Intern / Trainee Review

I attend university three out of four years of my apprenticeship. The majority of days at university I spend studying. Whilst on placement, I have done a number of roles including supporting my team, outreach and training. A normal day on placement would involve a daily standup meeting followed by smaller meetings throughout the day

I have learnt lots of new skills throughout placement. Mainly from my university course which has a wide range of modules. However whilst on placement I have benefitted from additional internal training such as public cloud training (AWS, Google, etc.) and technology procurement. Which has been really exciting to learn about.

I really enjoy my time at PwC and university. PwC are really supportive and build an inclusive work environment. I know who to contact throughout my program if I need support and the day to day job is exciting. The staff social events are also amazing and are great fun to attend.

The program is well structured. The program overview is stuck to rigidly with very little, changing. Due to covid one of my work placements at PwC was cancelled however it would be hard to hold this against them given the circumstances and they supported me throughout this time with alternative development.

I receive lots of support from my employer. I have multiple points of contact to reach out to, such as my career coach, programme manager or human resources. Everyone is extremely friendly and the culture is such that everything can be talked about openly and honestly which is refreshing.

I receive some support whilst attending university. However the University of Leeds has been underwhelming to say the least during the pandemic. They have moved lectures online permanently even after all restrictions have been lifted (February 2022). They have announced no plans to move lectures back in person and the online teaching is dreadful. The lecturers do not communicate with one another and the coursework deadlines often cause issues with attending lectures.

I believe that having my computer science degree lets me have a unique insight into my role. Which allows me to spot opportunities for optimisation that otherwise would go unmissed. This and the support from PwC to create the tools I suggest means that my degree is extremely useful on a day to day basis

There are lots of opportunities for socials. My team currently has one on a weekly basis which is always good fun. The professional networking opportunities are endless within PwC. I'm uncertain on PwC sports teams however I know the university attached to the programme has excellent sports teams to take part in.

Yes

PwC is an amazing place to work, they support me and try to keep me engaged and happy. I thoroughly enjoy working here and hope to continue to after I graduate from university. The atmosphere and transition to work has been incredibly supportive and I do not have a bad word to say about them.

I would make sure you understand what PwC does on a day to day basis and brush up on it even if you think you do. I would come with an open mind and try to present your ideas in a coherent easily understandable manner. Finally make sure that you come with a smile on your face! :)