Tate & Tryon Careers in Public Accounting – An Intern’s Perspective

It is really the end?

 For many interns the conclusion of an internship is a sigh of relief; no more coffee runs, late hours, filing or mundane tasks to accomplish. The interns leave the building feeling like they have successfully learned how to make an excellent cup of coffee and nothing else. Upon leaving my last day of work, I can guarantee that relief is not the emotion that I will be experiencing. As I look back over the summer, I realize the privilege that I had to work with Tate & Tryon. I was treated as though I was a member of the firm with similar challenging workloads, training sessions, deadlines, and most of all a strong level of trust. As an intern, the tendency is to always have someone looking over your shoulder and checking every little detail to ensure that everything is done absolutely perfect. At Tate & Tryon, you are taught how to accomplish the task and then expected to complete the task in a timely manner. Now of course there are checks and balances in place, but still there is a high level of confidence that is placed in the interns.

Over the past 8 weeks, I have had the opportunity to work in the outsourced accounting services department. This branch of accounting is foreign to many newly graduated accountants. Many professors in college push their students to either the audit or tax fields of accounting; very few ever mention outsourcing as an alternative. Outsourced Accounting services department allows accountants to break beyond the wall of audit or tax and into an entirely different field. Do not get me wrong, both audit and tax are very interesting and crucial in our world today, but I would just like to bring light to another option. Outsourcing allows students to work with numerous accounting systems and a variety of clients. Outsourcing gives the opportunity to utilize the core structure of accounting as well as having the chance to build relationships with the clients beyond the time limit of a few consecutive weeks. It is a wonderful option for those who are looking in public accounting for something maybe a little bit different than audit or tax.

All in all, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with Tate & Tryon and the Outsourced Accounting department. I have gained priceless experience and knowledge that I will carry throughout the rest of my career. Thank you Tate & Tryon for a wonderful summer!

 

Katie Lust

Liberty University

Last Day

It's my last day as a T&T intern and I can honestly say I'm sad to see it end.  I've learn so much and been so many places in these past eight weeks that it would be hard to put it all in just one blog, so I will make this brief.

Throughout the internship, I have worked on many different engagements such as the National Association of Broadcasters, National Rural Letters Carriers Association, and the Professional Landcare Network.  I think working on all of these different engagements and having a diverse experience at each one is what sets this internship apart from most.  I have had friends at other companies tell me the kind of work they were doing in their internships.  The majority had been doing stereotypical intern work.  That’s definitely not the case if you are interning at T&T.  I was given tasks that many of the staff members do every day and it made my experience both challenging and fun.  The managers and partners at T&T have been working hard to improve this program with every summer that comes along and you can definitely tell.  It was well organized and I could tell that T&T wanted its interns to see the "whole picture".

One of the most impressive things I witnessed while at this firm came when the interns got a chance to sit down and have lunch with Charlie Tate and Mike Tryon.  By the end of the lunch, I could see why everyone at T&T loves being here.  I could tell they were passionate people, but more so, I could tell that they were genuinely interested in what younger generations had to say about "how we work" and the accounting profession in general.  While they are the leaders at T&T, they seem to always want input from their employees and really care about the welfare of the T&T culture and brand.

The most fun part of the internship was meeting and working with people who are both employees and clients of T&T.  Between Audit Fun Day, Intern Fun Day, and other company activities like softball (shout out to Coach Jason and the 5 and 1 T&T softball team) I have seen both the work and play side of this great firm.  The people who work at T&T are second to none and it was a pleasure to have worked with them.

I can't say enough about the program and the firm, so I'll stop here, but I can guarantee that anyone who interns at T&T will not be disappointed.

Patrick Stoltzfus
Virginia Tech

And now... this is the end.

Wow, it is hard to believe that it has already been 8 weeks and the internship is just about over.  I feel like just yesterday I was trying to open the lobby’s front door wondering why I couldn’t get in or if I was even at the right place.  Now I feel like a professional auditor, commuting on the metro every day, working 9 to 5, traveling around the DC area for different clients, and working with all different kinds of people.  But yet, it is coming to a close and this is my last day and now it is time to reflect.

For me, this internship has far exceeded my expectations in more ways than one.  Honestly, I came in not knowing what to expect, having little knowledge of how an auditing firm actually worked.  Yes, I have my degree in accounting, and that is the foundation necessary to begin a career in accounting, but through the experiences this internship offered I was able to apply that knowledge.  Sometimes being in a classroom can get tough and monotonous when you don’t see how it is useful, especially for me as a “hands on” learner.  I learn by doing, so being able to actually go through the steps of auditing cash, or creating schedules of net assets, or starting a tax return from scratch and seeing it all come together and balance was so beneficial to me as an accounting student.  I was able to get a glimpse of the bigger picture and see the practical reasons for the things that I learned in school.

Specifically for me I was able to do a wide variety of things, which always kept me on my toes.  One week I would be in the office working on the planning side of an audit to then be out in a different part of the city actually auditing a client, to then helping a different company in their accounting department  prepare for an audit, to then starting and completing tax returns.  Although, at times it was hard to go from just beginning to feel comfortable in what I was doing to the next week doing something totally different, looking back I wouldn’t have traded it because of how it challenged me and what I learned from it.

And Tate & Tryon was such a great place to experience all this mainly because of the people.  Everyone I worked with treated me as an employee and trusted me with a lot of responsibility, but at the same time they were always willing to help and answer any and every question I had and made me feel welcome, inviting me to lunch, getting me to play softball (which was a blast and I wish I had joined sooner), and being interested in what I had to say.  Even when I had, at times, no idea what I was doing, they were there always there to help which I greatly appreciated and they made my experience that much better.

Thank you T&T!
Sara Whitney

Not all work & definitely some play...

I’m baffled that eight weeks have come and gone. I’m no longer that intern who accidently came to DC an hour earlier on the first day, not knowing what to expect. Though, to some extent, the not knowing part still exists (it’s a good thing!). That’s one of the fun aspects of working in this field. There isn’t really a way to build a mundane routine. For example, every two weeks I learned how to operate a different coffee machine (Flavia is my favorite so far – it has an option for creating foamy drinks)! How many office jobs will allow you to do that? :)

After having gone on audits, it’s difficult to imagine a job where you come to the same cubicle on a daily basis, see the exact same people, do the exact same thing. Each client makes you react and perform in a different way. Sometimes that may be frustrating, but it keeps things interesting. Whenever I told my friends that I went to different places every other week, they were amazed that the ACCOUNTING major of all majors isn’t sitting in a little dark corner having fun with a calculator.

Actually, this summer T&T made sure we weren’t stuck in a little dark corner and were having a good time in between all the learning. Fourth of July weekend the entire audit department went on a boat ride for a couple of hours. The benefit of having that scheduled in the middle of the internship was that the interns got to meet everyone. Since people are always out on different assignments, it’s hard meeting your co-workers. We also got a chance to go to a National’s baseball game one afternoon and mingle. Other than that, the interns also had an opportunity to have a long lunch with Mike & Charlie. They asked us some great questions and shared their experiences. If anything, it showed that if you really make an effort, you can get anywhere you want & that accounting is the best field in the whole wide universe :)

Above all, one thing this internship has done is create a strong desire to excel and motivated me to set high expectations for myself as far as my career is concerned. Being around individuals who aren’t that much older than you and are generally happy & successful is helpful in pushing you towards the right direction. Not every firm will have that kind of an effect. Talking to people and asking them about their experiences helped me set standards for myself & learn from their success and difficulties. What more can you ask for from an internship?

Nausheen Yusuf
George Mason University

The Finale

Well, I am within my last three hours with the Tate & Tryon internship program.  As I wind up auditing investments for the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) and A/P for the National Recreation & Park Association (NRPA), I cannot help but reflect on how much I have enjoyed my eight weeks.  In this short time, I have gone from knowing next to nothing about an audit and needing help with every step to being able to audit entire sections of the financial statements efficiently and effectively.

T&T has challenged me in ways that are novel in the world of internships.  While my closest friends at SU were filling coffee and doing simple data entry into spreadsheets, I was working closely with the T&T staff to complete audits as if I were a seasoned staff member myself.  The typical "intern jobs" were very limited, and I usually found myself very engaged and challenged.  The challenging environment in which you are treated like a staff member and not an intern really allows you to grow quickly and appreciate the field of public accounting.

T&T was not all work; I think a primary aspect of the firm that separates it from others is the social culture.  Everything from happy hours to softball games to the audit fun days has been a great supplement to the work environment.  The office culture is very conducive to making friends and light discussions amongst work, and everyone here is ready to have a good time.

To conclude, I could not have imagined a better internship experience.  The metropolitan area is phenomenal and full of things to see and do, the people are generally very warm and friendly, and, of course, the internship itself was something that I could not have imagined been so well designed.

Dan Martin
Susquehanna University

4 Weeks In

Wow, four weeks into my internship and I feel like I've learned so much, and yet, have so much more to learn here at T&T.  My name is Patrick Stoltzfus and I am going into my senior year at Virginia Tech.  For starters, I just want to say how much I am enjoying Tate & Tryon.  I can tell it is a company that has great respect for its employees and it is definitely reflected in the work environment.  Everyone gets along and seems to enjoy working here.  It has been a pleasure to work with and get to know my co-workers and I couldn’t ask for a better group of people to learn from.   They always take time to teach me and answer my questions no matter how busy they are.  

So far, I have spent the last 3 weeks at client sites where I have audited cash, accounts payable, prepaids, and fixed assets, just to name a few.  I have also done journal entry testing, worked on the management representation letter, as well as, the conflict of interest test-work.  While I have learned a lot, I have found that the auditing classes I've taken at school have allowed me jump in to each task knowing the terminology of auditing and the assertions being tested with each different task.  I think that being able to understand the underlying concepts of what I’m doing has helped me tremendously. 

The T&T internship experience has far exceeded my expectations and I am very enthusiastic about the next four weeks.

Patrick Stoltzfus
Virginia Tech

Third Week

It is hard to believe, but I have just begun my third week at Tate & Tryon as an audit intern and I have done so much already.  But first of all, I'd like to introduce myself.  My name is Sara and I just graduated with a BS in Accounting and Information Systems from Virginia Tech.  Next year I am on to get my Masters in Accounting also at Virginia Tech so I hope this summer will be a great time to get some real world accounting experience before I'm done with school. 

These last couple weeks have already been a great start to achieving that hope because of how much learning I have already done and experience I have already received.  I have done a wide variety of work, everything from footing financial statements to completing Form 990s.  It’s been an adjustment getting used to the 9 to 5 everyday work schedule and the commute on the metro, but it’s been well worth it and I’m excited for the weeks to come.

Sara Whitney
Virginia Tech

8 Days & Counting

I have officially been part of T&T for 1.5 weeks and it has most definitely been interesting. Although I live in Northern VA, I hardly visted DC and rarely used the metro system. I can't say that anymore. Within my first week I experienced the difficulties of the DC metro system and learned how bomb threats can shut down Pentagon and make you an hour late to work. That was a lot of fun.

Aside from that little hiccup, T&T has been great so far. People here are so friendly and the atmosphere is great. Having worked in other offices before, T&T is definitely one of the best environments I have come across. Everyone is willing to answer questions (there are many...) and offer information in order to help me understand what I'm doing. So far what has really impressed me is the focus the firm places on its employees. From softball tournaments to an upcoming Audit Fun Day, it's easy to see that the firm appreciates everyone who works here.

I started my first audit this week & have had the opportunity to run tests on cash, PP&E, A/P, & A/R accounts. It helps a lot when your audit team members explain why you're conducting a certain test. My first audit still isn't over, so I'm anxious to see what's in store for me! I've only spent a couple days at the client's office and have already learned a lot. Doesn't matter how many courses you complete in school, the hands on experience is something completely different and offers a whole new learning experience.

Nausheen Yusuf
George Mason University

T&T Week 1 in Retrospect

Hey everyone!

My name is Dan Martin and I'm from the Harrisburg area in central PA.  As a rising senior at Susquehanna University about an hour north of Harrisburg, I was very excited to accept my offer as an intern here at Tate & Tryon.  I loved the people I met the day of my interview, and the first week has reaffirmed my notions that the people are what make the firm so great.  My first week has been both challenging and rewarding all at the same time.

The internship stereotype is that you do mundane tasks for a few weeks such as fill your supervisor's coffee and file papers all day.  Well, T&T is not the typical internship.  My second day I was already out at a client auditing their expense accounts.  By day 4, I was preparing financial statements and working as a fully functional member of my audit team.  My first week was much more than I expected, and I loved the opportunity to contribute to the audit team right away.

Another great aspect of the internship I noted was just how much the interns are appreciated.  My audit team took me out for lunch and invited me to a happy hour during my last day with them.  They frequently challenged me and prepared me to continue being a successful inten and begin being a successful accounting professional.  The whole experience from week 1 has been great!

My First Three Weeks with Tate & Tryon

     First, a brief introduction is in order. My name is Katie Lust and I am a graduating senior at Liberty University located in Lynchburg, Virginia. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Accounting, after which I plan on immediately beginning graduate school for a Masters in accounting (in order to gain my 150 required hours for the CPA exam).

     Before beginning an outsourced accounting internship with Tate & Tryon, I found myself to be a little bit nervous and unknowing of the challenges to come. Starting out an hour ahead of time on that first day, and after walking around the block a few times, I finally found my way to the 4th floor of 2021 L Street. My nerves were instantly washed away when I was met with friendly faces from everyone. Not only was everyone very friendly and eager to help, but the overall attitude in the office was positive while still maintaining a highly productive, goal oriented mind set.

     Working in the outsourced accounting department has allowed me the opportunities to go out in the field and gain hands on experience. Tate & Tryon makes it a point to be set apart in the development of their internship program. Every member of the Tate and Tryon team makes it a goal to ensure that the interns are not only learning about the various fields of accounting, but also have the ability to grow through firsthand experience. As an intern, this dedication to the upcoming generation of accountants and business professionals has been very important to me. Only three weeks into this internship, I not only have applied what I have learned in the classroom, but I have also gained valuable experience and understanding of what a ‘real world’ accountant does. Now I am eagerly looking forward to the challenges that may arise throughout the rest of this summer!

Katie Lust
Liberty University