Flying Start Placement 3 Student Review

I worked as an audit associate during my 4.5 months of placement experience in Cambridge. This is a placement experience during my accounting and business degree, where I have worked in the audit division. This involved going to office and sometimes working from home, in order to attend calls and complete work assigned to me by my job manager.

I learnt the importance of punctuality, and how to work towards specific deadlines. I developed my communication skills, specifically how to me concise and direct with my conversations in order to remain efficient. I developed good team working skills and how to coach more junior team members, I also learnt how to document the work I perform in a succinct and articulated way.

I did enjoy my work experience overall. Although it is hard work, and involved some significant overtime and commitment at times, as well as the sacrifice of personal commitments, I believe it has been a worthwhile experience. The skills I have developed and contacts I have made are valuable and I look forward to returning in the near future.

Overall it was a well organised work experience. I had daily calls and team catchups that structured my daily routine. When working together in person, we had lunch together as a team in order to build team rapport. The admin aspect of our placement was well organised, where we received timely updates and communications from our placement coordinator.

I learnt alot, such as how team working is a big part of the culture in the office, and how the sharing of knowledge and experiences is a significant way to aid our development. There is a culture of working hard and being committed to team deadlines. There is also an expectation that questions must be asked in order to develop, and that no question is a silly question.

The nature of this course means that if you pass your placement you can receive a job offer upon graduation. Therefore, in the near future this placement has considerably helped determine what I will be doing in the short term. The team aspect of the job has definitely influenced me over that I would like to be part of a team-based job when I am older.

Yes, as an audit associate i was paid monthly in return for my work. Most work related expenses are reimbursed. There are also volunteering opportunities as well, such as around Easter, in order to get involved with local activities in the community. Therefore, there is a good balance of work and non-work related activities which you are rewarded for in some form.

By working as a team, that presents an opportunity to network with team members. There are also experts in certain areas of work that you are able to reach out to for guidance where required, and so helps to build your professional network. There are limited events where everyone is required to attend, but this is the only opportunity to network on a larger scale.

Yes

PwC has a good working culture, where team working, communication and building relationships is a large part of the company's activities. You get to meet smart, intelligent people and work in interesting cities and towns across the country. There is variety in our work at times, so if someone is drawn to that idea then I would recommend it for that reason.

I would make sure that you are friendly and approachable, as well as be prepared. It is worth applying early and doing your research around what the company does in order to put the whole job in perspective. I would recommend that you learn good people and communication skills in order to make the transition of moving into a company as seamless as possible.