Flying Start Degree Programme - FS2, Milton Keynes Review

For context: the salary given is only for whilst you are on placement, not whilst you are at university. Whilst on placement during my degree, I work as an associate in the audit line of service at PwC. This involves working as part of a team and having interactions with clients, to complete audit testing at each stage of the audit.

One key skill that I have started to develop from my second placement is delegating. This has helped me to develop better time management and will be especially key going in to my 3rd placement which will be during busy season.

This programme is good because you get the knowledge of the theory whilst at university, and then you get to apply what you've learnt at university during your placements. The placements also give a good context for the theory, so develop your understanding significantly.

The programme is well structured, being a 4 year degree with placements in your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year of the course.

There is a lot of support available: career coach (who will be available throughout you placement to answer questions, flying start champions (who have graduated from this programme, perform your inductions and can answer programme specific questions), programme manager (who can answer programme specific questions), buddies (who are on the programme a placement ahead of you), the teams you work with throughout placement and university support as well.

You receive lots of support from the university itself, to work towards completing exams which will go towards the professional qualification as well as your degree. ICAEW also provide some books for free, which you can use to study for exams.

The work you do towards your degree is directly relevant to your job role, as you complete modules based around audit, business, accounting etc which are all important areas to have knowledge on for this job role.

There are socials you can get involved with which are mainly office-specific. For example, at the MK office, there is badminton after work bi-weekly. There have also been some after-work drinks and some work lunches/dinners where you can interact with your colleagues outside of a work capacity.

Yes

There is a good network of support available at PwC, and there is a clear progression where professional and personal development is encouraged. Teamwork is absolutely essential, and this means that you always have a network of people to ask questions to, which is really useful for development

Be confident in your abilities, and don't be afraid to ask questions, this programme is all about developing professional knowledge and skills as well as personal skills, so asking for help shouldn't be something to shy away from