Junior Management Consultant Review

As a junior management consultant you support in a variety of roles. The first year is 2 internal roles (6 months each) and the second year you work on real client work which can vary in length, but ideally you do 2 rotations at minimum. A number of things including powerpoints, excel, leading workshops and client meetings. Collating data and creating decks.

Yes, a lot. At PwC there is a wide variety of training and a real focus on making sure we attend these as well as our mandatory training. I have learnt a lot about public speaking and also networking. Significantly improved my excel skills to the point where I can build really useful trackers. I also have learnt about using great systems such as Alteryx, Salesforce and Tableau. I know about the consulting industry in detail and how the clients should be approached. I feel as if I can have in depth detailed conversations about it with senior members of staff.

I really have enjoyed the programme so far. The teams I have worked with have been so keen for me to get involved with as much as possible and have really helped my development. It has exceeded my expectations and I truly feel it has put me many steps ahead of those who have attended University and then joined the company. I enjoy the work aspect a great deal, there is no telling what you will be working on next and I love the fast pace and working at a company like this looks outstanding on the CV. I believe they have one of the best working cultures out of the big 4, from experience and the stories of others.

The learning/Kaplan side of things could be better. It has improved since we have joined but there are still steps that need to happen, but through constant feedback from ourselves, PWC will definitely make the effort to improve this. The internal structure at PwC is also good and it 100% fast tracks you through the business by being a Higher Apprentice first, I would say we are considerer at the same level as Associates who are fresh from University. There is support in place and apprentices are really looked after and many colleagues are proud to work with HApps and are advocates for us in the firm.

We have career coaches (everyone does in the firm) and they are your point of call for any issues. They are usually the ones to escalate things further, either with a relationship lead who manages the career coaches or to HR / Partners. This is easy to do as long as you have a good relationship with your CC, but not everyone does as some are better than others. Luckily my experience has been great. Kaplan also provide Talent Coaches who are your support system within the training provider, but we also have an internal PwC professional qualification team who they liaise with.

This isn't great. A lot of the information from them is provided last minute, however it has improved within our last year of the apprenticeship. Some of the tutors we had teaching us the content for the exams were fantastic and you felt you could email for any queries. However others weren't as good. But overall I wouldn't say this overall affects the quality of the apprenticeship as a whole.

The exams we do are useful in that they teach us about consulting and some useful financial skills which might be beneficial in the workplace. However a lot of it is theories which are just not applicable. Providing a portfolio as the End Point Assessment is a long task however is good for allowing you to recognise your previous achievements through the apprenticeship.

There are lots of socials. HApps have plenty of socials every few months following training days (some organised via PwC and others not). Almost every team you are on will ensure socials happen and these are paid for, these create a great community spirit. There are also lots of sports clubs and even a team who put on a panto each year, including acting, band and costume making. There is lots of events about relevant topics such as gender balance and also those more specific relating to the internal workings of PwC which provide great insight.

Yes

I overall love working at PwC. I feel like my roles have value and actually impact the team I am working for and I have good responsibility. There is also a great opportunity to network with others and also have a good social life that you may hope for if you go to university. It also looks really good on the CV and they give you unbelievable training opportunities which smaller companies don't provide as much. There is also flexible working which is great for working from home.

Make sure you read all the information on PwC values and work ethics before completing any of the process. Be open to meeting new people from different ways of life and you will make great friends! Also, make sure you research into what consulting is and ask for other's experiences as I wasn't sure what it was before but there are so many different paths within consulting you will definitely find something you will like. The interview isn't scary, just come prepared with lots of examples and show your confidence (even if you aren't) and that will shine through.