Flying Start Degree programme - Grade 3, Milton Keynes Review

On a day to day basis my role in a team was to plan, perform testing and conclude on certain financial statement line items. I would pick a sample, which varied depending on the client and risk and send these to the client to receive evidence the corroborated their figures. I would also help my team set up the file ready for testing as well as conclude the results of our testing.

Yes, I have developed many skills on this placement. Some are transferable such as team work and communication. By having this experience in the workplace I have been placed in diverse teams and learnt to navigate them. I have also had the opportunity to develop some technical skills specific to accounting such.

I really appreciated that this programme allowed me to go to university and gain that experience but also receive some valuable work experience at the firm. Some periods were stressful and I was based in Milton Keynes far from my family members in Manchester and this did dampen the experience.

The studying and training aspect is structured okay. Because the time at PwC is only one semester each year we had to come to university earlier than a normal student to cram in the material for an exam we would later have after placement. I felt that the material during this time was rushed in order so that we could have our training before we went. Our time on placement was then split between work and learning for this exam or writing an essay. During the last placement, we had an essay to write during busy season which was quite stressful as we had long hours at work and then had to balance writing an essay. In development, I would have preferred to have two full years at university, third year on placement whilst learning two modules and fourth year split like it is currently is.

The employer has many avenues of support. You can receive it from your career coach which is like a personal mentor that guides your development. We also had a flying start champion who was an alumni of the sponsored degree and had experience navigating the system. PwC also had an anonymous counselling call center for their employees and families to use. I really felt the support when my dad passed as the firm was very compassionate. I was able to speak to my career coach as well as the manager and senior manager of my current project.

Most of the work towards our qualification is performed by the university as it is the university exams that give us the exemptions for the ACA. The firm does support us in increasing our time towards the work experience part of the qualification. By the end of the course we have around 40% of the required days.

I believe that the information that I learnt during my university core modules and the training sessions provided by PwC really helped shape my performance in my role. By having that initial understanding and theory it helped me understand why we did certain things. The time on placement helped ground in the theory into my memory. as I was able to put it into practice and adapt it to certain client situations. I think I feel more confident in my role from this course.

There are a good amount of social activities that you can get involved it. The Milton Keynes office has weekly drinks on Fridays, quiz nights, badminton competitions, and a summer and winter ball. When you join in September, they have an introduction activity to break the ice, such as mini golf and cocktail making classes. PwC also have Monday nights football for those who like sports.

Yes

PwC is a great company to work at. They have a range of client so you always learn something new in each engagement. They have diverse offices and many social engagements which creates a good atmosphere. The Milton Keynes office is lovely and everyone is super friendly. During this covid-19 PwC did their best to check up on us and keep us updated on the firms actions.

PwC staff are hard working and always eager to learn. I think this is important to have when applying for a job. The firm gives opportunities to travel around the country and global so it's good to be adaptable. It is also important to have a work life balance and to make sure you set this in mind going in.