Flying Start Degree programme - FS2 More London (B&CM) Review

I am an auditor at PwC in the Banking and Capital Market, as an auditor I confirm whether the client's financial statements give a true and fair view of their financial position, cash flows and profit and loss. To ensure they are true and fair we perform different testing of their financial controls and other substantive procedures based on planning (i.e. materiality levels, risks, etc.), this is followed by completion to show what we have learnt about the business processes, and whether what their books show is fair in comparison to our understanding of that business, an auditor's opinion is finally given on this matter.

I have learnt a lot of new techniques and forms of testing compared to prior year i.e independent price verifications of bespoke derivatives and performing PnL and manual adjustments testing. I have also worked on different LoBs such as Rates, HR, FIF, GIB and different entities which has build my business awareness of the entity I am working on and the specialities of each entity. I have developed my communication and client relations further with direct contact with them and have boosted my confidence in testing new areas independently

I thoroughly enjoy the mix of placement and technical learning through university. I believe this helps me grow as a person by applying by knowledge to real life situations. Placement is a lot different to what I expected which has made it more interesting. I would enjoy it even more if during university we received our books ahead of time to make it less hectic to learn everything within the first few months.

It is structured well to provide the above mentioned mix of experiences however perhaps a year long placement might be better suited to experience the different stages in audit more although this is available a bit more in the last year of placement. I believe on the university side the programme has a very good structure in most modules with clarity on what is expected from each assignment and exams.

PwC gives me a lot of help and support throughout placement through different channels i.e. Career coach, Flying Start Champions, Programme Manager and University contacts. Furthermore, I have had a great team to work with who have always been there for me in various aspects of work and personal life.

PwC has full understanding of the qualifications I am working towards and are supportive in reaching my goals. They also help towards achieving my chartered accountancy qualification based on number of days and open up new opportunities for training throughout. They organise a training week and different videos to help our development i.e. PCOAB training, learning about important FSLIs, etc.

The university helps me get the technical background to perform better at becoming an auditor and increasing business acumen. Furthermore, PwC gives me real life experience which increases my confidence in my ability to perform my work and increases my experience of working with different types of testing in different areas of the audit in the investment banking sector.

Yes I am part of a social group which organises different social activities, i.e. days out including sports activities during placement and near the end of placement. I have also been invited to other networking events and other professional events based on the contacts I have created at work

Yes

I would recommend this firm to a friend because it provides great opportunities for working in any sector that you most find interesting along with new experiences in other areas of finance apart from audit such as tax, deals, etc. You get to work with a range of client from high profile to SMEs which gives you a depth of knowledge and boosts your confidence when interacting with individuals from across the globe

Be yourself and be confident, if you believe PwC to be the right fit for you, it is likely to be employed as long as you are what the firm is looking for. Teamwork and leadership is key in a place like audit and a big firm like PwC where almost all roles require teamwork in one form or another