Intern/Trainee for Flying Start Programme Review

by PwC

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

7.2/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

As an auditing intern, I usually am put on a team with other seniors and managers for an audit for a clients (each of my clients lasted 1 week - 4 weeks). Whilst on the audits, we would use a system called aura to test the client's accounting systems and speak with the client about any issues. We would use this to give an overall opinion on the engagement and the client's financial statements.

8/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

I have been able to develop my use of various programmes e.g. aura, sage, the SAP accounting system, Connect etc. I also was able to develop my excel skills enormously through practice and usage. I was also able to put my accounting knowledge from university into practice on each of the engagements e.g. by reading through the financial statements.

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I enjoyed my placement overall as I was able to get a good experience of auditing and it has helped me to figure out more what I want to do in the future. I have learned so much in the past few weeks. However, it does depend on the people on you team and how big the client is, as this could determine whether the audit would be stressful with a lot of overtime or not.

8/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

My programme is a 4 year programme at my university, with a spring placement from January to the beginning of April in the last 3 years. During the 4 years, I also have to do exams in summer. It is a great programme as the experience on placement helps to put what you learn at university into perspective. However it can be difficult to study during placement.

7/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

We receive a good monthly salary and we also get paid for overtime. We did get 5 days of training before our placement as well as the first week of placement also having further online training.

6/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

I receive a lot of support as I have access to my lecturers all week and they post notes online of the lectures.

7/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

For first year, I was able to learn about accounting and assurance, which explains the various policies and accounting systems. This helped my to understand what auditing is helped me to prepare for my placement.

7/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

Yes. There are sports teams that you can join as well as events that are held every now and then e.g. for wellness week, there was a breakfast which we could attend. This helps with socialising at work and getting to know the people better, which is important as you can get a lot of advice for developing your career in the future as they can speak with you about their experiences.

6/10

9a. Would you recommend PwC to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

PWC is one of the big 4 and is a great way to start your accounting career and continue it. It introduces you to various accounting systems and how to work in a team. It is a great way to learn more about accounting and how financial figures are tested.

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to PwC?

During busy season (January - March) it can get quite busy. Also, it is useful to develop your excel skills beforehand as it is used all the time.