Audit Associate Review

An audit associate, this includes working on clients and being involved in completing basic components of an audit. This is mainly based in the office, however there is a hybrid approach to working, so this may be at home or on client site too. Mainly on a day to day basis I am preparing evidence gathering activities.

I have learnt lots of new skills, mainly audit specific, but particularly improved by technological skills on excel. I previously had little experience in this area so this was really beneficial. Also I have improved my communication skills by working in various sized groups and new people from different backgrounds.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement period at this firm, I really enjoy the company culture and it is very interesting to work in a completely different environment than what I am used too. I have always enjoyed working part of a team and this was a large element of my time working here.

At the beginning of placement the training is structured very well, and there is a clear and concise plan of action. However, after this there isn't as much direction for what the flying starts should be doing. The university component is structured very poorly. The workload is far too much and there is no plan for how to teach flying starts during the condensed semester.

My manager has been very supportive throughout the placement and has always ensures I was being taken care of and had jobs on clients to do. Also the pwc platform makes it very accessible to receive support from my career coach and any others. I haven't had much interaction with the HR team but I have always been resourced onto jobs so no issues there.

The university support is minimal. One major issue with this programme is that they are not willing to help offer financial support or provide accommodation to students whilst they are on placement. This means we all have to pay for two additional months rent in order to attend our placement, and they are not understanding of the affects online working for a month can have on mental wellbeing.

The qualifications and modules I have studied at university have significantly positively impacted my performance in this role. Having a well rounded knowledge of accounting prior to beginning audit has made the learning process much easier, and this has enabled my performance to excel massively. The progression for flying starts at the beginning of placement is much greater than most associates.

There is plenty of social events to get involved in at work. I have been fortunate enough to go on an away day, go to the spring ball (rescheduled christmas ball) and be involved in a client debrief. There are also lots of sports teams to join however they are not very well advertised so not as accessible to join.

Yes

The culture at Pwc is unmatched by many other firms. Given its size there is such an expanse range of people to meet and this is greatly facilitated by its global platform. Also the range of clients, and engagement you can be involved in here is very diverse and potentially unable to find at another firm.

Make sure you research the pwc professional and behaviours that are desired as a pwc employee before your application. These behaviours are embedded into the pwc culture and are often preferable over academic talent. Ensure that you demonstrate that your personality is compatible with the pwc culture and you are coachable and open to learning new things.