Management Consultant Review

Consulting is so varied that the day to day tasks vary massively depending on which project you are on. This could be anything from running student recruitment events or working on a client deliverable. One day is never the same as the next day and that's why I love Consulting.

On client site I have developed numerous skills from professionalism, time management and how to develop client deliverable to a high expectations. These are skills I would never have had beforehand as working with clients is something completely new. I already had some microsoft office skills but they were nowhere near as developed as they are now. These skills are totally transferable wherever I go in life - whether that be at PwC or in a different company.

Overall, I would say I do enjoy the programme for the most part. Obviously at times it can be hard and stressful and these moments really aren't fun but the good times somewhat make up for this. PwC has a great company culture which is amazingly Google-esk. The programme meets my expectations as I get a salary alongside second to none experience at one of the big 4.

I would say the programme is structured fairly well, we are given a week induction in London which is fun - staying in a fancy hotel for the first time and getting to meet your peers is vital. You have to study for the Certificate in Management Consulting qualification via Kaplan which I will review later on in a further section as this is the real downside to the programme. I feel like in the regional offices (outside of London) there are less higher apprentices which means less of an opportunity to make friends.

We receive a great amount of support from our employer. When you join you are given a career coach which is someone who is at least two grades above you and they help you through end of year moderation and has check ins with you as often as you need them to see if you need help with anything. You also get a 'buddy' which is someone who has just completed the first year of the apprenticeship and is now is in their second year - you can ask them all the questions you like about the process and with help on most things!

You can reach out for support via email when not in a lesson however Kaplan is the worst training provider I have ever worked with. Our so called 'Certificate in Management Consulting' qualification is the most pointless/made up qualification in history. The topic booklets you get are full of spelling mistakes, sentences that don't make sense and wrongly used words. The 'teaching' is literally just a teacher reader off the booklet they've given you all day (with breaks and the odd Kahoot) which is extremely boring and I don't learn that way. Even the exams are weird (have mistakes in also) but even if you know the content it is more important to know how they want you to answer the question and explain things as obviously as you can or you wont get a mark. In conclusion this part of the apprenticeship is totally pointless as the qualification doesn't help you in any way other than in might look good when you put it on your CV and put PwC before it. GET RID.

It doesn't. The qualification is completely useless and the first four exams are more relatable to Accounting than Consulting. Even the last exam which is remotely related to Consulting is useless as most of the information you will know from learning on the job anyway and the bits you didn't know aren't of any use anyway, eg company structure (divisional and functional). Overall, I would get rid of this as it just adds extra unnecessary stress of losing your job if you fail an exam twice.

There are plenty of extra-curricular activities to get involved in from 5 a-side football, to walking clubs at lunch and even board game evenings. A lot of the time on Fridays everyone will go to the local watering hole for a good networking session. There is plenty to get involved in and if there isn't a social activity available that you want to do you can always start it - for example I started both the pool tournament and chess tournament.

Yes

PwC has allowed me to obtain amazing work experience, develop my employability skills and save money. I am achieving a lot more now than I would be an uni because I know for sure I wouldn't be able to motivate myself to study all day with the only financial incentive being 3 years away when I get a job. PwC offers you the chance to develop skills that look attractive to all employers so whether you want to stay here or not it doesn't matter because you will be more than employable elsewhere.

Confidence is king. Even if you don't know what you're talking about it's good to look like you do. Consulting involves a lot of communicating (consulting others funnily enough), presenting in front of groups of people and talking to clients - all of which requires confidence. Sure you will develop this as you work here but it's good to have this in the interview. Furthermore, I wouldn't worry if your A-levels aren't the most academic because mine certainly aren't, just have good business acumen sprinkle it with some confidence and most importantly be able to think on your feet quickly (this is by far the most useful tool ever). Peace.