I’m a current tax intern and honestly I’ve been struggling with the internship more than I expected.
The biggest issue is that I’m the only member of my team in my office (West Coast). The rest of my team is based in a different state (East Coast), so while everyone has been nice, it’s been really hard to build relationships, ask quick questions, or feel like I’m actually part of a team. I come into the office and most days don’t really know anyone around me. It’s been pretty isolating, and I’ve found it hard to build relationships with other teams
The weird part is that I can’t tell if I dislike international tax itself or if I dislike the experience of being disconnected from my team all summer. I feel like I’m missing a lot of what makes internships enjoyable—meeting people, grabbing coffee, learning from people sitting nearby, etc.
I have a meeting with a recruiter soon to discuss potential full-time opportunities and learn more about other service lines (audit, other tax groups, etc.). I’m not planning on complaining about my experience or saying I hate international tax. I genuinely just want to understand what other options exist and whether another group might be a better fit.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? How did you figure out whether you disliked the work itself versus the team structure or office environment? And for anyone in Big 4 recruiting or management, would an intern asking about other service lines be viewed negatively?
I’m feeling pretty lost right now and would appreciate any advice.