Intern/Associate Review

Working in a team to audit a client. This involves carrying out audit work such as tests of detail and tests of controls. We look at the financial statements of our client and perform tests to ensure the numbers are true and fair. There is also regular contact which occurs with the client on a day to day basis. There are regular meetings throughout the week in which problems can be raised which management can help with.

I have learnt loads of skills since started. This includes teamwork, independence and integrity. I would say that communication is the key skill I developed as I had to regularly communicate with colleagues and the client. Additionally, independence is another key skill I developed as this was my first experience of a working environment so I learnt quickly the do's and don'ts of a professional environment. These skills will be invaluable throughout my future career.

I really enjoyed my Flying Start programme. Although I was not able to go into office due to the pandemic, I still was able to obtain a valuable working experience from home. I did not feel at anytime that I was stuck by myself with no one to help me as there were always people eager to help and always available to ask questions to. My team was amazing as they were all friendly and approachable which made it easier to fit in.

The Flying Start programme was very well structured. This start involved a week long training programme whereby we were taught the basics of PwC and what is expected of us at the firm. Additionally, throughout the programme there are career coaches who check up on you to ensure you are doing fine. The programme ends with a nice reflective session where you obtain feedback from your colleagues and managers. This is really useful in learning how to improve and what you did well.

I received a tremendous amount of support. I was assigned a career coach who stayed in contact with me regularly. Additionally, I had daily team catch up calls where they always checked to make sure everyone was doing fine and did not have any issues. There are also Flying Start resource colleagues who are there to help out the people on my programme. This helped as it meant that there was no question that was too silly to ask.

I have received a fair amount of support from the University of Nottingham. My personal tutor has been in contact with me and I have had the chance to give them feedback about how my placement has been going. They have also asked as to give peer feedback to each other about our experiences within the placement to see if how similar our experiences are and if there is anything that we can help each other with.

The BSc Accountancy course is based on ICAEW and thus this provides a great foundation to work at PwC in auditing. This is because in the first year of university I learnt the basics of Assurance and this meant I knew the key fundamentals before coming into the work place. Along with this we have been using the stuff we have learnt from our course in our day to day role which makes it even easier to study.

At PwC there are plenty of social activities to get stuck into. There is a weekly quiz where people can get involved and win prizes. Additionally, there is regular social nights on Google Meet's which occur and this really helps to meet other people within the working environment. This makes PwC not just a workspace but also a really fun and a really enjoyable place to come to work. These activities are also great for mental health.

Yes

One of the big four accounting firms in the world. There is no better place to learn the foundations of auditing and accounting. PwC is not just simply a place where you go to work but it is also a place where you can make friends, socialise and enjoy auditing. There are so many supportive platforms within PwC which make it such an easy and friendly place to work. The offices are also amazing and in a great location.

A tip I would give is to make sure that you are prepared before coming to PwC in the sense that you know what they are about and the values which they expect from you. Also, working at PwC may seem daunting at first but once you start you quickly realise it is really a fun and friendly place to work. The colleagues there are always eager to help each other so this makes a really great environment.