Flying Start Degree Programme - Intern - PwC East Midlands Review

For each client I worked on i was involved in daily team meetings with the audit team where we would catch up on the progress of the audit and assign tasks. Throughout the rest of the day I would work on different EGAs across the file, documenting our testing for different FSLIs.

At the start of my placement I received around 2 weeks of training allowing me to develop my audit knowledge. I believe I have also greatly expanded on my technical abilities due to having to use different specialised PwC software every day as well as my research skills as I now feel more confident finding and interpreting business data for different entities.

At the start of the programme it was quite challenging whilst getting used to the systems especially in a virtual setting. However the more I adhered to this way of working and as I got to know others on my team, I enjoyed the responsibilities that I was given as I felt like I was adding value to the different audits I was assigned.

I think the programme is well structured since we are given a high amount of training at the beginning and can clearly see which jobs we are assigned to on a weekly basis. One thing which I thought could have been better was the induction as this was done virtually and I would have preferred to have met people in the office and have been shown around. As well as this, we are given a support network however I didn't receive every part of this as I was not assigned a buddy. However although I would have wanted this at the start of the placement I realise that I still had other people always there to support me such as the flying start ambassador and my career coach.

I am able to receive support from anyone at PwC as everyone supports a culture of care and teamwork and are always willing to help. Key people that I could reach out to were my career coach, the flying strat ambassadors and many senior associates, associates and managers who were on my teams.

We are trained to take the ICAEW exams at the university. Throughout the placement I received a few emails directing us towards questions which we could practice. Therefore I think that there is a positive and willing attitude towards us in terms of support. However I still feel anxious towards working towards my qualifications as I don't believe the layout of the exams have been explained clearly.

Being physically present in the audit process has allowed me to better understand it and know if I enjoy it. I believe that this is so much more effective in terms of solidifying your understanding compared to reading out of a textbook. I understand so much more about the real working world and what I have learnt on placement will help me with my exams more so compared to the other way round. However many things that I have learnt for my qualifications I could recognise and I therefore felt more confident by having that knowledge.

There are social events every month to get involved in such as dinners and parties. There are also lunch and learn sessions where people come in to share their knowledge or interesting experiences, livestreams as well as sports events such as weekly netball matches against the other big four firms.

Yes

I would recommend working at PwC as it gives you the opportunity to experience working with various clients across a range of industries. You are given a great amount of responsibility allowing you to maximise your learning, build on your skillset and grow in confidence. It is also an extremely friendly place with great office facilities allowing you to meet lots of reliable and understanding people who are always willing to help and support you.

For the application process, I would recommend practicing a bit for the game-based assessment and make sure to prepare well for the online interview by going over beforehand your skills, experiences and how you would react effectively to different work situations. It's important to also know how to effectively use the STAR technique to structure your answers. There is also an assessment centre exercise where you must make sure to actively consider all the information you are given and work with others.