Business Insight Week Review

I took part in the PwC Business Insight Week in the Edinburgh office. I spent the week shadowing employees from a range of departments and speaking to them about their roles. I was also provided with online workshops to improve my employability and the week was concluded with a presentation. I spent time throughout the week researching and preparing this.

The week has greatly improved my knowledge about business and professional services. This will be useful as I head towards university and then full time employment. My presentation skills have also developed because the presentation was in many ways the focal point of the week. I was given plenty of time and support to make it a success.

I enjoyed the week a great deal. Everyone in the PwC office made me feel very welcome and was willing to talk. This meant I was able to get the most I could from the programme. Gaining an insight into the workings of a business like PwC was very exciting, especially seeing how they interact with their clients.

Despite only being there for a week, PwC made me feel part of the firm; I was able to use a desk in the main office and I was trusted to manage my own time. Due to my participation the programme, PwC has also provided a pathway to a summer internship.

Initially, the week was laid out in a thorough induction to working at PwC. This meant I knew what I doing each day, the week was well organised and communication was very good. The itinerary was interesting and also very varied. This involved working with different departments and meeting a range of people representative of the whole firm’s work.

Myself, and my fellow business insight week student, were guided by a recruitment manager which made it very easy to settle in. She ensured that we knew everything we needed to and organised our work schedule. This meant that we were supported throughout the whole week, if we needed help at any point, we only had to ask for it.

PwC as a firm was also very supportive of us. Many people were willing to discuss their roles with me so I could gain an insight into their work. The IT department helped me out massively and setup a company laptop for me to use in my work throughout the week.

This was a work experience week aimed at providing me with an insight into the workings of business and professional services. As a result, payment is not an important factor when it comes to evaluating my experience. However, PwC did offer a very good hourly rate to its business insight week students.

I attended the business insight week in Edinburgh which is an incredible city to spend time in, especially when the Fringe Festival is on. This meant I was able to have fun in the city each evening, watching shows or enjoying the atmosphere. It was great week for me, inside and outside of PwC’s office.

Yes

PwC is a firm at the forefront of professional services, providing a stimulating yet welcoming place to work. The employees are all friendly and are happy to talk to you, which creates a good working environment. The firm provides many ways in which to advance your career and will actively help you in that progression.

PwC is interested in you as much as it is interested in your academics. Whilst you must have good exam results and pass the psychometric tests, PwC will examine your business acumen and suitability to working in a team. This makes communication skills and knowledge of recent events crucial; this is mainly tested at interview.