Business Insight Week Review

The Business Insight Week at PwC consisted of one induction day in the Birmingham office followed by three days of shadowing and working at my chosen base office (More London) and then a client project on the final day with other participants of the week. I had the opportunity to shadow numerous people within the Tax department. This included completing work myself such finalising spreadsheets for payroll and attending meetings and client briefings. I had the opportunity to speak to numerous people within the department, as everyone was very approachable and insightful. This included a senior partner of the firm, who was able to deliver a particularly inspirational view as to the inroads into professional services and accountancy. In addition to this, it was a wonderful opportunity to experience the fast-paced lifestyle of working within professional services in London.

I was able to develop my networking skills, not only by communicating with the various employees of the company but also by meeting several like-minded people of my age who were also on the programme, as well as an opportunity to develop my personal brand. It was also an important opportunity to gain knowledge about the requirements and inroads for accountancy, including professional qualifications, etc.

I greatly enjoyed the programme. I found the work appropriately challenging, as well as interesting and relevant, and was surprised at the variety roles a job within the tax department at PwC entailed. The employees of the company as a whole were very friendly and inspiring, and this made the programme a thoroughly enjoyable experience.

I felt particularly valued by the employees of PwC. It was easy to notice personal recognition with any employee, despite their ranking within the company. This ranged from Junior Associates all the way up to Senior Partners.

The programme was very well organised. At most times, there was either a task to be done or people to network with. If there was not, there were several online resources we had access to which we could utilise, such as a daily webex with the student recruitment department.

Maximum support was available from the training provider. The Student Recruitment team were readily available via email and our buddies were always around if we needed any help with the work or if we had any queries.

Plenty of support was available through the employer. Employees who I'd never met or been introduced to were always ready to support and answer any questions I may have had.

The salary was very favourable, and expenses to travel to and from the office were covered. The location was also centrally based around London Bridge so was particularly easy to access via tube / bus.

We had the opportunity to go our for lunch at a nearby restaurant with our team, and were made aware of the many social events PwC offers to its employees. There were also several canteens / relaxation rooms within the office where we were able to eat and spend downtime.

Yes

It was a very broad insight into the several aspects of professional services and accountancy, with plenty of opportunity to expand on a particular area we perhaps found most interesting. It was also a good opportunity to meet a variety of interesting and like-minded people and a good insight as to the inroads into the company or accountancy in general.

The application process is rather long, however it gives a true idea about what applying to PwC for a full time career is like. The online assessments are quite tricky, so the most should be made of the resources available from PwC online as they are particularly useful. One important quality to deliver once on the actual placement is to be confident and not be afraid to ask questions to anyone - the employees are particularly approachable and so they will answer any queries.