Katherine Beeson worked for Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland from November 2024 through to the start of 2025. Here she shares A Day in the Life of her internship, which was split between business advisory and auditing.
I’ve spent the last six weeks in Business Advisory Services and here’s my typical day: Once I’m in the office, its emails and coffee. The team here is very social and most Wednesdays, a few team members head out to grab takeaway coffee. This is a great chance to get some fresh air and socialise with my colleagues.
My work is primarily focused on sustainability where I have been creating annual reports for large forestry companies. This involves a focus on carbon credits and wider sustainability issues. I’ve had a lot of support from my buddy and a few managers regarding this complex accounting, especially as this work is something I’ve never encountered at university. The Business Advisory team are approachable and always keen to answer my questions.
At lunchtime, the interns love to meet up and go for walks round the Viaduct. Even though we work separately on different clients, there is a friendly nature between us all. Today involved the intern lunchtime training where we had a crash course on some Excel skills from a few of our teammates in Business Advisory. Other trainings involve hearing about the different departments that Baker Tilly Staples Rodway operates. It’s been really engaging to hear the impact that they have on the firm and what work they carry out.
After lunch, I shift my focus into the internal sustainability space. Alongside the forestry clients, I have been working closely with Kathryn Cropp, a director who looks after internal sustainability here at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway. After shadowing her for a day and attending the monthly ESG committee meeting, I was able to prepare files for the process of auditing the Toitu status that Baker Tilly Staples Rodway holds. This has been exciting to assess the impact that not only the firm has on the environment but also their clients. I’m super intrigued to see this space develop further and Baker Tilly Staples Rodway create sustainable outcomes for their clients.
Around 3pm, my department has their formal monthly meeting where targets are discussed and workflow is managed. Here, all positions attend from directors all the way down to me. Baker Tilly Staples Rodway Auckland has given me many opportunities to look into the business further to see a broader view of how it operates. It has provided insight on what my future might look like, some well needed direction as I still navigate around where my accounting career will take me.
After Christmas, Katherine also got to enjoy time as an intern on the audit and assurance team. Here's what she had to say...
I’ve spent my final six weeks in Audit and Assurance Services and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it!
Audit and Assurance provides interns the opportunity to travel to client site instantly and gain hands on practical training. I was able to interact with clients within two days of returning to work. Sitting onsite in their boardrooms provides the experience to go to the client directly. Audit and Assurance at Baker Tilly Staples Rodway feels rewarding because by being onsite, you directly see the impact of the service we provide. Even as an intern, I felt supported by my audit team members to perform the best work possible, which is recognised by the client.
Being onsite comes with its perks as you can see directly into a client’s business operations. Currently, I am reconciling cash and performing fraud testing. Further in the audit process, I will have the opportunity to assist with the inventory stocktake, which I am very much looking forward to.
Baker Tilly Staples Rodway is always looking for new ways to develop the professional service they provide to their clients. After lunch, I had the opportunity to sit in on one of the quarterly meetings hosted by managers and senior managers of the Audit and Assurance Service line. This was super insightful to understand the ever-changing environment that audit services sit within, especially since the service is so heavily regulated. In-depth discussions were had around workflow, project management and upholding our professional standard to our clients. Even as an intern, I always feel that my voice can be heard in discussions.
To round off the day, I have a weekly catch-up with the audit team of another one of my clients. This small charity has very few finance staff and relies on us as auditors to not only provide a service but also develop their accounting proficiency and confidence. Baker Tilly Staples Rodway strives to have an ever-lasting impact on their clients, no matter the size.
After work, I enjoy the gym to relax and unwind as well as playing social football every Wednesday with the firm in the domain. Baker Tilly Staples Rodway gives interns many opportunities to get amongst it and meet people you wouldn’t normally interact with on a day to day, which is crucial for my ability to feel comfortable and my development as an intern.