Trainee Associate Review

I am a Trainee Associate in Pensions Assurance, if I am in the office I will arrive for around 8:30. We have a timetable of which jobs we are scheduled to be working on each week so I will check this first thing Monday morning. Daily tasks will include testing different aspects of the pension scheme such as their investments or payroll. Interactions may include speaking to the client or my manager with queries about certain aspects of what I'm doing.

Yes we are training towards the ACA qualifications, this includes 15 exams in subjects such as Assurance, Law and Tax. We also have residential training courses around twice a year which goes over business unit specific training.

The company culture is excellent with flexible working and lots of support from my people manager and colleagues. There are also many socials and sports events to get involved with to meet more people.

I feel appreciated by my people manager and colleagues. We can also request snapshots to receive feedback to see how we are performing. I also feel that we are given a lot of responsibility as we get to go to the client site from very early on

Very well structured, we have a weeks introduction and then also an office induction when we arrive. We get time off for college/self learning days which is good, and a lot of support from Kaplan when it comes to learning the new modules.

Very well supported by the training provider (Kaplan), the resources are great and they also have an online platform where you can practice what you have learnt in the form of quizes and online tests. They also provide a free resit the week later if you are to fail the first time.

There is also a lot of support from my people manager and buddy. They helped me to settle in easily when I first joined and are happy to help with any queries or questions if I need the help. The HR team is also very responsive as they have an online chat which can help with most HR problems

I moved to Manchester before I go the job so have a lot more living expenses than the people who live at home. However it means I can walk into work so do not have any travel expenses. I am able to meet all of these costs every month with a fair amount left at the end to either spend or put into savings. We also now get paid for overtime which is great as it is a reward for any hard work we do within the month

Yes I am involved with the red group football which happens most weeks, it's a great opportunity to meet new people in my department and also a good way of relieving any stress I have had within the day. There are also many socials which we can get involved with which are another good way to meet new people and widen our network.

Yes

It's a great place to work with lots of support and a great place to start a career. The progression is very quick and the biggest benefit is that we can get the ACA at the end of the training contract.

Make sure you make yourself heard in the group assessment centre and practice as many online tests to make sure you are ready for the ones that you have to do at the assessment centre. Also, try to speak to as many people as possible that currently work at PwC or in practice to make sure that you are taking the right path.