Newcastle University Flying Start Degree - FS3 Birmingham Review

Audit and Assurance on various companies such as HSBC and ReAssure. Day to day this involves testing controls which the company has in place, talking to the finance team to understand why challenges they have faced in the year and changes from last year. This is done through working in teams within PwC and each taking on different areas of the file.

One of the key skills which I developed during my placement was team working and communication. It is essential to keep other people on the team up to date on what issues you are facing, as well as helping out others when they have a heavy workload or to help identify solutions to their issues.

Particularly during busy season, there can be long hours and hard days, however, I really feel that PwC take care of you in the fact that they buy you dinner if you work over 12 hours and there are plenty of social and well being events. We were also supported by having a career coach, mentors and placement buddies to help us if we had any questions/ issues.

The fact that we spend 2 terms and uni and 1 on placement means that you never get bored of doing one thing and the whole programme keeps fresh and exciting. Being on placement during the busiest time of the year for audit firms means that you get the most immersive experience of what it will be like to work there full time, and the learning curve is steep with lots of new skills to pick up. It also means that skills learnt and uni can be applied to placement and visa versa.

As already mentioned, we have a people manager/ career coach, flying start buddy and university placement organiser. On top of this, there are many other Flying Start Alumni in the office who know what you are going through and will always be available to offer their support. PwC has a really open and caring environment which means that if you have any issues, almost everyone will be willing to help you out.

Since this is a collaboration between ICAEW, Newcastle University and PwC, there are 3 streams of support. Newcastle spend lots of time with the ICAEW devising content for our degree and the delivery of this is to a very high standard. If you have any issues, tutors and lecturers will always help you out. Furthermore, the knowledge learnt on placement helps to consolidate the theoretical learning at uni.

Because of this qualification, Flying Starts typically reach Senior Associate grades with less experience and at a younger age than people who join PwC directly from university. Despite having less experience, Flying Starts are typically very highly regarded, which is a credit to the training provider that they are able to do this despite less experience.

Throughout placement there are lots of social activities to get involved in, for example office drinks, darts, bowling, 5 a side, quizzes, balls, "lunch and learns" and meals to name just some. At Newcastle University, there are social events throughout the year, one of the highlights being the "BAFAFA Cup" football match, there are also plenty of networking events and professional speakers.

Yes

Not only do I enjoy the work, and the fact that every day and client is different, but also the practical experience and business acumen skills learnt are fantastic. PwC is a great employer to have on your CV at any grade, and I truly believe is the best possible start for anyone pursuing a career in business. The opportunities within PwC are also fantastic, for example there are a large range of opportunities within the firm, such as law, tax, actuarial and IT. PwC also offer secondments to different countries and cities, meaning that you can travel the world.

Do your homework beforehand and get in contact with as many people as possible to understand more about what the work entails and the work/ life balance. PwC is an employer who really promote a "work hard, play hard" attitude- there are long hours, but there are also lots of rewards for this work!