Audit Intern Review

Day to day will involve working with an audit team on a certain client, as an intern you would get assigned certain tasks and then coached on them, so day to day is always a bit different in terms of the work you do as there are lots of different areas of financial statements to audit. Main areas of work are the testing of each area to ensure accuracy and completeness etc. As a new joiner in PwC I would also be completing the professional accountancy exams, so some days would involve being in college and revising and learning for those.

I learnt new skills firstly through completing some of the accountancy exams, as I am not doing accountancy at University I was able to add to my accountancy knowledge significantly over the 5 exams I completed in the year. In addition to this auditing is based a lot on using excel, so that was a skill I was able to develop as it is very helpful in being efficient in the use of excel, finally I learnt a lot in terms of people skill when liaising with the clients and also about audit in general as when I started I really didn't know anything.

I enjoyed the programme as it provided lots of different things on a daily basis, not just with the work in which you can be on lots of different clients and working on so many different areas of the audit but also that time gets split into going into college to work on the exams which gives a bit of a break from the actual work. It was difficult however when working and revising for exams and also there can be long days during the audit busy season.

It was very well organised as PwC have lots of joiners throughout the year, as an intern I joined with all the graduates and went through the same process as them. There are dedicated weeks of training to get you used the the software used and also to train you on what audit is and what will be expected of us. As PwC use Kaplan as the exam college that is also well structured with a good amount of time to help prepare for exams.

There is always support throughout my time at PwC, being assigned a career coach at the start of the year so always someone to go to for questions. The HR team are always very helpful with any questions in that are such as holiday etc. And also the people who took the training in the first few weeks that you join are also always there to help and look to check up on you to see if you need anything.

With PwC using Kaplan you get lots of support with dedicated class room sessions for a few weeks before being left to revise on your own just before the exams. There is an online website that you get given access to which allows you to get extra content alongside the books you are given, and to also test yourself on certain areas or do full mock tests of the exam that you are about to do.

The accountancy exam is needed for a role in audit, as your are always having to learn how each area of the financial statements is accounted for and the underlying policies for it. Through your exams you learn about IFRS and ISA, which is really important when coming to understand a clients financial statements and being able to identify if there are any issues with it and how this can be changed. Overall accountancy skills also are significantly developed and help within the audits.

PwC have lots of different activities outside work, including sports such as rugby, football and badminton. There are always social events going on throughout the year as well, the big one being the christmas and summer balls. But there are always social drinks within your department within audit. There was also volunteer days at the start of the placement which enables you to get to know all the new joiners and socialise/network with the more experienced members taking the training sessions

Yes

I think it is a really good company to get into, they care about your development and put time and money into you by giving you the opportunity to take the exams. Also the ability to get promotions within the company is great, you always feel like there is something to work towards. The general atmosphere within PwC is good and there is always social events and things going on. You have to be prepared to work hard however with a lot of late nights and exams whilst working, but worth it in the end.

The application process you need to just be yourself and just prepare well for the initial stages, in the assessment day if you get there make sure to be talkative and allow others to talk and listen, always get everyone involved. Be prepared to have to work hard when you are there this is a full on placement and you get given lots of important jobs and you are expected to pass all exams, so make sure you know that it is something you want to get into.