Flying Start Degree programme - Intern/Trainee, Newcastle Office Review

I was part of a certain department within the line of audit work. This department focuses on the audit of tax, share based payments and pensions. I was working with pensions throughout the entirety of my placement. The majority of work involved obtaining third party confirmations and comparing to information provided by the client.

I have learnt so much from my placement. This was my first time in a work environment and it was great to put university knowledge into real life work. Throughout each engagement I was assigned, I learnt more about the type of documentation required for a audit. This has helped for studying towards the ICAEW ACA exams.

My placement with PwC has been fantastic. Everyone I have worked with has been friendly, approachable and dedicated to working well within a team environment. The workload is shared well and I found the frequent catch ups with members of my team beneficial to my learning and development. I didn't have a preconceived idea of working at PwC but it I have so thoroughly enjoyed it. I am so looking forward to returning for my next placement.

The programme run by Newcastle University, ICAEW and PwC is very well run. It is great opportunity to have a taster of audit work during your university degree. I feel so fortunate to be able to focus solely on work during the placement and not have the pressure of studying. There is plenty support while on placement which is much appreciated.

PwC look after their employees. Each employee is assigned a career coach and a buddy. Both of which I found provide frequent support through chats and catch up calls. They are great to have for more general questions. Additionally, each employee is allocated to a squad. These squads are useful for news events, support, allocation of work and general wellbeing. There is always someone to go to if needed.

It is much appreciated that Newcastle University and the university contacts within PwC continue to communicate throughout your placement. Even if not required, it is comforting to have that contact if needed. The ICAEW have a useful website with plenty of information regarding exams, qualifications etc. This provides clarity to the overall degree course and what will follow from graduation.

I have found it really useful to have studied some auditing in my degree before coming to PwC for my placement. It provided me some theory into the overall reason and purpose behind audit work. This enabled me to document my work on placement with a better understanding. The degree is taught with high quality and is relevant to the real audit world.

Yes there are some activities to get involved in. I have really enjoyed socialising with people from the office. For me, this has been through social events such as meals out. This has been great to further get to know people in the office. This is especially because the majority of people I have worked with have been virtually.

Yes

Firstly, everyone I have met are fantastic people. They are friendly, approachable and proud of the work they do. Another reason is because the learning experience is of high quality, addressing current challenges that the audit profession faces. PwC cares for its' employees and is a place you would be fortunate to experience.

Be open and proactive. Learn to be comfortable to ask questions and engage well with others. Teamwork is a big thing at PwC, so demonstrate that you can make yourself heard and perform well within a group. If you show that you are prepared to go the extra mile, while having a passion for what you do, PwC care for people with these qualities and will want to benefit from a motivated employee.