Flying Start Degree programme - Associate Cardiff Review

As an auditor we go to different clients to audit their financial statements. You work as a team so have regular catch up meetings. Generally the work itself consists of obtaining listings from the client, picking samples and asking the client for evidence. You then check the evidence agrees to what the client has put in their financial statements and investigate any differences

I have learned all about audit as I didn't know what it was before I started. I have developed my Excel skills. I have learned how to use Alteryx and Tableau. I have gained a BSc Accountancy degree with the University of Nottingham and completed 12 out of the 15 ICAEW exams for becoming a chartered accountant

My time at university has mainly been enjoyable although a lot of time and hard work has been put into trying to pass the exams, more than other people I have met at university. My time at PwC has not been particularly enjoyable. There is an expectation of many hours of overtime, which outside of this degree programme is very hard or impossible to get paid depending on your grade. Most things are decided at the last minute so if you like to have a vague plan of what the next few weeks might hold, PwC is not for you.

This degree programme is very unorganised. Having 3 short placements over 3 years of the degree is not helpful either at work or university. It would be better to have 2 5/6 month placements or 1 year long placement. You spend too much time moving all around the country. You get taught a whole university module before you start placement in September but don't get examined until the following January, in the mean time you are working at a minimum 9-5:30 5 days a week so there isn't much time for revision. When only at work for 3 months, the first month is spent learning how to do things again and the last month is spent getting ready to finish (especially when we finish placements in December) so there's only really 1 to 1.5 months of decent experience. With the stopping and starting at university its hard to build relationships outside of the course. You can't get involved properly at university societies (such as joining a committee) because you aren't at university for a whole year. There is a lack of support and information from PwC across the degree. I didn't find out the start date for the last placement until a couple of months before starting and I didn't find out the end date until I had already started.

There is a lack of support and information from PwC across the degree. I didn't find out the start date for the last placement until a couple of months before starting and I didn't find out the end date until I had already started. They don't provide help or support through the process of moving offices after the degree is finished. Feedback from interviews is appalling and not constructive. Whilst on placement, the people in my office have been helpful and been able to coach me through the work, even whilst working from home. However the student recruitment team are not helpful or supportive.

The university is mostly helpful and supportive. I have had some really good lecturers who are willing to have meetings, mark past exam papers and in general just try to help you out as much as possible. However there are also some terrible lecturers who couldn't care less if you pass or fail their modules. My personal tutor wasn't overly helpful with problems and was much more a go sort it out yourself rather than here's what you can do and here's how I can help. There are some lovely personal tutors who are willing to listen and sort out any problems, unfortunately I was not lucky enough to get one of these.

Most of what I have learnt at university has not been applied in my role of PwC. Learning about the financial statements and the rules of how to include the items in them and how to account for them I have applied, as well as some of the background knowledge into Audit and Assurance. However many of the other things I have learned at university has not been relevant to the role as an auditor.

Not many social opportunities have been provided during my time on placements. There were a few meals on my first placement, but I was unable to attend them due to the timings and locations of the meal and the work day. On subsequent placements I have not been made aware of any regular extra curricular activities. There was a one off pottery class on my last placement.

No

They are increasing pressure on quality whilst still expecting the audit to take the same amount of time with the same amount of people. The first instance for coaching is to look at what was done in the previous year, which doesn't help when that task wasn't completed in the previous year. They don't explain why we do tasks when you ask for coaching.

Ask as many questions as you can think of before submitting anything. If you are doing anything over Google Meet before you join ask for a test run to make sure it is working. Get contact details for as many people involved in the process as possible. Don't be afraid to ask "stupid" questions. Make sure to ask what your role actually entails.