Trainee Associate Review

My formal job title is a 'trainee associate'. I sit in a fairly small team within the tax department of 10 people. I work on analysis of tax rates, and undertake studies assessing global sectors. I also do reviews of the FTSE100. Daily roles consist of answering emails, attending meetings, doing data analysis and writing reports.

During the apprenticeship I study towards the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT) qualification. I have already sat a module on Ethics and Personal Tax, and have yet to do Law, Business Tax and Corporate Tax. I also work towards a work-placed diploma which assesses and helps me to develop a wide range of skills including business communication styles, delivering presentations and working with spreadsheets.

I am thoroughly enjoying my programme. I really get on with the colleagues I work with on a day-to-day basis, and whenever I have worked with someone outside the team they've been very accepting and helpful. The culture is great, with lots of opportunities to meet other people and do charity work. Although the apprentices in my intake are spread around different networks, we got to know each other during the induction and keep up those relationships.

PwC make you feel extremely valued, you are definitely not 'another number' or anything like that. The moderation process is very structured and helpful to ensure you get feedback throughout the year and assess your strengths and skills, and you will always be rewarded if you've shown you've put the work in. My people manager has been very attentive to my career goals, and my team allow me to work on some important projects and represent the team despite being a low grade.

The induction programme was a one-night stay where we had different activities. These ranged from team-bonding and getting to know the other apprentices to talks from PwC to give you some insight before you started. The training has been great - you are automatically enrolled onto line of service specific training which gives you a good overview before joining your team. You get paid leave to attend college and to sit exams which is helpful. College courses are structured well, and you have 4 mock exams over the year which really help you assess where you are with your studying.

Our college tutor was really helpful especially during the three days we had in college for revision. He was open to help you individually with questions and would ask for topics that the whole group were finding difficult in order to structure the course and the questions we'd focus on. He gave us his contact details after college had finished in case we had questions during our own revision. Our assessor for the diploma offers a lot of guidance. She is always there via email if you need to clarify your next task or if you need to meet any more criteria. On the regular calls and quarterly visits she advices you on what stage you're at, what you can do to complete more tasks and how she thinks you're doing.

There is generally a lot of support available to you. My people manager monitors my progress and regularly checks in with me regarding my exam revision or work load. There is a great HR team who will answer any type of HR questions whether it's pay-related, exam-related or so on.

The salary is very good considering it's aimed at those finishing A-Levels. It covers my living and high travel costs (I commute from outside of London so my train ticket is quite expensive). Your salary goes up as you become more experienced, which is a nice reward.

PwC is a very social place. During the year we will have team events (christmas, with new joiners, when people are leaving) and also an 'away day' - which is aimed at team-building and strategy. PwC have a 'One Firm One Day' day which is aimed at charity work, where anyone is allowed to go give back to the community. There are other social events that you can chose to be a part of, such as the Christmas pantomime, sailing weekends, sports activities and so on.

Yes

I have never regretted joining PwC instead of going to University - the combination of recognised qualifications, genuinely interesting work and the wide range of social events with the people you meet makes it an amazing place to work.

Make sure you research the company beforehand and the different lines of services, not just the one you're applying for, so that you have a good overview of the company. During the application process make sure you take your time to answer questions and sell yourself as much as possible - It's so competitive and too good an opportunity to take lightly!