Flying Start Degree programme -Associate (Flying Start 2), Bristol Review

My role is as an associate in PwC. I am in the assurance division so this entails auditing companies. This is to do with going in to different firms and checking their financial statements (at a very basic level). We look to do this covering a variety of assertions to give us comfort over the numbers. At my grade, most of the work can be repetitive but at PwC you do get a chance at all levels to make a difference and take part in some bigger decisions.

I have developed a wide variety of skills over my 2 placements so far. My technical capabilities regarding audit and the specific tests we use have advanced no end. And on top of this, i have increased my excel skills as well. Further, my interpersonal and communication skills have come along a huge amount since starting at the firm. I have begun to manage some client relationships and have learnt how to adapt in different situations and quickly build relationships with new team members.

I think it is a relatively enjoyable programme. I think this year has been difficult for everyone involved with the pandemic, however, PwC have dealt very well with it. In fact, it has been Nottingham University that has dropped the ball on their side with some of the teaching. The day to day elements of the job can be repetitive, however, i do enjoy gaining an understanding of the different companies we audit and the social aspects of the job definitely help.

From the PwC side, the course is very well organised and structured. This part i would give a 10 score for this. However, the University of Nottingham aspect has been below par in a few aspects. They were meant to teach us an entire module in a condensed 2 week period, however only told us this would not be happening on the morning we were due to start. Further, this was due to illness but there was no contingency plan for this. We were very disappointed. However, i would like to reiterate that PwC have been excellent.

PwC provides an excellent amount of support. They provide our study manuals from the ICAEW free of charge to us, which is a huge asset given the high cost of these materials. They also run regular interaction sessions with the university. However, i would say the support is slightly lacking overall when we are not on a placement - they do seem to ignore us until we are back again. However this is understandable given the busy nature of the career.

We do receive a good amount of support from the ICAEW and from the University of Nottingham. However, as mentioned the University has dropped the ball in the past year. We do not have a significant amount of interaction with the ICAEW beyond the study manuals, which PwC pay for. The university therefore provides the most support. In general, they are always available to contact even when we are on placement which can be very beneficial.

I think this makes a huge difference, especially regarding the audit and assurance exams that we take at University. These exams are directly transferable to the everyday skills we use in audit and provide a fundamental basis from which we can grow our knowledge. Further, we finish with 12 of the 15 exams essentially completed for our Chartered Accountancy qualification and this is a huge asset. We get to complete these whilst at university which is undoubtedly less pressured than doing them whilst working.

There are a lot of activities on offer at PwC - there are regular sporting meet ups etc for a wide variety of sports. However, these have obviously been limited this year due to COVID-19. The social activities are excellent and we have dedicated social groups - this can then lead to things like regular quizzes and at Christmas the activities ramp up to things like mulled wine making Christmas bingo. These are accompanied by prizes of GEMS which can be exchanged for vouchers.

Yes

They are a vast organisation who offer a variety of roles. They have a good support network and the culture and atmosphere is always positive. The pay is decent and they support you in other ways including with social activities. They increasingly are showing increased care towards employees which is also very welcome and there is a very strong focus on wellbeing at the moment. This is nice to see in such a large organisation.

Be honest in all applications about who you are - they are very accepting and honesty is always appreciated. Do tailor your experience to what you think the role will involve - e.g. focus on teamwork and relationships since these are key, but also demonstrate any technical aspects you can - for example excel skills. PwC can offer a lot but you do have to be proactive and take it sometimes as it will not always fall into your lap