Associate Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the range of skills I developed on client site, performing a variety of tasks and experiencing many different roles offered by PwC assurance, from classical accounting to legal/litigation. However, I would have liked to have experienced more than one client, since I believe this would be more realistic of PwC audit work.

I was welcomed into the team immediately by two associates, and everyone was very proactive in introducing me to various colleagues throughout the programme. Partners made an effort to introduce themselves to me, and my relationships with all team members grew in strength. From the start I felt respected by my colleagues and that my contributions were valued.

Management and supervisors alike were very supportive of me, and willing to take time to answer questions I had about the tasks they had set, despite having very busy schedules themselves. I frequently had to seek out guidance and support myself, rather than management seeking me out, but this was understandable given their workloads.

My workload varied from day to day. Some days I had little work to complete, while other days I was very busy from start to finish. However, on days with a light workload I was always able to ask for more work to keep me busy, and my supervisors were always able to find me something to help with when I enquired.

I was very impressed by the level of responsibility my audit team gave me from the start, and I never once felt like my skills were under-utilised. I feel confident that I contributed positively to the half year review work the team completed, mainly because my team valued my strengths and ensured that I was given important work to be responsible for.

The technical skills I developed won't help me in my degree studies specifically, although my Word/Excel skills have improved and my communication skills have been enhanced. In particular, I have learned many crucial workplace skills (coordination, workload management, client interaction) which will prove invaluable in the years following my University course.

The atmosphere was professional throughout, but perhaps a little short of friendly conversation at times. While there was a real sense of team spirit regarding the work to be completed, once out of the office (e.g. lunch breaks, early evening) there was nothing in the way of social interaction.

The organisation was very good during the training week, and weekly email contact from the intern coordinator was useful too.

I was taught many skills on the job, by doing, and given occasional lessons regarding broader accounting concepts and technical skills (e.g. Aura). The firm were always willing to teach me new skills, in an informal way which made it easy to learn quickly and ask questions. The firm itself was very client-orientated and keen to give you a 'hands-on' learning experience rather than detailed lessons, but this was to my benefit as I am an active learner.

Future prospects are very appealing, and I am very much hoping to receive an employment offer! I am particularly excited about the overseas opportunities my team and people manager have discussed with me, and I am confident that there are plentiful areas of assurance to interest me in the coming years.

No. I am a member of a Facebook group with other interns, and there was little to no activity on it, and I really struggled to keep in contact with the other interns. I felt quite isolated as the only intern assigned to my client, and did not see any of the other interns who I formed relationships with during the training week at any point throughout the programme. I also feel as if PwC could have done more centrally to organise an interns social during the 6 weeks. Overall, this aspect of the job was very disappointing and a key area of improvement for the firm.

The cost of living and socialising in London is expensive, and as a result I had to be very money conscious throughout the internship. However, I did not make a net loss, and the internship experience was not about the money for me.

The nightlife is very good, and I was able to meet up with friends external to the firm to enjoy it. However, as previously mentioned, the social scene during the internship with respect to the firm was poor at best.

No, I was always at client site and felt isolated from the other interns. My group team, perhaps due to a heavy workload, did not organise any social activities outside of work hours, which was disappointing. I sought out an intra-office football match on my own initiative, but apart from this was not able to enjoy any other activities throughout the internship.