Shane Cornuet
Accounting – Geneva College
When I accepted an internship with the Tax Services Group at GYF, I had an idea of what to expect during busy season, but I could not have predicted what was coming. While in college, you mostly take classes on the subjects and topics you enjoy, but few courses can prepare you for the realities of the public accounting profession. In college classes we discussed material I might commonly encounter after school, but I generally worked at my own pace while completing homework and other various assignments. Life as a tax intern was very different from college classes.
An intern’s work/life can be stressful and difficult, especially in the heart of busy season when you are spending 10-12+ hours at the office, and the tax deadline is approaching faster every day! However, the willingness of every employee at GYF to take the time to help is simply astounding. From partner to first year staff to administrative assistants, everyone is willing to assist you in completing any task in which you need help. Everyone takes the time to ask how your day is going or see how you are doing.
The people at GYF truly do care about you as a person, just as much as they care about the work that needs to be completed – and that is surely something to covet in an employer.
Being able work somewhere with a culture that is so welcoming and team-oriented makes the long days of busy season enjoyable. Working in an environment that promotes and executes high levels of cooperative spirit and attention to detail helps even the most difficult tax returns move along seamlessly.
GYF treats every one of their interns like staff rather than an “intern.” The work you will be assigned will be actual work (YES, real tax returns for real people) – you will not be stuck stuffing envelopes or going on coffee runs; rather, they train you to prepare a variety of different tax returns. Doing tax return examples from your college textbooks or VITA program are great initial experiences, but in order to gain a true understanding of the real public accounting profession I highly recommend working as a busy season tax intern at GYF. I could not be happier or more satisfied with the knowledge and experience I have gained!
