PwC Flyingstart degree, Nottingham Review

Working as an assurance associate at PwC for three placements throughout my four year degree. Doing audit work (such as testing cash, accounts receivable, accounts payable, operating costs) and starting to coach in my second and third placements. Given real responsibility early on and having full conversations with clients on a one-on-one basis.

As part of the degree I get 12 exceptions from the 15 ACA exams, and when I graduate and join PwC in September 2018, I will sit the final 3 exams. When you are on placement, you need to revise for a university exam when you get back, so this has really improved my time management. I have learned a lot about audit, because you get a lot of on the job training.

Overall, I have really enjoyed the programme and would definitely recommend it to others. The teams I have worked in have been great, with really helpful and involved managers. The company culture leaves a lot to be desired - they book you to overtime and expect you to travel 1.5hrs to a client site, with that being 'reasonable travel'.

Managers and incharges really try hard to make sure you feel valued, and the teams you work in are really great. There are also recognition awards, which praise people who have done really well. However, the actual company does not make you feel valued - phrases like 'it's just the nature of our business' get thrown around, which do make you feel like part of a machine.

My programme is very well structured. My first and second placements are September to December, so we get good exposure to the planning season at PwC. My final placement is during busy season, so I get exposure to the audit fieldwork and completion stage. Therefore, when I join PwC as a graduate, I have experience in all three stages. We have an intense 2 week period before placement where we learn a module and then continue to study when on placement to sit the exam when we are back. It is structured very well.

My tutor at university (Nottingham) was really helpful and my course director helped me out on a number of occasions. The staff are really lovely and truly are very supportive. I have a disability and the staff were very supportive, making reasonable adjustments to put me in a seperate room for exams. During exam season, lecturers are more than happy to go through questions.

In our first university year, we had sessions delivered by PwC about time management/ making a personal brand which helped prepare us for placement. I also received a lot of on-the-job training from my incharge. It is important to note that teams will vary depending on jobs, so some incharges were happy to coach, whilst others saw it as a distraction from their own work.

I lived in PwC provided accommodation, which is beautiful (and costs about 15k). The flat is also typically a 10 min walk to the office, so there are no commuting costs. The office I worked at was in the town centre, so it was a very central location. The salary you get is 18k pro-rata, which for a student is more than enough. We also get paid for overtime (which is new this year), which really brings in more money.

In my first and second placement I was able to volunteer to represent PwC at career open days and office open evenings which was a really great experience. In my final placement, there wasn't so much time to do this, because it was during busy season. I found that the hours you worked, and therefore your ability to do things outside of work, really depended on the job. There were some managers who would let you leave at 6 if you told them in advance that you had plans, which was really great if you wanted to meet up with friends during the week.

Yes

I have learned a lot and really enjoyed the degree. You graduate and join PwC as a senior associate and qualify a year earlier than normal.

My interview was done by a university lecturer and not PwC staff, so her questions were less pointed and she did ask me how I felt in certain situations, so prepare for it to be a bit different to typical competency interviews.