Audit Associate Review

As an audit associate we are involved in the audit of low complexity FSLI's such as payroll, cash, expenses, accounts receivable etc. We regularly speak with the client and senior members of staff at PwC and are responsible for our own work. You tend to work with many different people across the placement as you have a different team for each audit you are part of. This makes the work varied and allows you to develop.

I have learnt lots of new skills at PwC. In my 11 months at PwC I completed 7 of my ACA exams to hopefully become chartered with ICAEW one day. PwC also held internal training courses at the beginning in order to equip everyone with the knowledge and tools required to complete an audit. I also developed my confidence and ability to behave professionally. I have also vastly increased my network with a broad variety of people.

The company culture is great, PwC really care about their employees and the wider community. Working with different teams is good as you can interact with a lot of people. During busy season the hours you work can be more intense but as all the team are in the same position everyone makes it as enjoyable as possible. The responsibility I had was great it overcame my expectations. Overall i did enjoy the programme as it is an all round great company.

The programme is very well structured with a very specific pathway which is based on the ACA qualification. For the first few months you are either in college studying or having internal training to equip you for the work ahead. The amount of support you get is great as you are linked to a buddy in the year above you as well as a career coach at manager level which I found useful. Task delegation is strong and usually consolidated at the start of each audit.

There are a lot of avenues for support at PwC such as career coaches (manager level), the managers on your audit teams, the HR and student recruitment team for specific questions. I found that anyone I asked was willing to help me and the general attitude towards the support of new joiners is great as socials are held in order for you to meet knew people in a more relaxed atmosphere outside of the office.

As a business placement student I did not receive a specific person at my training provider to act as my advisor. However, if you are on the graduate you scheme you do which my peers found helpful. The tutors at Kaplan which is where you study for the ACA are very helpful and there is always someone for your questions to be directed to either via email or phone call or in person. I think this training provider is great.

The majority of the things I learn through my qualification are helpful for me to perform better in my role and will help me in the future of my role too. It gives me the technical expertise that is required within the role and also gives me access to the guidelines and ethics which I need to adhere to in my role. I have been able to put the theory I have learnt in to practice.

There are many extra-curricular activities to get involved in. There is a designated social committee responsible for organising out of office socials. There are also many sports clubs and cultural societies at PwC. There are also opportunities for volunteering and helping at recruitment events. There is more than enough to get involved in and even the opportunity to create new extra curricular clubs and activities. As the job can be demanding PwC encourage having extra curricular activities.

Yes

I would recommend PwC to a friend because as a company they are very welcoming and look out for their employees as best as they can. The company is very organised and the people who work their are so happy to help you were they can and it is like one big team. The resources that are provided are great and the company boasts some great benefits that other companies do not. I would definitely recommend.

My tips or advice in the application process would be to be yourself, PwC do not want robots working for them, they really want to get to know you as a person as it is important for the values of employees and employers to align. Do not be apprehensive about the onboarding process as you are guided into the role with ease and will not be thrown in at the deep end. So overall, be yourself.