Building a better working world with EY’s Graduate Programme

As the largest professional services firm on the island of Ireland, EY Ireland offers a range of award-winning graduate programmes across all areas of its business and applications for the EY 2024 Graduate Programme are now open.

Attracting, developing and retaining the best graduate talent is a key part of EY Ireland’s ongoing success, with roles available across assurance (audit), taxation, business, people and technology consulting, strategy and transactions (corporate finance).

In addition, it is expanding opportunities in the areas of AI, data analytics, cybersecurity, law and health, so there is a wider range of options for graduates looking to kickstart their career.

“EY Ireland is looking for students who are ambitious, inquisitive and forward thinking,” said Sinead Byrne, EY Ireland student strategy lead. “We welcome applications from a huge variety of courses and disciplines, and not only business and accounting. No matter what your background is, we are looking for talented people to join us from disciplines such as technology, science, engineering, law, arts and humanities and more.”

According to EY people partner Niamh O’Beirne, the opportunities available on the EY Graduate Programme are unmatched.

“At EY Ireland, our purpose is to build a better working world, and all of our people – from graduates to partners – are at the heart of this,” she said. “Our goal is to be the number one firm for people experience to match our number one market position for professional services on the island of Ireland.

“We are unmatched in the market in terms of the scale and depth of world-class career opportunities on offer here and we remain a powerful magnet for the best and brightest talent on this island. This is something we are very proud of and that we work hard to maintain.

“If you want a hyper-accelerated, multifaceted career, working with the biggest and most exciting global and local companies, EY Ireland is where you want to be. Last year alone we promoted or progressed over 1,000 of our people across all of our offices, across all levels, as we continue to grow and hire at pace.

“We know that our focus on learning and development and our exceptional employee benefits, as well as our client-centric focus in all that we do, make us a stand-out employer of choice in the market.”

Byrne said that ensuring every new starter was supported through both the learning phase and into their future career was key to the ongoing success of the programme.

“We are team players with a genuine people culture, and we want to support our graduates’ and employees’ lives and career goals from the start,” she said. “At EY, our purpose is to build a better working world – because, in a world which is more uncertain than ever, our purpose acts as our North Star, guiding our more than 400,000 people globally — providing the context and meaning for the work we do every day.

“At EY, we have built an environment which has a diverse and inclusive culture, and we are committed to recruiting diverse talent in terms of background, experience, skillset and ethnicity and creating an environment which promotes diversity of thought, background and personality – in essence, a place where our people can bring their whole self to work.

“We believe that a better working world is one where economic growth is sustainable and inclusive and we work continuously to improve the quality of all our services, investing in our people and innovation.

“In addition to this, we are proud to work with others – from our clients to wider stakeholders – to use our knowledge, skills and experience to create long-term value and positive change for our clients, people and society.”

With almost 5,000 people and ten vibrant offices located in six cities – Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford and Belfast – EY offers opportunities right across the island of Ireland. EY’s flexible working programme, EY Hybrid, is accessible to all EY employees. This, says Byrne, is another factor that shows how the company is constantly striving to improve the working environment for its employees.

“We continue to operate a hybrid working model where graduates and all of the firm’s employees are able to enjoy the flexibility of working on client sites, at home and in the office,” she said.

She says there is a competitive nature to securing a place on EY’s graduate programme and encourages anyone interested in applying to do so as soon as possible.

“The EY Graduate Programme is extremely competitive, so we encourage all those interested to submit their applications as soon as possible to avoid disappointment,” she said. “With applications opening in late August each year, the selection and interview process will run from late October to November.”

Applicants are asked to submit one application form and CV, followed by a one-stage interview process with the EY leadership team from their selected Graduate Programme. Candidates interested in becoming part of EY’s 2024 Graduate Programme are invited to complete their online application today at www.ey.com/en_ie/careers. Applications close October 18, 2023, at 5pm.