Hi, my name is Ella Mead and I started as an intern in the BAS team at the Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland office on 15 November 2023. My last day is 16 February 2024. 

8.20am: Once I get to the office, I swing past the breakroom to make a coffee and grab a cookie from the cookie tin (a sweet little perk). On my way back to my desk, I drop by for a quick chat with my work buddy – she is my go-to for all and any questions I have.

8.30am: Back at my desk I get stuck into doing the work papers for a job from the previous day. If I encounter an area of uncertainty, I reach out to the manager overseeing the project for guidance. They are always willing to help, no matter the question! If the manager is not available, I can ask anyone else in the office, and they are always willing to lend a hand. 

10.30am: Once a month during the internship, I have a scheduled coffee catch-up with my manager. Today we headed to Daily Bread bakery for a coffee alongside a ham and cheese croissant. We spend a while chatting about what we got up to over the Christmas break, and she lets me know about upcoming events within the firm to look forward to. This catch-up is also a time for my manager to check in with how I am progressing with the internship, this is an opportunity for me to let her know if I need extra assistance on anything or have any queries.

12.30pm: The interns also have a weekly training session during lunchtime, so we get a catered lunch! Each week is a presentation from a different service line within the firm, they each give a quick rundown of what they do within the firm, as well as leaving the floor open to us to ask whatever questions we have. Today our presentation is from the financial modelling team. After the presentation finishes all the interns head outside for a quick walk around the city to get some fresh air. The intern group all get on well and we have lunch together most days.

1.30pm: Back at my desk I continue my work from the morning. Once I have completed it, I send it to the manager in charge for review. Following this, I contact the workflow manager to assign me my next task. She also regularly checks in to ensure that I am not too overwhelmed with work and am able to meet upcoming deadlines.

3.30pm: This afternoon, we have the BAS award. It is a quarterly recognition for individuals who have been nominated for their outstanding work within BAS. The recipient for this quarter chose Gelato as their reward, so the whole BAS team were treated to Island Gelato.

5pm: Every Thursday after work is social football! Once the workday wraps up the team heads down to a domain to play football against other firms. It is super fun, very social (I didn’t even know how to play before the first match) and is a really good way to get to know people outside of work time.