Flying Start Degree programme Review

New-joiner in the audit line of service and involves doing bits within audit while learning new areas and skills everyday. A lot of the role is new to me but there is cross-over with stuff that I have had prior knowledge of due to previous/current studies and I have been able to apply things learnt but also learn lots of new things. The role involves dealing with clients face-to-face and helps to aid the function of an audit by contributing to a wider engagement team and receiving coaching to work on certain areas.

Yes I have been able to apply key skills/knowledge obtained from previous/current studies which has allowed me to perform my role better due to this prior understanding. Applying these skills have allowed me to further my understanding in these areas by seeing how these skills are relevant to the real-life scenarios and activity the role involves. The clear link to studies and industry has been there for me to see during my placement. I have also been able to develop a range of new skills and have definitely been able to develop the way I present things to clients and also fellow colleagues which I believe to be invaluable.

I am very much so enjoying the programme at the minute and have thoroughly enjoyed my first placement as it comes to a close. Working at PwC has allowed me to see how the audit department functions with my own eyes and also be a part of that myself which has allowed me to learn various new things. For me, I have really enjoyed the work along the way and have found that the mix of university work and placement has been very beneficial and allowed me to do a variety of things.

I feel like the structure of the programme is very good given that there is a clear break-up and organization around when placement's are and when university work should be taking place. So far, all university work done has been well organised and has been a manageable workload between terms- based off the experience of university work done last year. Given the current scenario/situation with COVID, university work does pose a slight added sense of difficulty with studies moving online which is definitely a more challenging working environment. However, the work we have to do for a module alongside placement has been given in a good format online with lots of different resources available to use.

I have found that I have received some good support from my employer. I have a career coach who I can always ask questions to and also have a mentor who I can ask questions to and have held contact with throughout the placement. Being booked onto multiple different engagements throughout my placement has allowed me to work with a variety of different people. On jobs where I was booked on for a longer period of time than others, I feel like I received better support due to the fact that you are working with someone for longer and therefore build up a better understanding with them and this is generally better in my eyes for coaching/support. It is also worth mentioning that everyone offers a good level of support but some people offer more which is helpful in certain situations.

I feel like there is a good level of support from the training provider as I am working towards my qualifications and there is solid foundations in place that allow you to work towards this qualification. For instance, there are numerous resources provided by the training partner including a useful website portal where I have an account registered which allows me to find certain guidance and information. On top of this, I have found the study manuals and books we have been given so far along the way to be extremely useful when studying for different modules.

I feel like the training provider has helped me to perform better in my role by aiding my studies at university (with a range of resources they have provided) which I have subsequently been able to apply to my role. In terms of the qualification, modules performed in the first year and also the audit+assurance module I am studying for now has allowed me to learn content where I have been able to clearly link and apply in my role. I feel like a 7 out of 10 score is reflective of the fact that I have also had to learn a lot of new things which have not previously been taught by studies done so far and due to the nature of having to adapt to the audit software, technology etc. used within the role.

Yes there is extra-curricular to get involved with but due to the challenge of COVID at the minute various extracurricular activities have been virtual and also professional networking events for myself have come in limited ways due to this challenge too. For me personally, I would have fully relished the opportunity to play some sports and in particular feel like I have missed out on being able to do things like football with the office.

Yes

I would recommend PwC to a friend due to the people within the business and the driven focus PwC shows around employing and developing new people. I feel as though there is a good sense of support/coaching offered to people and there is also a large variety of service lines and clients that you can work on. At PwC, I have enjoyed my placement and have done a variety of different areas of work within audit which has kept me engaged and has not made the job boring in any aspects.

I think the main thing is be yourself and show your personality so people can get to know you on a personal level as well as a professional level. Also, I feel it is important to be confident in yourself and make sure you come across in a friendly and easily approachable manner. However, more importantly I would advise others to give 100% but show a willingness and drive to learn new things as this will help to show a strong work ethic but also put yourself out of your comfort zone.