KPMG audit internships: work, recruitment and advice

An audit internship at KPMG is not just about “checking numbers”. The team seeks to understand whether financial and non-financial information gives a reliable picture of the organisation being audited. For an intern, that means learning a method, documenting work and asking the right questions.

What does an audit intern actually do?

Responsibilities depend on the time of year, client portfolio and your level. You may help review accounting cycles, test supporting documents, document controls, analyse variations and prepare summaries for the team.

KPMG France’s Audit page also mentions data, automation and IT audit. The profession therefore extends beyond manually checking samples. That does not remove the fundamentals: understand a process, maintain a clear audit trail and flag a discrepancy rather than explaining it away too quickly.

Skills sought

KPMG highlights candidates with four or five years of higher education from business schools, engineering schools or universities, with critical thinking, analytical ability, teamwork and an interest in technology or environmental issues. This framework is broad; your application needs to make it concrete.

Managing a society’s finances can show attention to supporting documents. A data project can show your ability to clean and check a dataset. A student job can illustrate reliability during a busy period. Choose evidence resembling the day-to-day work.

Tailor your CV

Highlight courses and experience related to accounting, control, information systems or data analysis. Avoid a list of modules without context, however. Two lines about a serious project are better than eight course titles.

For example: “Reconciled sales from three systems and identified 27 coding discrepancies before the monthly close.” This shows control, data and a result. Use a number only if it is real.

For a first experience, you can also explain a progression: discovering accounting, completing a practical project, then seeking an internship to apply that foundation across several companies.

The recruitment process

KPMG says audit recruitment may include one or two testing stages — personality, language, technical or cognitive — followed by one or more interviews with an operational manager. Group sessions may supplement some processes. The precise format depends on the listing.

Prepare accounting basics: the main financial statements, debit and credit logic, cut-off, provisions, fixed assets and working capital. For an internship, it is better to explain a simple mechanism clearly than recite a standard without understanding its use.

The manager will also want to know how you work. Prepare examples where you checked information, managed several priorities, flagged an error or collaborated with someone with limited availability.

Answering “Why audit?”

“To discover several companies” is a start, not a complete answer. Explain what you want to learn: understand an organisation through its processes, strengthen your understanding of accounts, develop professional judgement and work with a range of clients.

Add why KPMG: its locations, your target team or office, audit’s digital transformation, a particular sector or an actual conversation with an employee. Do not promise a permanent vocation if you are still exploring; an honest, considered motivation is more credible.

Busy periods

Audit has peaks, particularly around year-end closes. At interview, do not pretend to be indifferent or heroic. Show that you can organise yourself, communicate early when a deadline is at risk and maintain work quality.

Questions about workload often assess maturity. You can discuss a period when several deadlines overlapped and explain the choices you made.

Browse KPMG listings on Screeningpass and our finance and consulting internship guide to compare roles. To check campaign information, use the official KPMG Careers and Audit careers pages.

Frequently asked questions

Can you apply without a DSCG?

Yes, for many internships. Prerequisites depend on the listing; a business, engineering or university course can be suitable if it provides the expected foundations.

Financial audit or IT audit?

Financial audit focuses on the reliability of accounts and associated processes. IT audit focuses more on systems and IT controls. Some roles combine both.

Can an internship lead to a job?

Yes, an internship is often a recruitment route, without an automatic guarantee. Work quality, team needs and your timetable matter.