Flying Start Degree programme FS1 Bristol Review

During the work placement my role primarily consisted of performing various forms of audit work, this included testing different Financial Statement Line Items, which included but were not limited to Revenue, Receivables, Payroll and Expenses. The testing performed often varied in from, sometimes being as simple as tracing a transaction through to the bank, and other times consisting of more complex analytics

Some of the skills that I have developed over the course of the placement include: The development of my communicative capabilities through correspondances with both clients and colleagues at PwC; An increase in my own whole leadership abilities as there were often multiple things that need to be kept track of and monitored

I very much enjoyed the time I spent with PwC whilst on the Flying Start Placement, everyone that I worked with was very friendly and supportive, allowing me to quickly assimilate into teams, and make the most of the programme. The work I was given was useful as well as it allowed me to apply the things I'd learnt prior in a more practical way.

The Flying Start Degree Programme was very well structured. The training and induction we received before going on placement covered all of the key skills and PwC systems that we needed to know whilst on placement. Support whilst on jobs was aptly available, with responses to questions often being immediate

The Support received from PwC was also great. Our supervisors on jobs provided clear coaching on how to perform the work we had been assigned and were always available to provide help and support with any questions or difficulties we faced. The HR Team and Managers on jobs were also very supportive responding to any queries in a quick and helpful manner

The ICAEW were also very supportive, providing us with many resources and materials that helped with both our academic studies as well as for our placement with PwC as part of the Flying Start Degree programme. The learning material provided by the ICAEW covered key concepts and approaches which we used whilst on placement

The skills that we have learned during placement were very applicable to our roles on a day to day basis, this is due to the fact that during placement we were able to perform audit work that we had learned as part of our university studies prior. This Work directly built upon the theory that we'd learnt and allowed us to apply it practically.

There are a number of extra-curricular activities that are available to get involved with at PwC. There were monthly office socials, which were a great opportunity to meet a lot of the people that we would be working with whilst on placement. There were also other events such as bingo and movie nights available over the course of our placements as well as a number of clubs to get involved with.

Yes

The Flying Start Degree programme is a unique opportunity that allows you to apply the theory of what you are learning at university in a live, practical manner as you are learning it, helping to re enforcing the auditing concepts taught, but also providing the opportunity so see first hand how they are applied.

Advice I would give to other applicants would be to: Make sure to get applications in early as this will give you more flexibility over which assessment day you attend and; Try to have a couple examples of how you have demonstrated each of the five PwC Professional attributes for the interview section of the assessment day.