Associate Review

Assess the risks companies face within business or technology. Test the controls they practice to make sure they are mitigating those risks effectively. Write reports on how your testing has gone and advise the client on what they could do better to make sure their company is working as effectively as possible.

Developed very good excel skills! Can now utilise the knowledge learnt across different jobs on new clients which helps identify or compare different ways in which companies operate. Have been able to apply the knowledge learnt at college to different jobs and vice versa. Have found that practical work gained when on site has helped me with my understanding in certain modules.

I enjoy this programme very much. You start with the entire intake for the country and get to meet people from all over the UK. This means building relationships outside of your own office. The atmosphere in the office is also great. Regional offices mean smaller teams and opportunities to get to know senior staff quite well.

Very structured in regards to the way college is organised around work and vice versa, however, some exams which have similarities between them can be seen to be a bit too far apart. Aside from that this is organised quite well. Internal professional qualification staff are assigned to year groups which helps with guiding the intake through exams.

A career coach is assigned to each employee when they join. This person will help their coachee through their progression at work and be the first point of contact when any help is needed. Any new employee is also assigned a buddy when they join. This is a current employee which is a grade above - and usually less formal than a career coach - who helps with everything from onboarding to help with exams, etc.

The training provider does not support massively. Each college tutor is an ICAEW approved tutor but this person will be reporting back to PwC. There are also ICAEW Professional Qualification representatives within the firm which help with issues with exams (ie mitigating circumstances, exam booking, etc.), however these are usually not the first people to go to in case of issues

The qualification is a formation and a base of theoretical understanding for some of the work which is performed on a professional basis. This is particularly true with External Audit, where many of the financial terms and issues which a PwC employee comes across with on a daily basis can be understood from the college learning.

There are plenty of opportunities within work, whether this is after work sports (there are countless different football and netball teams), charity work (the firm has one day where globally, everyone does their bit for charity - whether it is sponsored sports, or volunteering within the community), or even committees within offices (LGBTQ+, Social, Mental Health, etc.).

Yes

PwC offers great opportunities for all stages. There is a brilliant atmosphere there and the people really do make a difference where you choose to work. This is also very social due to the extent of young people working there. The firm also offers plenty of opportunities whether this is in career development, or travelling, getting involved in new activities, etc.

Make sure you do your research - the website offers plenty of information and details around what we offer in each area! And finally, make sure to relax and be yourself - PwC is nowhere near as intimidating as it seems, this is a misconception a lot of people have. You do not need to have any prior knowledge in any specific topic, PwC look for what you can bring that is different, not whether you are exactly the same as everyone else who already works there.