Flying Start Degree programme - Intern/Trainee, Newcastle Office Review

I have built on my knowledge obtained from my last placement, being specialising in the audit of pensions. As this was my second placement at PwC through the BAF flying start programme, you get the opportunity to take on another area which for me was the audit of tax. I learnt more about the reason for the work performed and experienced having a more active role in the teams I was assigned to.

It has yet again been great experience to work at PwC. Everyone I have worked with is approachable, knowledgeable and committed to executing a high quality audit. Being on my second placement meant I could further develop my knowledge and be less reliant on coaching for some of the work I was assigned. This made working more enjoyable as I could contribute more to the team discussions and overall progress.

Very well structured. This year there were weekly squad calls to come together to discuss current topics and how to implement any changes into daily work life. The resourcing department are there to support everyone and ensure the right amount of engagements are assigned based on available hours and the engagement being ready to begin work on. For specific support, the team at PwC monitoring the placements have wellbeing calls at the beginning, middle and end of placement, introducing themselves and other contacts of use while ensuring people feel supported while on placement.

Everyone I have worked with has a drive to carry out high quality engagements, striving for personal development and effective performing team collaboration. A team first attitude exists throughout. In particular, I found it easier to obtain coaching from more experienced team members compared to my last placement. This helps massively to develop your understanding of the work and helps motivate you to perform well.

Obviously having being in the same department as my last placement it can be difficult to comment on my future path without having experienced different parts of the firm. However, the placement has given me more insight into audit and how an engagement is carried out. However, PwC do care about their employees and hard work is rewarded, therefore to have another placement here has shown me the values of the firm and what full time life at PwC may be like.

Yes, this is a paid placement. You are paid for both the placement and the training taken before beginning client work. Expenses do get reimbursed however I did not undertake any travel to client site etc so I did not need to make use of this. The salary is competitive for the industry.

There were some opportunities to work with people outside your department however I did not experience this much. I think this applies more so to those who work full time at PwC. Our department did however have more people from other offices visit Newcastle throughout the placement which was great to meet some people I had worked with but had never meet in person.

Yes

Working at PwC is an opportunity to gain real life, audit experience, working with professionals who take pride in the work they do. PwC are innovative to embrace new ideas and move the audit profession forwards, putting people and quality at the forefront of what they do. I have worked with so many fantastic people who positively influence my work experience and personal learning development.

It is worth applying for and even though my placement is short, you gain a real insight into the life of audit and how one of the big four accounting firms operate within audit. Be prepared to be self-aware, open and willing to fully integrate into a team environment as these are attributes PwC values in their employees.