Auditor of Public Accounts - Commonwealth of Virginia

Internships

The Auditor of Public Accounts offers paid internships to undergraduate level students throughout the calendar year. What a great way for you to find out more about the APA and get valuable experience! Generally, we seek rising juniors, seniors, or graduate students who are in the process of completing their degrees. We will work with you to accommodate your school schedule. We are looking for individuals with a strong academic record and willingness to learn and be creative.

Interns work side-by-side with some of our most experienced auditors on project teams auditing topics such as financial statement preparation and accuracy, internal controls, systems access, payroll, expenditures, inventories at agencies, and deposits at various state agencies, which compliments his/her university curriculum with relevant, hands-on experience.

Program Highlights

Internships are hourly paid positions (pay is very competitive) that typically last between 9 and 12 weeks.
Interns receive a condensed version of our new-hire orientation and our workpaper documentation training.
Interns are assigned to one of the over 200 projects we complete each year.
Interns work closely with experienced auditors on projects, present project findings, experience career development and engage in networking activities within our office.
Eligible interns will be considered for full-time positions at the APA. Several interns have gone on to become full-time employees after graduation. See below for intern testimonials.
Our internships are generally located in Richmond, VA but may require travel throughout the state.
The APA provides a flexible and diverse work environment for our interns and employees.
Your internship at the APA qualifies for credit at your college or university (if offered by your college or university).
Parking is available near the James Monroe building for $2 - $10 a day depending on the location you may choose.
The typical workweek is Monday through Friday from 8:15am to 5:00pm.
(Depending on the timing of the internship, our interns may participate in social committee activities such as kickball, softball, golf, ice cream socials, etc.)

Application Process

Apply for an internship with us.
Qualified candidates of interest will be notified directly by the hiring manager.
Internship opportunities are posted during campus career fairs the APA attends.
Our office recruits on university campuses during the fall and spring sessions. To determine if we are attending your school, research the recruitment dates at your career center.
Requirements: Students must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate student in an accredited degree program related to accounting, finance, information systems, or public policy at the time of internship participation and have solid academic standing.

Sample Internship Projects

Commonwealth Transportation Fund (CTF): Interns were able to experience several different aspects of auditing CTF. At the Department of Motor Vehicles interns audited Customer Service Centers. They reviewed processes surrounding the opening and closing operations. At Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) interns performed payroll testwork to ensure that VDOT followed the proper procedures for completing I-9s.

Commonwealth Annual Financial Review (CAFR): During the 2007 CAFR interns reviewed systems access for the Commonwealth’s fixed asset accounting system and lease accounting system. Based on the employee’s job description and responsibilities the intern had to determine if the type of access given to the individual was appropriate.

Virginia Polytechnic Institute: The intern at Virginia Tech was able to gain real world audit experience by reviewing critical Banner access to determine if University employees had the proper system access. In addition, the intern reviewed and compiled adjusting entries for the audit. The intern had to determine if the adjusting entries were properly supported and reasonable in nature.

Radford University: At this University the intern was able to complete the majority of the Cash and Investments Program. This program tests deposits, confirms cash amounts on hand at fiscal year end, reviews bank reconciliations, and ensures that cash and investments are properly recorded and reported on the financial statements.

Department of Social Services: This intern completed portions of the Federal Program. The intern was able to learn about the various federal programs offered by DSS, such as food stamps, temporary assistance for needy families, child support enforcement, and child care and development. The intern had to determine if these programs were in compliance with the laws, regulations, and provisions set out in the grant agreements.

Inventory Counts: All summer interns participated in inventory counts conducted at year end across the Commonwealth. Some of the agencies our interns were able to audit include:

VDOT
Corrections
ABC

In addition to gaining real world audit experience, the interns were able to participate in a tour of the State Capital and witness an actual Lottery number drawing.

Intern Testimonials

“I believe an internship with the APA is a great learning opportunity and resume builder. My internship experience allowed me to work on ‘real’ audit projects alongside extremely knowledgeable co-workers. As a Finance Major at VCU, I was hesitant to accept an ‘accounting internship’ when most of my classmates became finance interns for the summer. When we returned to class for our senior year for VCU Finance, I quickly learned that my internship was the most rewarding. As an APA intern, you don’t sell bonds or harass potential clients to receive commission; it’s a steady 40 hour per week program which allows you to meet and work with important state managers, (enhance your skill and approach to excel spreadsheets and many business concepts), become skilled in the audit process, and learn various inter-workings of state agency processes. The combination of challenging work, fun coworkers, and great teachers motivated me to pursue a job offer. I definitely recommend this internship!”

-- Andrew McCarty

“I met with the APA during a career fair and was a bit skeptical because of my background in Finance. I decided to take the internship with the APA during the summer between my junior and senior year. It was a great experience applying the things I learned in school to an actual real world environment. The APA provided me with a great mix of working environments such as going out to client sites and working in the main office from time to time. Since I was not that familiar with auditing, they gave us many training opportunities to get used to the auditing process. During the internship, I did not feel like an intern at all, they treat you just like a regular full-time employee with the same responsibilities. There were no days where I was mindlessly copying documents or stuffing mailboxes. I was immediately put on an audit and given the full responsibility to complete an audit program myself. Also it is not all work; there are happy hours and social sports to enjoy like kickball.

The internship experience was exactly what I needed going into my senior year. It taught me how to act in a professional manner, how to work with a team, and also how to manage my time between different audits. I had such a great intern experience I decided to accept a job with the APA full time!!!”

-- David Rasnic

“Working as an intern at the APA has been a great experience. I came to Richmond after graduating with a degree in finance. I started attending classes to work on my masters in accountancy the same week that I began my internship at the APA. Everyone has been extremely nice and helpful. I feel that I have gotten real hands-on experience of what it is like to work in the audit field and it has been nice to be able to gain this real job experience while still attending school. They let me fit my work schedule around my class schedule and it has not been too difficult to balance work and school. My internship has helped me to know where I want to go with my career after graduating. Overall my internship at the APA has been a very rewarding experience.”

-- Blair Price