PwC Tax Apprenticeship Review

I am based in the Corporate Tax team, and I sometimes do work with the Private Client/Private Business team. Day-to-day roles include assisting more senior members of the team with admin such as billing. I regularly get work delegated down to me, so I am able to experience large restructuring projects or R&D project write-ups. I am able to liaise with clients on the projects that I work on, and this gives me a sense of responsibility.

I am constantly gaining a deeper understanding of tax every day and the standards that people work towards at a Big 4 firm. PwC pay for you to take the ATT qualification, which involves you going to college with Kaplan and learning about personal tax and capital gains tax. I am regularly going on internal training courses in London, which provides a nice break from my base office.

I thoroughly enjoy my programme, as there are so many young people in the office that I don't feel intimidated at all. When I joined in September, I joined with a large number of grads and two other school leavers, so we are constantly organising lunches together and after work drinks. As a team, we have just had the annual quiz night, and it's small social gatherings like that which make the work very enjoyable.

I would say that my programme is well structured and I am given a lot of support through being assigned a buddy (another school leaver who joined the firm the previous September), a career coach and a relationship leader. We also have a resourcing team who are very efficient in helping the delegation of work.

As above, I am given a lot of support. We are always encouraged to talk to someone if we feel stressed with the work load or if we have any concerns. My first point of call would always be my buddy as they have gone through the same thing that I am going through.

Kaplan provide a tutor and 24/7 online support which I haven't yet used, but it is useful to know that that is available.

My qualification is 100% relevant to my role, I am gaining a strong understanding in tax which is what I am doing every day. I feel that I will receive a headstart in my industry compared to my peers who have gone to university, as I have experience of working in a firm such as PwC whilst also gaining a professional qualification.

Yes, there are plenty of 'societies' to get involved in. We also have one day annually where the whole firm will partake in volunteering for a local initiative. There are lots of social activities within teams that take place after work and I would say the best one has to be the Christmas party! Also, every Friday we have the Friday quiz and that is very enjoyable.

Yes

PwC is a fantastic place to work and everyone is extremely supportive. I think the range of work that I am able to experience is broad and there is definitely something for everyone. Being provided a professional qualification for 'free' is also priceless and I think that for anyone who is unsure about whether to go to university or to start work, should definitely consider the school leavers programme.

Do your research! Find something you're interested in that PwC is working on and bring that into the interview. It shows that you are keen to learn and are genuinely interested in the firm.