Placement Year Review at PwC

The Role

Role Description

Worked within audit in the banking and capital markets department. Daily tasks would be engaging with clients, checking information, sending emails, understanding accounting policies and making sure they had been applied to data correctly.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

I enjoyed the placement and really felt like a member of the team rather than just an intern

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

Hard work was appreciated by management and verbal praise was encouraged.

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

The support on the placement was fantastic. I was treated like a graduate scheme student and therefore there was a very well structured support system in place.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

How busy I was depended on the time of year but as I was also studying for the first year of the ACA exam qualification the year was extremely intense and there were times where it felt like there wasn't a world outside of the office but generally the firm tries to help you find a balance but in a big 4 professional services firm the first three years at least will be intense so it is good to expect that.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

My responsibilty differed depending on how large the engagement was but it was nice to have that range of responsibility. On my smaller client there were less people and therefore I had a wider spread of responsibility and more client interaction but even on my larger clients tasks were delegated pretty quickly which I was responsible for.`

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I am a lot more disciplined now I have returned to university and time management is really easy. I also have obtained a permanent position for when I graduate which has enable me to solely focus on uni and not worry about applying for graduate positions.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The office atmosphere was friendly. As the office is open plan it is easy to meet new people and interact with others throughout the day. Quite often I was out at a client site in an audit room with a team of people. The atmosphere in all of my teams had a fun element which made the days go quickly.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

There were parts where communication could have happened earlier but on the whole the organisation was good and there was always someone on hand to help when I was unsure of things.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I was treated like a first year graduate so I completed all of the training both internal and external in cluding 9 ACA exams.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

• Sports and Social Club
• Company Parties/Events
• Healthcare/Dental

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

I will be continuing my graduate training with the firm going straight back after uni as a second year graduate.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

My intake got on extremely well. There are weekly drinks, monthly meals and after the last set of exams we even went on holiday together!

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 4/10

London is expensive but that was partly reflected in the salary.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

The nightlife was brilliant in the area I worked. Being in London there is a wide variety of clubs, bars, restaurants and lots of fun activities to take part in.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★★★★

Rated 10/10

There are lots of societies and sporting teams which the firm encourage the staff to get involved in and teams are very supportive at helping you keep commitments even when deadlines are looming.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

Doing a work placement was a very worthwhile experience and has really aided me in progressing in my career choice.

Review 277/277 for PwC

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