What do you get out of being an intern at BKL? Let’s ask someone who knows first-hand.
Lewis Dunn joined us in our London office in Summer 2017 for a six-week internship. It was arranged through Career Ready. Lewis explains how its programme works:
‘Career Ready aims to help young people aged 16-17 to develop employability skills and knowledge about the various careers open to us. We are matched with a mentor and undertake masterclasses which focus on a certain skill needed in the professional working environment.
During the summer we are expected to complete a four to six-week internship/work experience at a business.’
We’ve worked with Career Ready for a few years, and with Woodhouse College where Lewis is a student. BKL could have been a default choice, but Lewis’ application showed us why our firm appealed to him:
‘I believe that an internship with BKL will provide me with invaluable experience in my potential future career as well as develop my knowledge on accounting, tax, audit, etc.’
‘Nothing short of amazing’
Six weeks later, had we delivered? We invited Lewis to tell us about his time with us. We couldn’t help sneaking a spoiler into that subheading, but here is the full story:
‘My Career Ready Internship at BKL has been nothing short of amazing!
After finishing my first year at Woodhouse College, I really wanted to gain practical experience in the working world and find out more about accountancy and tax.
During my internship at BKL, I have received the foundation of what is involved in personal tax for individuals and businesses through collating information about clients, and assisting in the completion of self-assessment tax returns and P11Ds using specialist databases and software.
Through my studies at Woodhouse College, I have developed an interest in accounting and a career ambition to become a chartered accountant; this experience has helped me understand the various routes I can take to reach that status.
The opportunity has been extremely helpful because it has given me the chance to gain hands-on experience in an office environment, working with colleagues across a variety of departments and levels of seniority.’
Here’s Lewis (third from left) with some of our personal tax team: Paul, Joe and Shetal.
‘Friendly and welcoming’
Lewis sums up his experience:
‘The culture at BKL is warm, friendly and welcoming, which meant I never felt like a newbie despite my age and was challenged throughout my time here.
After I complete my last year at college, I hope to return to BKL to begin my AAT qualification and join the family again!’
We were delighted to build on Lewis’ interest in accountancy and enable him to have such positive experiences. Here’s hoping that his last day at BKL was only his last day for the moment.
At the same time, we hope to welcome even more interns and work experiencers. We’re proud to provide a culture that brings out the best in accountancy and our team.
Read more about Lewis’ experience on the Woodhouse College website.
Getting results
Finally, if you’re reading this after receiving your A-level results, we hope you got the outcome you wanted. Or perhaps you know a school leaver who’s just got theirs. As they think about their next steps, we hope you’ll suggest us. From the experiences of interns and employees alike, we know that the best results are a B, a K and an L.
We have more on our website about school leaver recruitment and what it’s like to work here. And if you’d like further information, we’d be happy to hear from you via our dedicated email address.