Business Placement Review

My role involved acting as an associate on audit teams to deliver a high-quality service to clients. This involved me being responsible for collecting sufficient and appropriate audit evidence from which to pick any potential samples and/or gain comfort over the amounts disclosed in the company financial statements. Moreover, my role involved performing stock counts at client sites to confirm the inventory count procedures and policies are being correctly implemented as well as ensuring the quantity of stock being counted and recorded is correct. I also sat 7 ACA exams during my 11 month placement.

The main skill I have developed is the ability to be sceptical. More specifically, this relates to not accepting client documents/evidence at face value and instead applying a questioning mind to my audit approach. This includes questioning the client on why certain procedures are/are not implemented and asking for clarification over any issues in my audit work. I have also improved my communication skills as it is vital in an audit to be in regular contact with the rest of the team in terms of progress and any outstanding issues. Being new to the industry, this was even more important as there were situations which I found very technical and new which required the help of more senior and experienced employees.

I enjoyed the programme to a very high extent. This was mainly due to 2 factors: the people and the work itself. In terms of the people, everybody on the teams I worked with were very approachable in terms of helping me deal with any issues I had in my work or confusion I faced. In terms of the work, I enjoyed the 'investigative' side of audit in terms of assessing client documents provided, picking samples, and determining whether the support they have provided is sufficient and appropriate. The programme exceeded my expectations in terms of enjoyment as well as how much I learnt about the work/industry. I would describe the culture in PwC as that of being team/collaboration driven with a huge focus on equality and diversity.

My programme is very well structured in terms of what I will be doing day to day. We have an online portal which shows what I'll be doing each day for months in advance and hence it enables me to plan my time and tasks accordingly. A big aspect of my programme was studying for ACA exams as well as in-house training. I found the time set aside for studying for the exams to be very appropriate in terms of having enough time to get through all the content and feel confident enough to pass all the exams. Also, the in house training followed a clear structure where I learnt more about the software I would be using on a day-to-day basis in my usual audit role.

Support is amazing at PwC. Not only in terms of the teams you work on and having senior associates and manager's there to answer any issues you have, but also in terms of being allocated a dedicated buddy and career coach when you join. These were the people I would go to if I had any issues or questions about life/work at PwC. They gave me the confidence to 'hit the ground running' and were a big factor behind my enjoyment throughout the programme. There are also student/placement support officers who I could contact if I was having any issues on my placement. All in all, the support at PwC exceeded my expectations.

I receive a lot of support from my training provider in terms of having a dedicated tutor for the specific exam I was sitting who was specialised in that area. As well as having in-person college days to go through the more difficult aspects of the content, this tutor was available to have meetings and conversations whenever I wanted to. I actually made use of this and was supported in my studies outside the usual hours we had dedicated to them. The support from my training provider actually made me enjoy learning the content and made me feel at ease in light of sitting the exams.

To a large extent I think this is true. The 7 ACA exams I sat were all in some way relevant to the audit role I was performing on a day-to-day basis as they were accounting related. I was able to apply my understanding of debits and credits to the audit work I was performing in terms of identifying any issues/errors made by the client. I feel I know a lot more about my job/role due to completing this aspect of the ACA qualification and have been able to put the theory I have learnt into practice.

There are regular social activities put on for the whole office at PwC which helps create a positive team environment in the office. These events give you the chance to meet and talk to people you would not normal do so in the normal audit role. There are also sport activities such as 'Monday Night Football' and a weekly badminton class put on for those interested.

Yes

PwC place a huge amount of focus and resources on the people who work there. Through the exceptional training programmes they enable you to develop skills at a rapid pace and apply them to real-world scenarios in terms of the audit/client work you do. Moreover, the people you work alongside are all caring, helpful, and want to see you do the best you can and hence support you with any issues you are facing. All in all, it is a very supportive and diverse firm with a significant number of opportunities available to you.

PwC put a huge focus on teamwork and collaboration as it is a huge aspect of being able to deliver high-quality services to clients and ensuring audits meet there deadlines. Therefore, ensuring you have these skills/qualities is vital. Moreover, being sceptical in your work is also another factor they will look for (especially in audit) in terms of having a questioning mind.