Flying Start Review

My role on a day-to-day basis includes meetings and chats with the client and in the audit team. I am part of the audit engagement team that we carry out the year end audit of the client. This includes testing accounts like the balance sheet and profit and loss account, and make sure the Trial Balance does agree with the amounts seen held by the client

I have had learn new skills and also develop some existing skills. I took ownership of some areas and thus was responsible for my areas to be completed. I have worked on my communication with the client. I had the chance to communicate with finance staff and discuss any issues and matters raised in the accounts that needed further attention.

I enjoyed the programme very much. I had one engagement where I got on with the team very well and we socialised around the side of work too. Some teams are more quiet and it is a mix of people you meet, you get on with some very well and others you work as colleagues to get the job done.

The programme run by PwC is very well structured. It is a smooth transition in and out of the business on placement. There is a lot of support and any questions are answered quickly and in a friendly helpful way. There is a lot of help and support when you need it.

There is a lot of support from PwC. They try to provide as much help as possible. This is done through giving each flying start a buddy to help throughout placement and I also was given a career coach who links in with you often, directly via email and in person.

I would say that ICAEW does not provide much support when working towards qualifications. They provide the relevant books for the exams for free, and the teaching is excellent, but that isn;t directly provided by ICAEW. You are expected to pass exams and need to work hard to do this.

The exams help in our role at PwC by helping us understand the fundamentals of accounting and audit. It is vital to understand financial accounting before commencing any work as you need to understand how the financial statements are put together. You can then make sense of the testing you need to do.

Yes there are a lot of extra-curricular activities to get involved in at work. Each one of us is assigned to a social group and each group organizes social events. These involved local events around London and close to the office, lots of places nearby to experience and this was a highlight.

Yes

i would say PWC gives me the opportunity to expand on my knowledge and learn more around audit and the work involved. Also, working with my managers also helped me. One disadvantage is the long hours involved. There are busy seasons when working hours are extended but not all weeks are like this.

Some helpful advice that I will give to other applying to PWC is to make sure they ask to get involved in clients of their interest. You can speak with your buddy or career coach and this will help be involved with clients are industries you are passionate about, and the firm has so many big clients and industries you can find an area that really motivates you.