RSM Richter Chamberland Summer Interns

Claire Brottes: Visit to Toronto for a Consulting Mandate

This summer, a number of interns were sent to Toronto to work on client mandates. I was one of six interns who were sent to do consulting work for a client and this was definitely a highlight in my internship. This particular work took place towards the beginning of the summer, so it gave me an opportunity to get to know some of the other students I was going to work with.

As the client had a strict deadline to meet, the workdays were somewhat longer than they are at the office, but the work atmosphere was very laid-back and comfortable. There were approximately a hundred other people from various cities and companies working for this client on the project to which we were assigned, and it was nice to meet and get to know many of them. The work consisted of document reviews: we read through the client’s files and selected all documents relating to an upcoming merger. The documents were diverse in nature and allowed us to learn a fair amount about how the business operates.

Another great part about this trip: the hotel we stayed in was only a short drive from some family members of mine and I was able to pay them a surprise visit!

Caroline Triot: My First Field Assignment

My first field assignment could not have been a better experience. I was quite nervous the night before, but soon realized after arriving that I had worried for nothing.

My team was made up of two other auditors and myself. Being on a small team meant that I had a lot of instructions and a variety of tasks to perform. What made the experience even better was that both my team members had previously been summer students, and could therefore relate to my position.  Before being assigned a task, one of my teammates would give me thorough instructions on what I would be doing. This gave me the confidence I needed to succeed in my work. 

Over the course of the week, I got to know my team well. They shared their experiences with me, giving me insight into the accounting profession. They would also take time to show me what they themselves were working on, so that I could better my understanding of audit responsibilities.

My audit engagement enabled me to apply my accounting knowledge in a more practical environment. This experience was a window to both auditing and public accounting.

Andrew Yas: So many great experiences to choose from!

During my internship at RSM Richter Chamberland, we experienced a ton of things.  So much so, that it is hard to choose a single memorable one.

There was the Cirque Eloize for team-building.  That was a laugh, as we each split into groups, partners included.  From there, we rotated between four different stations.  There was a trapeze which we had to lift ourselves onto in acrobatic fashion.  Second was a unicycle, where we learnt how to gain our balance and ride off (albeit being held steady by others) without taking any harsh tumble.  Third, we learnt how to juggle.  The instructor, although progressing way too fast and losing many of us in the process, tried his best to teach hand-eye co-ordination.  I would say he did a fair job, even though many of us almost ended up getting hit, close call, from flying juggling balls.  In that station as well, there were devil sticks.  If anyone knows anything about devil sticks, things could get ugly.  Luckily we all escaped safely.  The final instructor taught us some sort of cheerleading mixed with gymnastics.  We all got to test our flexibility, and only the strong survived!  In the end we made a very impressive RSM Richter Chamberland pyramid.

To only mention the Cirque Eloize would be a shame.  I had a wonderful time working on an external stage with a great group of people in accounts payable.  They made everything so easy for me, even the hard tasks were fun.  At the end after I helped them clear out what remained of their unapplied credits in accounts payable, I felt accomplished.

There was also tons more, such as a fantastically organized community day, and a great bunch of interns who really showed that different cultures (in this case, francophone and anglophone) could really mesh well and get along!

Natali Chavez-Terrones: My experience in the Tax department

When I started my degree in accounting, I thought that working in this field would be confined to doing audit work. That is why I was happy to learn that I could practice accounting in various fields such as consulting, wealth management and tax, to name just a few. One of the reasons I chose RSM Richter Chamberland is that the firm offered me the possibility to do several internal stages to help me discover the various facets of this profession.

So this summer I was able to do internal practical training sessions and get a better idea of my professional orientation. Even if some people might find it hard to believe, I really enjoyed my internship in the Tax Department! It turned out to be two well filled weeks.

We were three summer interns to start at the same time in that department. We were given a small overview and were introduced to each of our respective teams so that we would not feel too disoriented. The person with whom I had the opportunity to work during those two weeks was able to put me at ease in this relatively unknown world because, even tough I had taken courses in taxation, there is a world of difference between practice and reality. My mentor always made sure that I had enough work to do and trusted me to carry out the projects that she assigned to me. The persons with whom I collaborated were extremely nice and professional. What I really appreciated was the fact that my mentor was always available to answer my questions. Even if at times I had several of them, she never made me feel that they were not relevant. I loved my experience so much that I am now considering specializing in tax at RSM Richter Chamberland.

Émilie Lussier-Carrière: Fundraising

During the very first week with the Firm, we, the summer interns, were given the task of raising funds for The Foundation of Stars, an organization for pediatric research in Québec. We were free to get organized as we wished and to pick our own fund raising activities. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the experience. It was  great to know that our combined efforts would help children, but it was also a good way to get to know the other students through preparation and activities. In addition, we had to get in touch with employees from various departments of the Firm, whom we got to know while we raised awareness for our cause.

Personally, I was able to show leadership at certain times and I really enjoyed the experience, because I felt it was appreciated. For example, during a cocktail, I sold raffle tickets and organized the draw. The atmosphere was festive, everything went smoothly, and the winner even handed his prize money over to the Foundation. After that, I organized a bake sale of goodies made by students and employees. The staff’s response was incredible. We also sold a “pass” allowing employees to wear jeans on Fridays. Since some of us were at clients, meetings were difficult to organize, and Internet communications were essential. With everyone’s cooperation, we were able to collect a substantial amount of money for the Foundation. In the end, everybody came out a winner!

Anand Shastri: Real Estate Audit Mandate

As a summer intern at RSM Richter Chamberland I had the opportunity to work on a real estate audit mandate hardly a week after completing training! At first I was really nervous because I had no idea what to expect. Thankfully, everyone I’ve encountered at the Firm is very reassuring and open to answering questions.

Our audit team held a meeting on the Friday before we were to visit the client. During this time the Supervisor spent an hour and a half explaining every aspect of the audit procedure to me in detail. He gave me an overview of the different types of fraud that could occur in the real estate industry and the subsequent tests and controls we must perform to ensure our client is respecting GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). I spent two weeks at the client’s office where I completed the cash section and the capital assets section of the file. Frankly, I never imagined I would be this involved in the mandate and I was pleasantly surprised with the kind of responsibility I was given. I had a great time working with the other two auditors on the file because they were very helpful and made sure I was doing my job to the best of my ability.

Honestly, I have learned more about auditing this summer than I have in three years at university and I attribute that to the fact that the people here really believe in your abilities and aren’t afraid to give you challenging and rewarding assignments. 

Catherine Poissant-Mercier : My second mandate

My second assignment was a little less "stressful" for me than the first one insofar as I knew what to expect. But every client is different in terms of its industry, its structure, its employees. Monday morning, I arrived at the client, a retail company, with Khurram and Amélie. The people there were friendly and eager to greet us.

From the very beginning, I was well supervised and the work was well explained to me. Throughout the week, I learned a lot, not only about transaction tests, but also about the client’s business. As a French person working at an English client, I had to work hard to learn the vocabulary necessary to perform my job. This assignment was a great experience!

Carl Malo-Bouthillette: A great group of people

One of the things that impressed me most during my internship was the chemistry that developed between interns. Before the internship, I didn’t quite know what to expect, but on the first day, I noticed how quickly relationships can form. Several activities, including attending the Cirque Éloize, our fundraising campaign, Community Day and, of course, happy hour events, helped develop friendships and team spirit between us all.

Most of us come from various parts of Montreal and even elsewhere in Canada; this allowed us to become a diversified yet close-knit group and to learn from one another. I took this opportunity to improve my speaking skills in the language of Shakespeare and, of course, some people decided to do the same with the language of Molière.

Sharing a common journey, we were able to understand and help one another during training sessions and during our various mandates. To rub shoulders with such exceptional people for one full summer was a very important element in making this internship rewarding.

Britt Zaffir : Community Day

On May 28th, all RSM Richter Chamberland employees turned off their laptops, left their suits and ties behind and geared up for Community Day 2009! We were spread throughout the city, lending a hand  wherever help was needed. I chose to join about 20 of my colleagues at Dans La Rue, an incredible organization that serves youth on the street. The day started off with some breakfast and a PowerPoint presentation explaining the nature of the Dans La Rue organization, its mission and summary of operations. Our goal for the day was to help rearrange the warehouse by cleaning up, sorting through clothes and other goods that were scattered around the warehouse, and putting together packages for the Dans La Rue youth. I worked in a team of five to prepare hundreds of cosmetic kits for the street youth, creating different kits for girls and boys, children and teenagers.

Two different aspects helped make the day a great success for me. Firstly, Dans La Rue is a great organization for a very important cause, and I was proud to be a part of something, even if just for one day.  I know we made a big difference. Secondly, the day was an opportunity to meet people from other departments and levels from within RSM Richter Chamberland. Working side by side in the warehouse and eating together as a big group allowed me to meet others that I would not necessarily have had a chance to meet, let alone work with!  Towards the end of the day, our contact from Dans La Rue could not stop thanking us for all our hard work, but ironically I felt as though I needed to thank him for a great day and fantastic learning experience!

Dominique Loiseau: Consulting mandate in Toronto

Shortly after our training, I was sent to Toronto with five other summer interns for a 9-day consulting mandate. This was actually my first experience in the field and I have to admit that I was a little nervous. We joined a very big team of engineers, accountants, consultants and lawyers from across Canada and the United States. The work involved reviewing each and every paper and electronic document of a company in order to identify those that were relevant to the topics identified beforehand. The final report would then be used by the Competition Bureau for its investigation.

The schedule was full and the deadlines tight. We had breakfast, lunch and supper together. In this stimulating environment, I had the opportunity to meet all these people, get to know them and develop closer ties with my five colleagues from RSM Richter Chamberland. Finally, it gave me a great opportunity to practice and improve my English.