Flying Start Degree programme - Intern/Trainee, More London office Review

by PwC

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

8.8/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

It was my 2nd placement for the Flying Start programme at PwC. I had more responsibility compared to my first placement. I had to perform assurance/audit work which involved being in contact with the client and some service providers. I also had to provide coaching to the junior members of the team

9/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

During my time on my second placement at PwC for the flying start programme, I have learned a lot about how the audit/assurance business unit operates. I also gathered experience on teamwork since my job had a big team and also developed my coaching skills. I also learned new excel skills during the placement

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

The flying start programme provided by my university is a great opportunity to learn the technical aspect from the books while at university and the placement provided within the year as from year two is a very good opportunity to learn more about the real aspect of the work involved.

9/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

The programme is very well structured in terms of the company welcoming us to the firm and the training provided before joining an engagement is very useful to give us a bit of back background on what we are expected to do. The programme also took consideration the impact of covid 19 when structuring the placement.

9/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

PwC provided me a lot of support in terms of giving us a lot of resources within the company system for us to filter to our needs. My career coach was of great help if I had any general questions/concerns. My team was very supportive in terms of wellbeing over the course of my placement as well

9/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

My training provider ( Newcastle University and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales {ICAEW}) provided me a lot of support in terms of information provided by them and constant reminders that they are here to help if I need their help. Working at PwC gave me a lot of insight on how the assurance/audit LoS works

8/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

Having experience 2 placement so far in the PwC assurance busy seasons helped me a lot in terms of the technical knowledge and also for time management and team development. The University lectures also provided us with some background to the work that we would be expected to perform during the placement

9/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

There were a lot of social event being organised over the course of my placement. Some of them organised by the Flying Start Champs, some by the business unit and some by my engagement team. Those events are great for networking. Although I did not get involved in all of them it was good that they were organised

8/10

9a. Would you recommend PwC to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

PwC is a very good employer with great support being offered to the employees in terms of flexibility and resources available for us to make the best use of. They have been very supportive in time of Covid 19 and are constantly expanding and looking to improve. I would recommend PwC

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to PwC?

I would say that they should be able to show flexibility when working within PwC. An internship would be of great help for them to have an idea of how the work is and to develop an expectation of what they would be expected to do if they were to come full time.