts – your part-time job, society involvement, and group projects all demonstrate valuable skills
Communication is everything – especially in consulting
Tailor your applications – generic applications don’t cut it
Attend in-person events – reading a website isn’t the same as meeting the people
I’d really recommend attending these employer workshops. And if you haven’t explored Bristol’s Careers Service yet, maybe now’s the time. According to Lucy, we’re lucky to have the resources we do. We might as well use them!
This blog was written by Youssef Haddouch, Business School CareersStudent Ambassador and final year BSC International Business Management student
Hi, I’m Leo. In my third year of studying Computer Science with Innovation, I completed my SME Internship as an App Developer at Kiki, an SME that has created an AI-powered mobile app for family management.
The internship was fully remote, so I could work from home on my laptop and optionally from university when needed. My main task was to use FlutterFlow, a low-code app development tool, to build the calendar and event section of the Kiki app.
Iris Fang, postgraduate student at the University of Bristol shares her experience with the Business School Micro-Internship.
Introduction: Why I Joined This Programme
As a postgraduate student in Management (International Business) at the University of Bristol, I was eager to gain hands-on experience in applying strategic thinking to real-world challenges. That is why I applied for, a short but intensive micro-internship supported and delivered via the Business School Careers Team.
Unlike a traditional internship, this programme placed me in a consulting team composed of students from across the Business School disciplines. The task was to develop a strategic growth plan for a social enterprise client, The Remakery Oxford, a creative organisation focused on sustainability, upcycling, and community engagement.
Project Experience: From Theory to Action
Our client, The Remakery Oxford, operates in the circular economy space, transforming waste materials into meaningful objects while building community resilience. As student consultants, we were asked to propose actionable strategies for the organisation’s future development.
My responsibilities began by conducting market and competitor research, then moved on to a situational analysis using SWOT and PESTLE frameworks. One of the highlights was applying the Ansoff Matrix to generate realistic growth scenarios across four strategic areas: market penetration, product development, market development, and diversification. I collaborated with teammates mapping stakeholder ecosystems (funding bodies and local partnerships, etc.), designing a volunteer engagement strategy and drafting a donor outreach plan based on mission alignment.
Through this project, I sharpened my strategic analysis, stakeholder mapping, and report writing skills. All while learning how to communicate across time zones and disciplines!
Reflection: Lessons and Impact
This experience was a strong reminder that purpose-driven businesses face complex, layered challenges, from operational constraints to market competition. One of the biggest surprises for me was realising how much community-based organisations rely not only on funding, but on volunteer sustainability and public awareness.
Professionally, this internship has helped me:
Gain first-hand exposure to the consulting process, from research to recommendation
Build confidence in delivering work for a real-world client
Deepen my understanding of sustainable business models and social impact strategy
…and most importantly: This project is also a great CV booster for me. I can stress it under “industry project” or “consulting experience” to demonstrate my ability to apply strategic tools in a real client service setting. In interviews, it provides an excellent STAR-style example (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to showcase the teamwork, problem solving and my understanding of the social enterprise model directly. So this project is really helpful in the interviews to build and describe my experience logically.
Advice for Future Participants
If you’re considering applying for the Business School Micro-Internship, here are a few tips:
Treat it like a real consulting project: deadlines, structure, and clarity matter
Be proactive in team communication, especially if you are working remotely
Don’t underestimate the value of small projects; this is real impact work
Whether you are interested in sustainability, consulting, or simply want to apply what you have learned in class to a practical setting, this experience will push you to grow.
The Business School Micro Internship is open to Masters students in the Business School and in 2025/6 is running in February and March. Complete an expression of interest to join this opportunity here.
Ever felt stuck in career limbo? Like you should be doing something to boost your CV, but you’re not sure what? That was me in first year.
I’m Youssef, a University of Bristol student and former Team Leader with 180 Degrees Consulting Bristol. Here’s my journey from Student Consultant to Team Leader.
I was doing well academically, but lectures weren’t giving me the full picture of working life. As someone keen to learn early on, I was always looking for opportunities to apply what I was studying.
180 Degrees Consulting is a student-run consultancy working with charities and social enterprises for free. Students get real consulting experience, and worthy causes get professional-level strategic advice they might not otherwise afford.
My Peer Mentor mentioned it during one of our catch-ups, thinking it might suit me given how eager I was for real-world experience. The best opportunities often come through conversations with people who know you well; exactly why I’d recommend the Peer Mentoring scheme.
Hi, I’m Maisie, a Senior Fire Engineer at OFR Consultants. Fire engineering is a discipline within the built environment – we work with clients, architects, engineers and consultants to bring buildings to life.
I was just starting my final year of an Integrated Masters in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bristol when I realised I needed to decide what I wanted to do next – and honestly I had no idea. I knew what I didn’t like, but wasn’t sure what I did like! I knew I liked talking to people and engaging with real world projects so I started looking at consultancy, found fire engineering by accident and it’s been the best career for me. I love my role and am so glad I ended up here, but looking back I wish I’d had a little confidence in my ‘soft skills’.
The Bristol Skills Accelerator (BSA) programme is designed to help students develop the workplace skills employers are looking for. Through four flexible online modules covering topics such as innovation, business models and leadership, you’ll build practical knowledge at your own pace, from campus or home.
Once you’ve completed the training, you’ll have the chance to apply what you’ve learned through a project placement with a real business or charity. Working in a small interdisciplinary team, you’ll spend around 70 hours across four weeks tackling real-world challenges, gaining valuable experience, and making a meaningful impact.
This month we had The Natural History Consortium on campus to run a City Challenge with us.
City Challenges are a programme of events providing students with the opportunity to engage with charities and social enterprises and support worthwhile organisations, whilst developing skills to improve employability.
By taking part in a City Challenge students gain experience in group working, problem solving, public speaking and presentation, innovative thinking, and community engagement.
Hi! I’m Lottie and I am in 4th year studying French and Spanish. I was recently recruited by an award-winning PR agency in London, through the SME Internship Scheme.
I am so excited about my internship because I feel like this will be a great start to my career journey. Not only will I be further exposed to the marketing industry, but I will get my first taste for corporate life in London!
