Assurance Review

My role was in assurance at Reading. During this I was given work working with excel spreadsheets on accounts as the department deals with audits of companies. I checked that balance sheets added up and that what the company stated was true according the the data evidence they provided. We also had talks from other members of staff about what they did in their jobs.

I have learnt new skills about the technical terms of assurance. This included using Microsoft excel spreadsheets to check balance sheets which I had no experience of before. In addition to this I worked on my presenting skills for a final presentation that my group did on social mobility on the last day in the London office to members of staff.

I enjoyed the programme to a large extent because it gave an insight to what it was like to work in the business and the type of work they do. I also learnt a lot about the different schemes that PwC offer to students which was informative as I'm wondering what one would be the best for me. In addition to this it was nice seeing different offices around the country. However, it would have been nice to meet some clients on site.

Firstly, I felt valued by PwC because the business insight week is paid and there's a contract to sign for the week so it feels like they are employing you for the week like any other employee. In addition to this PwC give you laptops for the week which shows that they value you and trust you to use these.

The overall structure is well organised as it’s stated what you will be doing before the week as well as given choices about the kind of work you want to be doing. However, the days may not have an overall structure as it depends on the kind of work and how much work your buddy has on and what of this they give you to do.

Small groups (about 2 or 3 people in each group) are given a buddy for the 3 days you are in the regional office. They help answer any questions you have about PwC and the schemes they offer as most buddies have been on one of these. They also help you through the work they give you. (This is the closest person you get to a training provider.)

PwC gave out lots of materials before the week to help you prepare for it and what you need to have to be eligible for the scheme. They also sent guides on what to do during the week and videos on employability skills. Now after the week there’s correspondence on next steps to stay in contact with PwC and apply for roles.

PwC gave a generous salary for the week (just over adult minimum wage with a higher weighting for London) as well as paying for travel on the first and last days. Therefore all I had to pay for was travel to the regional office for 3 days. I’m pretty sure if you need accommodation for the first and last days PwC pays for that too which is great.

As you’re only there for a week you probably won’t experience them but there seem to be many social opportunities going on in the office. Outside of the hours you work for PwC in the week you can meet up with different people in the scheme and members of staff if you have the opportunity.

Yes

If I had knew someone who wanted to go into finance, accounting, technology law etc then PwC sound like a good company for career opportunities like promotion and travel as well as other benefiters. The salaries are very competitive especially for school leavers. They also have a social side and events which sound fun.

During the application process be positive about wanting to join the company. The psychometric tests can be prepared for by doing some practise ones beforehand. For the assessment day research what the company do and some news around the company at the time as well as benefits to working there. In the group task present clearly and listen to other people’s ideas as well as coming up with your own.