Price Kong Internship Program

SAMUEL: The best piece of advice I received during my internship at Price Kong was to choose what you are really passionate about. My audit manager and I had a conversation comparing the Big 4 firms and non-Big 4 firms. Each firm has their perks. Big 4 firms have the prestige and reputation. Non-Big 4 firms have a better work-life balance and allow auditors starting their careers to see an entire audit engagement from start to finish, while at Big 4 firms your work is more focused on a couple of sections.

MOYRA: I received a lot of advice from staff, managers, and partners. I was advised to always be aware of the details and be conscious of the time, as well as tips about the industry. But the best piece of advice I was told was to take advantage of all of the opportunities awarded to me. I am fortunate enough to have worked with a firm who had people from all walks of life and had plenty of priceless experiences and lessons to share with me. When I was uncertain of my educational and career paths, I was able to gain insight to what these professionals did to get where they are now. Their journeys helped me plan my own.

SAMUEL: I learned that Price Kong serves a wide variety of clients and industries. In addition, I got to see a more in-depth focus of the firm’s work with the cannabis industry.

MOYRA: I did not know the type of clients that I would be working on. I thought I would be mostly working on really simple returns but I was working on complex individuals with schedule Cs or multiple K1s. It really opened my eyes to the type of work accountants actually do. It also made me realize that even smaller local firms still handle pretty big clients from all over the US.

SAMUEL: Given the COVID-19 Pandemic, I had to start my internship online. Steps were taken by the audit team members to introduce themselves to me, and help me become familiar with the audit software. In April, when employees were encouraged to work in the office, my audit team members would take me out for lunch. Also, my audit team members helped introduce me to others working in the firm.

MOYRA: From the beginning, everyone stopped by the office to introduce themselves and made sure I knew where to find them if I had any questions. After that, I felt really comfortable talking with everyone about any questions I had, or even if I wanted to pick their brains. I was invited to a few lunches with everyone to solidify my place within the firm and get to know everyone better.

SAMUEL: I met with the internship supervisor to discuss how my internship experience was going at the firm. My audit team members were helpful in training and teaching me new tasks that I had to learn in order to complete my work.

MOYRA: The tax work does not have a set instruction booklet but on our first day, we were able to enter a mock return to get familiar with the systems and software that PK uses. Nicole made a user guide for the software as well. If we ever had any questions, everyone we asked was more than willing to answer them.

SAMUEL: I would tell other students to definitely consider Price Kong when considering an internship. It is a great place to work and learn. You have the opportunity to learn from audit team members. There is a wide number of industries and engagements that you are exposed to. From my time at Price Kong, I completed a task for 25 audit engagements. You get to see the entire audit cycle from start to finish, which is helpful in learning what audit is all about. Also, there are catered meals during busy season, which is a huge plus.

MOYRA: Don’t get too caught up in the buzz surrounding the Big 4 or other international firms. The community at small firms is often times tighter and you will be able to be in close contact to all of the levels of management. Compared to any of the Big 4 where you might only be able to ask your direct manager or staff questions, Price Kong allowed me to see each step of the process.

SAMUEL: I would describe Price Kong’s culture as friendly, team oriented, and hardworking. My audit team members were helpful in answering my questions.

MOYRA: I would describe PK’s culture as open, inviting, helpful, and somewhere where everyone is willing to help everyone grow. No one is too caught up in their own workload to the point where they would not be willing to help someone else if they need it. If all of the staff were busy then I felt comfortable enough to ask the managers for help. If all of the managers were ever too busy then I knew I could go to the partners for help.

SAMUEL: Overall, I enjoyed working with my audit team members, and becoming secure in knowing that I would like to start my career as an auditor. I had uncertainty about whether I wanted to start off in audit or tax; however, this experience allowed me to see that I liked audit and the different opportunities that the industry offers.

MOYRA: The thing that I enjoyed most about my time with PK is definitely the people. You can prepare taxes with anyone at any firm of any size but the people at PK are the nicest, friendliest, most helpful people I have ever had the pleasure of working with. If I ever was having an issue on a particularly difficult return or even something in my personal life, I knew I could always ask for help.

SAMUEL: Thank you to all the Price Kong staff for making my experience enjoyable!

MOYRA: It was funny to me when the staff would come into my office and ask me to scan, input, or file something and then apologize for asking me to do it. My job as an intern was to do whatever was needed of me whenever they needed it so I always let them know that there was no reason to apologize; it was in my job description to help them in whatever they needed. If that doesn’t say something about the level that they respect everyone’s time, even the intern’s, then I don’t know what does.