Associate Review

As a PwC Associate in the B&CM department, I joined audit engagement teams on clients to be part of the team to perform audit activities to provide assurance on the financial statements of clients. On a day-to-day I would be tasked with assisting, preparing, and gaining evidence for evidence gathering activities (EGAs), and communicating with the client.

I have learned how to navigate the audit software of Aura, how to properly populate EGAs, how to communicate appropriately with clients, how to work as part of audit engagement teams, understand the role of an auditor, as well as developing my competency with computer programs such as Microsoft Excel.

I have enjoyed my programme to a large extent, as it has provided me with an experience that will help me greatly for my future career, in showing me exactly what the role of an auditor entails. I enjoyed meeting new people, living in London, and developing my audit skills, however the long hours and large work load can be stressful at times, especially towards the signing date.

I felt that the programme is very well structured, with good communication being at the heart of it. Every student is assigned a Career coach who is a great first point of contact for any issues, and in my experience, I knew what clients I would be working on, and colleagues were responsive in helping me in telling me where I need to be on my first day at a client.

In my experience I received a very good amount of support from my employer, with my Career coach being friendly and helpful, and the teams I was on were all very welcoming and happy to answer my questions. For my main client, the manager on the team was very supportive and always put welfare first.

I felt I received a good amount of support from my training provider, with fairly regular emails being communicated, as well as training sessions before the placement to prepare us for what we can expect. A video call was also mandatory half way through the placement for a chat about how I was getting on.

The role in which I perform on my placement goes hand in hand with my degree qualification that I am studying for, as it is a PwC partnered course, which prepares me for work post-degree at PwC. As I was on audit engagement for the duration of the placement, it helps greatly in understanding of audit related components of the course, but not so much others, such as law, accounting and business.

Yes, during my placement my office held a Christmas Ball which was a great experience and good fun. In addition, the engagement team that I was working on for my main client would on occasion go for meals, and at the end of the audit we had a team social including activities and dinner, which was a great day.

Yes

Because I have experienced first hand working in PwC, gaining an understanding of what it has to offer for a career, the culture, the events and its reputation. As I was working in London, a highlight for me was being able to work in the City and improve my knowledge of travel around London, which I think others would also relish.

I would say to other applying to PwC that do not be afraid about communicating with new people as, in my experience, everyone is very friendly and intelligent, and happy to help you out. Be prepared to work into evenings if you are working on a client towards their signing date, but communicate with your Career coach, a team member, or manager if you have any concerns. Listen to your seniors, write down instructions, don't be afraid to challenge something if it does not make sense to you, and most importantly, always ask questions.