Deals Tax School Leaver Programme

Katie

Tax

School Leaver Programme

PwC

There are so many routes into a career at PwC

Meet Katie, a Corporate Tax Associate based in our London Embankment office. She joined PwC on our School and College Leaver programme in 2020, after completing her Maths, Economics and French A-levels at a Teach First partner college.

“I first heard about careers at PwC during an event at the Newcastle office, where I met a mix of apprentices and senior staff who highlighted the routes into PwC for students. I was drawn to the School and College Leaver programme and indicated this to my teachers at sixth form, who were really supportive. They understood that university isn’t the right path for everyone and shared any information they could find to help with the application process.”

Katie now works in our Portfolio team, which primarily focuses on advising Private Equity owned businesses.

“My day-to-day role is really varied and it’s always exciting to see what comes next. This could be assisting with tax compliance, creating a plan to acquire a new company or simplifying a current group structure. I also work closely with other teams in Tax and across the firm, both in the UK and overseas, to provide a greater offering to our clients.

I love what I do and I’m lucky enough to work with clients across a range of industries, including hospitality, technology, pharmaceuticals and more. I always enjoy walking down the high street and seeing a client’s business!”

Working across a variety of clients and industries isn’t the only thing that Katie enjoys about PwC. She also loves working with her team and building new relationships with colleagues across the business.

“The best thing about working at PwC is definitely the people. Everyone is so welcoming and they genuinely care about you and your development. My team has made my career journey an insightful learning experience and has also arranged great social activities, which has been so vital for me in building new relationships.

I also love the freedom and flexibility we’re given at PwC. A firm that trusts their people to work where and when is best for them and their teams is a huge bonus. It gives me a great opportunity to balance my work and social life without compromising quality.”

Here at PwC, we aspire to remain constantly agile with how we work, which includes flexible working and our empowered working day. This means that our people can decide their most effective working pattern, and the times they work on any given day. It's our commitment to empowering our people to work in a way that works best for them, their teams and their clients.

Katie uses this flexibility to ensure she’s able to balance her work, studying towards her professional qualification and her social life. Outside of work and studying, she spends her time travelling to new countries, as well as going to gigs and festivals across the UK. Katie’s love for music also extends beyond gigs and her guilty pleasure is belting out songs on karaoke machines.

Thinking back to why she joined PwC, and why she’d recommend the firm to anyone considering a student career with us, Katie said: “There are so many routes into PwC, whether you join as a School and College Leaver like I did, on a Flying Start degree programme, or as a graduate. Once you’ve joined, everyone helps you fit into a role that really suits you, and you find yourself surrounded by so much support and encouragement - it really is a brilliant place to work.”

As well as receiving support from her teammates, Katie has also benefited from bespoke training courses and on-the-job coaching. She’s looking forward to continuing this learning throughout her career with us - and at PwC, we’re passionate about developing you as a leader sooner rather than later.

“When I joined PwC, I was paired with my buddy who was there to answer any questions I had, and to show me the ropes. I was also assigned a career coach who has been guiding me through my career goals and development. My wider team have also provided great insight and are always on hand for any questions, no matter how big or small.

The training courses offered by PwC have also been incredibly helpful and have aided my wider understanding of tax matters and the businesses we work with. The training is delivered in different formats too, which is really helpful as it allows people to learn in the ways that suit them best.”

And if, like Katie, you’re considering joining us on one of our School and College Leaver programmes, she’d share the following advice with you: “If you’re considering a different option to what you might think is the 'standard' route, talk to people! Your teachers and careers advisors will be happy to put you in touch with the relevant contacts and guide you through the process.”