Management Consultant Review

With a role in consulting, your day to day job role is extremely varied. Over the course of the apprenticeship I found that, depending on which team you are working on, you are given some repetitive tasks that occur daily and weekly. These may include weekly reports, performance updates or tracker updates. Then outside of these repetitive tasks, there are a lot of pieces of ad hoc work. This would entirely depend on client deliverables, team needs and so on. One example though would be having to host a team workshop session.

I have learnt a multitude of new skills and developed even more. Some examples are as following: - Technology skills. You are exposed to lots of new systems and platforms over your time in the apprenticeship - Stakeholder management skills - Time management skills - Organisational skills - Communication skills - Leadership skills - Team working skills - Presentation skills - Facilitation skills - Professionalism

I have found that the programme was very up and down. When I was busy and had lots of work to be getting on with, this was when i felt the most motivated and engaged. However, sometimes you can find yourself without much work due to client demands being reduced or that the business doesn't have as much work coming in at that time. This is usually a cyclical thing and certain months are just quieter than others. I have also found that the team around you make a huge difference to the enjoyment of a project and the work you have to complete and sometimes it can take a bit of time finding a team you gel with. Overall though, the programme has been invaluable to me in terms of my development as a professional and I would not change that at all. The main negative side of the programme is the qualification you complete on the side. Kaplan, the professional qualification provider that we use were absolutely shocking with their organisation and ability to provide quality sessions. This is not at all a reflection on PwC though.

The programme is well structured and provides good grounds for support networks to be established early on. The programme is also structured to enable you to explore a good amount of what the business has to offer in consulting, this is really valuable because you are then best placed to make a decision around where you want to focus your career after the programme has finished. On top of this, there is adequate time specifically set aside for you to complete your qualification whilst working full time. This is really useful as you don't have to take extra holiday to make sure you have enough revision time etc.

You have multiple different levels of support at PwC. The first level is your 'buddy' who is someone who is assigned to help you settle in to the firm. They will help you with any general queries you may have. Next, you have your 'career coach'. This person is an escalation point for your buddy where they may not have the knowledge to assist you. Your career coach will help guide your career path and provide relevant feedback and advise to you depending on where you want to take your career at the firm. Both your career coach and buddy are relaxed and more informal relationships. Above your career coach you have your 'relationship leader'. This person is next in the escalation and will often be used for more formal reasons. This may be a career change, any disciplinary action or any concerns you are having with your work/colleagues. Your relationship lead is more senior and therefore a more formal relationship is present. Outside of individuals though, you have communities that you will be part of, here are some examples. Your cohort, your office community, your relationship lead group, your development group and then any communities you opt into, e.g. LGBTQ+ community.

PwC provide a good amount of support for having enough time to complete your qualification around your project work. You are given dedicated study days where you are not required to complete any project work and just entirely focus on your studies and coursework. PwC also provide time for you to attend your 'college days' which are hosted by the qualification provider, Kaplan. PwC will also expense travel and accommodation where needed for those travelling from outside the area. I would mention though that Kaplan, the qualification provider (i'm not sure if this means the training provider or not) are an absolute shambles and although PwC make every effort to provide time and support with completing the qualification, Kaplan are disorganised and unreliable. This adds a lot of unnecessary stress to the qualification work such as exams and course work. I am also basing my rating on Kaplan's support. for PwC it would be a score of 10

The experience you get from working on project work at PwC is invaluable and you will learn huge amounts over the two years. This helps your performance far far more than the qualification. The exams have very minimal relevance and are unrealistic so very rarely find value. Everything you learn in the qualification you will cover more extensively and will be delivered better during your project work.

PwC offers loads of extra-curricular activities. There are societies and communities that cover anything you can think of and if there isn't already a community, you can start your own. Inside of working hours, there are options to complete 'above and beyond' work which includes organising community events or volunteering events or charity days etc. There is definitely plenty to get stuck into.

Yes

PwC is a huge firm. There are countless opportunities available to further your career or learn where you want to focus your career path. PwC also offers opportunity to travel globally with offices in 152 countries. Furthermore, PwC has great benefits. You are able to expense travel when working on client site, you have access to great benefits such as pension plans, extra holiday and more. The main perk of PwC though is it's ethos. PwC is a people centered organisation and culture is a key element of why I would recommend to a friend.

- Be yourself - Get stuck in - Work hard - Build your network - Research work that PwC have done that interests you - Think of reasons for why you stand out in a crowd - Be confident - Get involved with your local community and extra-curricular activities as these will stand you out and show you are more than just grades - Be proud of yourself and show off what makes you different