FS1 Review

I was involved in a wide variety of tasks of an audit engagement . Out of the four stages of audit which are planning , internal controls , testing and reporting , I was involved in most of them. Mainly in planning and internal controls since my placement wasn't on the end of year period and on a later stage on testing

This being my first job experience and long term placement, I was able to get useful insight of how working life can be. Working full time is a lot different from the university and thus I developed skills like planning and workflow management but also more technical skills required in the office

It was a great experience with good balance and time length which is very important since this was the first placement of our course. The period being nearly 3 months gave a long enough time to get used to working and get the real experience but also not be alienated from university

It was more organised than i expected being so many student in different location across the UK. I felt that at anytime I could be provided with support and have answers to my questions. Whoever there were many delayed and late announcement and the place of accommodation should be know to the student earlier since it is one of the most stressful parts

I had a lot of support during my working period , whether that was a general question that I didn't know because i was new to the firm or wether that was a technical issue that I had not faced before . However I believe that resourcing wasn't as helpful as expected when I was left unbooked for a long period of time

Since this was my first placement I wasn't in need of much support for my qualifications as I believe this will be more important in a later stage of my carrer and the other placement that have yet to come. However I always felt that anyone was open to queries.

I believe that this placement has made me learn more about the profession of auditing and accounting that the whole of last year at the university. I was expecting this to some extend but this has surpossaed any expectation that i had. I feel that because of that I can be more prepared for after university.

There were many different events that I was invited to through the work email. However I only attended a couple that were usually during lunch time or right after work. These events mostly consisted of social activities and group meeting rather than sport activities, but given the pandemic the options were limited

Yes

The big global name of the firm allows for people to have more trust in your skills and value them more. Furthermore pwc has a structured way of learning for newcomers with a steep but supported learning curve that allows you to learn and develop in a fast and consistent pace

My tip would be to ask as many questions as possible not only for learning but to mitigate any possible mistakes. Being independent and finding solutions by yourself is a valuable attribute but sometimes can be damaging to new joiners since it can limit their growth and the development of their skills