Isla Millar

MA (Hons)

Qualified CA

  • Degree
  • Accountancy and Finance at Heriot-Watt University
  • Location
  • Dundee

Completing a summer placement with EQ helped me to choose my career path, as before I wasn’t even sure I wanted to work in an office. I was fortunate enough to be offered a job at the end of the internship which really helped me when going back to do my fourth year, as I did not have the added stress of trying to find a job. You never know what opportunities an internship could open up for you.

Where and what did you study at University?
I studied a MA (Hons) in Accountancy and Finance at Heriot-Watt.

Why did you choose to apply to EQ Accountants to undertake an internship?
I studied accountancy and finance at university but never actually had any practical experience therefore I thought a placement would allow me to see if I wanted to pursue this profession as a career.  I thought that EQ would be a firm well-suited to me as their Forfar office has a great agricultural client base which is something I am very interested in.  I felt I would get the best insight into a career in accounting if I combined two of my main interests.

What is a normal day like as an intern?
I got to work in a variety of different jobs with different types of business structures, such as sole traders, partnerships and companies. This meant that I got to use a lot of different software packages, including Caseware, Sage, Farmplan and Farmdata, not to mention the odd manual cashbook.  This was a good opportunity to gain experience with these different packages as they would hopefully be used in the future. It was also great to gain an understanding of the practicality of accounting which assisted me in fourth year when completing my dissertation.

What did you enjoy most about being an intern at EQ?
When I started, one of the first things I noticed was the welcoming working environment, everybody was so friendly.  This made it very easy to ask questions which meant I could make the most out of my placement as it helped me understand every challenge I came across. I also liked the level of responsibility I was given, I never imagined I would be completing business accounts with being there for such a short period of time.

What did you find the most surprising during your time as an intern with EQ?
Previously, I thought I may have got bored working in an office but this was definitely not the case; I was surprised by how quickly the time passed each day and the eight weeks just flew in. As mentioned before, each job was different so there was always a new challenge to get stuck into.

What 3 qualities do you think a student looking for an internship needs to have if they are to be successful?
I think you have to be friendly to get along with both co-workers and clients, it will make it easier for you to fit into the office quicker and enjoy the placement more. It is also important to have good work ethic and be willing to learn as you will gain so much knowledge in a short period of time. It is beneficial to be determined, there is always going to be times where you get a difficult job and come across things you don’t understand, I think it is vital to not give up as this is one of the best ways you can learn in practice.

Do you have any advice for those interested in applying for our student internship vacancies this year?
Go for it!  Completing a summer placement with EQ helped me to choose my career path, as before I wasn’t even sure I wanted to work in an office. I was fortunate enough to be offered a job at the end of the internship which really helped me when going back to do my fourth year, as I did not have the added stress of trying to find a job. You never know what opportunities an internship could open up for you.