Flying Start - Placement 2 - SOLA (More London) Review

My university programme involves placements with PwC. On a day to day basis on these placements I work in SOLA audit. I either work in the office, at home or at client-site. I work in multiple teams and I am responsible for certain accounting areas within the audit of financial statements for various companies. We hold both team and client meetings on a daily basis.

On this placement I have developed my ability to communicate independently with the client and learnt how to effectively challenge them to obtain the best audit outcome. I have also progressed to working on more challenging accounting areas within audit. Moreover, I have developed my Excel skills further to enhance my documentation abilities.

I thoroughly enjoy the balance that the flying start programme provides. I am able to have both a university experience and obtain work experience at PwC. I am able to apply the theory that I learn whilst at university to the work I perform at PwC which enhances my understanding.

The structure of the programme is unique and so beneficial! At university we focus on studying for ACA exams and other relevant university modules and at PwC we focus on audit work. We have great distinction between the two which allows us to study and work hard separately. We are also given a long summer to relax as the programme is intense at times (but worth it and super rewarding)!

The flying start programme is extremely well organised with support provided both at university and PwC. At university we have a programme director who is university-based and a PwC contact who liaises between us and PwC whilst we are studying. When at PwC we have a buddy and career coach (and essentially everyone else as everyone is always really approachable and willing to help with any issues)!

We study for our qualifications whilst at university and our tutors are always available to answer questions (even when we are on placement if necessary). We have forums set up on our university site to ask these relevant questions and these are visible to everyone which is very helpful as we can all benefit from shared knowledge.

The programme progresses through the certificate and professional levels of ACA qualification. The theory that we learn as part of the qualification at university can be directly applied to the work we do in audit. This is really beneficial and reinforces our understanding of this theory which helps when revising for exams.

There are lots of committees to get involved in, including CSR, social, balance and wellbeing. These all contribute to making the office a cohesive working environment. Furthermore, social events such as office netball and football take place which are also great to get involved in - all levels and abilities are always welcome!

Yes

PwC is a fantastic company to work for. The support provided is excellent and I really enjoy being able to work in such a vibrant office environment. The flying start degree programme gives an accelerated route to completing the ACA qualification which is perfect for anyone set on becoming a Chartered Accountant!

I would advise anyone applying to research PwC and have an understanding of what audit involves. I would also advise them to have a wider business understanding and keep up with business news and consider how this would impact working in audit. In a group interview remember to include everyone in the conversation!