Audit Associate Review

I worked alongside other individuals in an audit engagement assisting in the audit of financial statements. This involves performing procedures to check the accuracy, cut off , existence & completeness of information provided in these financial statements. As a new joiner, the following areas were given as my responsibility : Operating Expenses, Cash & Cash Equivalents, Tie out EGA (evidence gathering activity), Accounts Payable & Other current/non current assets ega.

As this was a new experience, I learnt a lot regarding the audit of financial statements and what audit is like within PwC. I have learnt a lot in terms of the procedures and evidence gathering activities taken to have increased confidence in the reliability of information. In regards to soft skills, you develop relationships with your audit team as well as your client, your communication skills are heightened as well as your ability to work under pressure.

It was quite a challenging yet rewarding program. Often, I was working hard to meet internal deadlines created by managers. By putting in the effort, I was able to gain a substantial practical understanding of key audit areas - something I would not have been able to gain through reading a textbook.

The overall program is well structured (including university). University education does prepare you and give you the underlying knowledge that was definitely helpful during placement. The seniors on the job where quite helpful and took time out to coach you properly & were there to help solve any problems I encountered when completing my work.

As mentioned above, the seniors on the job were quite helpful. They took the time out to coach you on the relevant areas & also were quite approachable in the sense that if you run into a problem - they were always happy to help. There was strong communication from the employer & the overall audit team I was on.

PwC support when working towards the ACA qualification. They provide the resources eg all the textbooks and sponsor the course. This goes in hand with the university education provided which is also very good in my opinion. The lecturers are clear and approachable. It seems as if they have a passion for teaching which is always good.

Working towards the ACA qualification and having completed the first year set of exams, definitely did help. It provided the underlying knowledge needed and helps with the practical side of the job. I found it extremely useful to have prior accounting knowledge as I started placement. Personally, it made placement easier.

There are a range of extracurricular activities offered at PwC. Regular emails are sent across to the whole office. Some of which include : online fitness, online cooking , livestreams on various topics etc. It's nice to see that the firm offers extra curricular activities , even during the Coronavirus Pandemic through utilising technology.

Yes

If you have a strong work ethic, I believe working at PwC can be quite a rewarding experience. You gain a lot of exposure into what audit entails & PwC has some of the world's biggest companies as clients. Therefore, the exposure you're getting is unmatched in my opinion. The firm is also progressive and proactive eg. just recently announced flexible working hours.

Make sure you do your research on PwC and what audit entails (if you're applying to audit). Once getting in , just have a willingness to learn and put the effort in. It's a really rewarding experience and the knowledge you gain is substantial. The growth I experienced in a short space of 3 months is unbelievable so expect to gain large amounts of valuable knowledge & experience.