Hannah Davidson's final year at the University of Aberdeen has been shaped by a standout achievement - turning a highly competitive summer internship with Johnston Carmichael into a full-time graduate role before even beginning her fourth year exams.
After securing a place on the firm’s national summer internship and bursary programme, Hannah, who will graduate with a Finance and Accountancy degree, impressed colleagues throughout her six‑week placement as a Summer Audit Assistant. This earned her an early offer to return as a Graduate Audit Assistant in 2026.
For Hannah, who comes from Oldmeldrum, the experience confirmed that JC offered the ideal blend of national scale and strong local presence.
In addition to her summer internship, the scheme supported Hannah with a £1,000 bursary towards her final year studies.
Hannah was delighted to be offered a permanent role as she found everyone in the team very friendly and liked the strong value focus on charity engagement, hearing from Men United - the Aberdeen office’s 2025 charity partner - and the Kiltwalk, of which the firm is a Gold Sponsor. She also liked being included in the social side of the office during her final year at uni even though she was not directly employed at that time.
Near the end of her internship, Hannah was asked to present on what she had learned and enjoyed during her time at JC. This, combined with positive feedback from line managers, resulted in an offer for a Graduate Audit Assistant role from August 2026.
She was delighted to not have to make graduate applications and interviews in her final year like many classmates. Before she starts back at JC she has been invited to the office summer BBQ and to join a LinkedIn group with other new graduates to get to know them. She was keen to share her experience with fellow Aberdeen student Zoe Kazmierczak, who is starting out on her JC journey.
Zoe has just completed her exams for Yr 3 Accounting. At the start of her third year, she researched and applied to many companies, looking online and at the University of Aberdeen Business and Finance Fair. She found the team at the JC stand very welcoming, easy to talk to, and happy to answer her questions. She also found the firm’s Early Careers webpages useful and enjoyed reading the stories of other students she could relate to. She is pleased to have secured the summer internship £1,000 bursary and is looking forward to the office summer BBQ.