Business Placement - Assurance Review

The role was identical to that of a first year audit associate, taking on a range of responsibilities in the completion of statutory audits of PwC clients. Completing evidence gathering activities by using client documentation to request and then document sample information. The role also included a great deal of ICAS and internal training.

I come from a background outside of Audit and so most everything learnt in this placement was new to me, I have developed skills in the area of accounting and auditing at a rate faster than I imagine to be achievable in any other environment and also developed other core skills. One of the main benefits of this placement is PwC's support structures within their offices which have helped me to overcome issues I have encountered very quickly and pick up skills from colleagues.

I have found the experience as a whole to be very enjoyable, the first weeks completing ICAS training during COVID were very lonely which did make it less enjoyable and the busy season expectation of vast amounts of overtime were challenging but I feel they were beneficial experiences and as such I have enjoyed the whole experience a great deal.

PwC's recruitment as a whole is very well organised, as is their onboarding process into the office and their firm, including training and induction as well as the assignment of buddies for introductions to the firm on a personal level. However, the organisation of the information available to placements in Scotland could be improved as England being the larger group seems to have been prioritised.

I have received an excellent level of support from PwC on all levels, the networks in place within the firm are designed to support all employees from a personal and professional perspective at all stages of their career and this includes placement students. Support could sometimes be more proactively given in early stages.

ICAS provide a good level of support throughout the CA training with staff employed to respond to students, my main concern is going forward into TPS in the future as they seem to offer less support particularly around the timetabling of this. There are also a few instances of there being errors in exams which have caused stress.

The CA qualification is vital to the role, enabling me to complete my daily responsibilities to a good level by developing background knowledge before starting in the role that I would have struggled without. The training is a main contributor to the performance of associates as many would struggle to complete basic tasks without it.

There are numerous extra-curricular activities available at PwC including regular social activities, sports activities including 5-a-side and hillwalking and professional networking events led through the transactional services line of service. These events help to build relationships within the office and relieve stress and pressure during busy periods of the year.

Yes

The main thing I looked for when choosing a placement was that I would not be treated as a placement student, PwC treat you as a first year associate the same as the graduate intake and that makes the placement experience so much more valuable. Being able to get this level of hands on work experiences has exceeded my every expectation.

Highlight transferable skills during the application process, PwC recruit from all areas and being able to adapt to different environments will be beneficial to the experience. Make sure you do research before interviews into PwC latest movements in your LoS as they will ask about this. Also have some background knowledge about the Professional Qualification pathway you will be on.