Flying Start Degree Programme, FS1, Reading Review

My role involved auditing the financial statements of companies. Within auditing there are various areas to be audited such as operating expenses, revenue etc. I helped the team audit these areas which involved testing the substance of transactions and making sure they covered the various assertions required. It also involved a large amount of client interaction and meant I got an understanding of the business and how it operates

The learning curve for my first placement has been incredibly steep. As this is my first placement everything was completely new. It has been invaluable as the work is more practical than the theory taught in class. This makes it easier to relate to a given scenario and therefore is easier to understand. I have also learnt more than just audit knowledge, placement has taught me to have discipline, take responsibility in my work and how to deal with adverse situations

I enjoy my programme and think there are great support systems in place to help me learn. However, this can be dependent on the module I am taking. This may be due less interest in that specific module or I may struggle to understand what the lecturer is trying to teach us.

I think the programme is very organised and structured. There is always a clear plan of what we are doing or where we are meant to be. The organisation of the programme is above and beyond any other programme I know of at the university. It is also important that students take on the responsibility to organise various aspects of their studies

It is hard to say as the employer covers a large number of people I have worked with. The majority of the time I have had support which has gone above and beyond what I would expect of the employer. However, there have been times when others have not been so helpful.

As outlined above there is a huge amount of support received from the training provider, whether learning materials or revision classes. More often that not, lecturers are also available to help in their own time and the onus is on the student to ask for the help, something I ought to do more often

Obviously learning material in class and then going and applying it in the work placement is the most beneficial way of working. I do however feel there can be more practical scenarios created in class as learning the theory in a book can become monotonous and is not always the most engaging

There is football on a tuesday and wednesday evening which I have been getting involved in. This has been good fun despite not playing football for 5 years or so. There are also usually drinks and social events on most of the time. There will be some later in the year when we have finished placement and it would be nice to be included in these

Yes

It is a great learning environment and given the scale of the company is an opportunity that is too big to pass up on. There is a great atmosphere in the office and people are willing to support you in the work you are doing. It also helps that the average age of people working at PwC is young and this creates a bubbly atmosphere

It may sound cliche but be yourself as there is no point being someone you are not. It is as much about PwC being a fit for you as you for them. There are plenty of other great firms out there which may be suited to others. If you are set on PwC, then I would suggest thinking outside the box for interviews and assessment days as they are likely to hear the same things (such as brexit) all day long