Trainee Associate Review

My job title is Trainee Associate within Assurance, where the role is primarily focused on providing high level assurance on company's processes and financial statements, before being released into the public domain. On a day-to-day basis I will be assisting members of the engagement team, whether this is in the office or at a client site. There is vast opportunity to travel around the country, having visited locations as far as Manchester in the first 6 months of my apprenticeship.

I am currently studying towards the CFAB qualification, with the bigger picture being the ACA qualification. Upon joining, I was provided with advanced training courses to develop my audit skills. However, PwC promote 'learning from doing', so there is little pressure to deliver at this stage as I am not very far into the programme. The firm's culture is very focused on guidance, and everybody I have interacted with has been more than happy to help me through the task in hand.

I enjoy my programme very much; dealing with real world clients, travelling to places I have never been before and meeting new people on a daily basis has benefited me more than I think university ever would've done. There is a very good work-life balance and even during busy times of the year, I can be very open to discuss any issues with the engagement manager or my personal people manager. The firm is very social, and organises events on a monthly basis. You are also based around people of the same age, so you don't lose this aspect that university offers.

I feel very valued as an employee of PwC; the feedback received is constructive but friendly, and gives me development points to work on. Internal recognition is very important to the firm, and work is set based around ability and time rather than in a orderly manner. Many events are hosted throughout the year to bring everybody together, as well as regular communication within departments to promote this aspect of work. This combined and more makes me feel as a valued member of the firm.

Induction: - The first day was very well organised and was based around giving detailed information on the firm itself and team-building exercises in order for everybody to get to know eachother. Usually I think team-building is a waste of time, but in this case it was really beneficial. Training: - There are specified time periods to complete study and exams by, with support from a training provider, peers and my people manager. This makes the process a lot less daunting than it originally seemed. There are also apprenticeship contacts within the firm that can be contacted if more information is required for the apprenticeship. They are very helpful and always happy to help.

Tutors provide high level support and can be emailed out of work hours to deal with exam related queries. They are always happy to help and spend time explaining complex areas of certain modules.

My people manager is very supportive, and is easily accessible to contact should we require guidance. He was part of the same programme when he joined, so he knows the position we're in and gives truthful advice.

My salary exceeds my costs by a mile.

There are so many opportunities that I can involve myself in; religious groups, social groups, volunteering, sports etc. the list goes on. There is something for everyone.

Yes

I would not hesitate to recommend the PwC School Leaver Programme to a friend as it has exceeded my expectations and provides everything you could want as a kick start to an accounting career. As a school leaver, I couldn't have made a better decision to get myself into the professional workplace.

I would advise applicants to be confident and research PwC thoroughly before applying. The firm is diverse, employing people from very different backgrounds and cultures, so do not presume that you must be from a particular class to be considered. Be genuine and demonstrate that you actually want to do this job, and give real world examples of where you have performed different skills and why this would benefit PwC. Convince your assessors that you have ambition and enthusiasm; nobody is expecting you to know the ins-and-outs of it already, you are new and straight from school and this will come at a later stage. To be hired you must show you have the qualities of a 'PwC Professional'.