Shadower Review

I was shadowing a member of a team from a different department within PwC each day (Tax, Assurance, Consulting). Throughout the day, I was given various different tasks to undertake from my 'buddy', which varied between the different departments, but usually involved sending emails and using Excel documents

I have really improved my communication skills, as I was required to send formal emails, and attend telephone conferences, meetings, and I learned to present myself in a professional way. On the first day, we were taught about how to improve our personal brand through our body language, which was very useful. On the last day, we had a project that required me to work with others under time pressure, so my team working skills definitely improved

I really enjoyed the programme on the whole, as it was something I haven't had the opportunity to do before, and I have definitely learned a lot in only a week. However, there were a few moments when my buddy had a lot of work to do, so I was left on my own for a while, but I understand the reasons for this

Very much so, we were given expensive laptops on the first day (which we had to give back to the end). Immediately from the start, we were given access to confidential documents, and I can see how the work I did was of direct benefit to PwC, so it was easy to tell that I was greatly valued

We received plenty of training on the first day, and we were clearly told the structure of the week. In reality, what I did was quite different to this plan, although my buddies always made sure that I understood what was going on, and what the plan was.

We had access to their email addresses, so we were able to talk to them if we had a problem. As the training we received on the first day was sufficient, I did not need any additional support.

PwC were happy to answer any questions I had, and my buddies for each day always made sure I understood what I was meant to be doing, and explained how this fits into the work they are doing. When I had a problem with my laptop on one day, I was able to phone up tech support, who were happy to help, friendly, and I quickly had the issue resolved

The only costs I had were my morning commute, and my lunch each day, which was less than £10. When I needed to travel further, PwC reimbursed my travel expenses for that day. My salary more than covered these costs

Each day, I was invited for lunch with my team, which was very enjoyable, and each day, I attended a WebEx presentation, which provided training for many key skills I would need for the business world

Yes

I really enjoyed my time, and I know that I learned a lot that about working in professional services that I wouldn't have considered at the start of the week. The week has also opened my eyes to my possibilities for later life, and I particularly enjoyed being able to spend time in a different department with different, friendly people each day

Practice the psychometric tests online before taking the assesment, and ensure that you are well prepared for the interview by researching PwC, because the course is getting more competitive each year (only 10% of applicants were offered a place this year!)