Anna Lelashvili 

Finding an internship can be difficult, especially when you are not a ‘penultimate student’.  I know this from first hand experience which is why I decided to bring to light top companies hiring non-penultimate students in Dublin, interviewing previous interns about their hiring experiences. From Finance to HR, here are 3 companies to consider applying to if you are in your second year of college.

1. Deloitte 

Background: Deloitte is one of the Big 4 Accountancy firms with over 3,200 people providing audit, tax, consulting and corporate finance services to public and private clients in Ireland. Deloitte placed 4th in the GradIreland student survey which identified the top 100 graduate employers in Ireland. They hired over 200 summer interns in 2023!

David Dai – Audit Summer Intern 2023

Having an interest in the Big 4 and becoming a Chartered Accountant after graduation, David applied to Audit Summer Intern positions in all the Big 4 firms (Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PWC). Following an application process which consisted of an online application and an interview with a Senior Manager and an Assistant Manager, David received offers from Deloitte and EY. When faced with the choice of spending his summer with either firm, David decided to choose Deloitte. 

“Deloitte had more well-known clients in my area of interest, Aviation Finance, so I would have a chance to serve these clients. I also thought Deloitte was a better place to develop myself.” 

Speaking very highly of his internship experience, David shared an example to really showcase the friendliness he was met with at Deloitte. After being given a task he “had no clue” how to do, David asked the associate on his team for help. Still not 100% sure how to complete the task, David was not afraid to ask for more help and asked someone sitting next to him, whom he did not know, to explain it to him. 

“Everyone was here to help you. In Deloitte, you could go to a Senior Manager or even a Partner and ask them questions and they’ll be happy to answer. It’s a very friendly firm, very good team environment.” 

David was very determined to learn as much as he could during his time in Deloitte and took full advantage of being on a small team. 

“I was asking for a new task right after I finished a task. I was in a small team the whole Summer, with 3 – 5 people in the team, so I worked closely with my senior manager. It was a very steep learning curve but I really had great fun doing my internship in Deloitte” 

2. Fidelity International 

Background: Fidelity International is an investment management firm, offering investment solutions and retirement expertise to institutions, individuals and their advisers around the world. With roles including Equity Research, Multi Asset, Private Credit, Sustainable Investing, and Sales and Marketing, there’s a role for anyone interested in finance!

Jane Purcell – Summer Intern 2023

Having received an offer to study in Korea for her third year of college, Jane decided to apply to Summer Internships in order to finance her exchange, as well as to gain professional work experience. Jane described her difficulty in finding internships open to students who were not penultimate year students, until Fidelity International reached out to her, encouraging her to apply. 

“The internship at Fidelity International caught my eye as it offered a rotational programme. I thought it would be cool to get an insight into two areas of interest and find out whether I liked them.”

After filing in the application form and completing online assessments, Jane was told that her application wasn’t being considered. However, a few weeks later, she received an email from Fidelity explaining that they had accidentally rejected her and invited her to a Super Day in 2 days time!

“The Super Day consisted of several interviews, a case study within a group and then an individual synopsis of the case study. It honestly flew by and I found out I had been successful within a few days.”

One of Jane’s highlights was her ability to arrange ‘one on one chats’ with people such as the Head of Product and Head of Currency Management. 

“I really enjoyed my time at Fidelity. There were only 8 other interns so it was nice to have a close team. We all worked on different teams and were given the opportunity to shadow different teams too if we so wished. Overall, it was a great experience to work at Fidelity and to get my first taste of the corporate world.” 

3. Autodesk 

Background: Autodesk is a global leader in software for architects, builders, engineers, designers, manufacturers, 3D artists and production teams. According to an analysis of reviews on Glassdoor by resume.io, Autodesk ranks 3rd in tech companies to intern with, which was ranked by the percentage of interns that would recommend it to a friend, totalling 97.44% of interns recommending the firm. 

Aanya Narang – HR Summer Intern 2023

“Providing a glimpse into my internship journey, I interned at Autodesk Ireland during the summer of 2023 in the capacity of a Human Resources Intern. The internship, overall, turned out to be one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Apart from acquiring invaluable skills in the field of Human Resources, I also made lifelong connections. The commendable company culture left a strong impression on me, with the people being exceptionally welcoming and supportive. I would definitely recommend Autodesk to students seeking internships. For those navigating the application process, I would advise researching the company and the role beforehand and simply presenting your authentic self during the interview process.”

Links to Internship Applications: 

Deloitte: Apply Here! 

Fidelity International: Apply Here! 

Autodesk: Apply Here!