Intern in Tax: Reward and Employment Review

by PwC

Best Student Employer

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

3.3/5
  • The Role
    3.3
  • The Company
    3.7
  • The Culture
    3.0

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I thorough enjoyed my internship. The work was interesting on a technical level, and as interns we were so well looked after by the firm. There was no expense spared when it came to training, a residential induction in a nice hotel, and the firm was quick to encourage us to be vocal on our preferences so they could tailor the internship to our interests. For those who had a particular desire to visit other offices or work on specific types of work, their preferences were often accommodated.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • Particularly in the department in which I was working, as a result of the technical nature of the work, there was a limit on what I could offer. To this ends, there was a risk of me feeling undervalued and feeling like I was in the way. However, this risk was well-managed and several colleagues made a real effort to ensure that I was always occupied and doing work that made me feel I was contributing.

    3/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was assigned a 'people manager' at the beginning of the internship who was my first port of call for issues surrounding my enjoyment and engagement in the internship. In addition, I was allocated a 'buddy' (someone who had been with the firm for a year who was a more informal helper). Their support and guidance was really invaluable and well-managed.

    4/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I wasn't particularly busy with client-based work, which was a bit of a struggle. However, I managed to find myself plenty of non-client work, such as participating in the Dragons' Den scheme that was run for the interns, or doing research for different departments in the firm. It seemed, from conversations with other interns, that this situation varied. My experience was not being busy both other interns were much busier.

    2/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • Again, because of the technical nature of the work, there was a limited amount of work over which I could be given responsibility. However, whenever I was allocated a piece of work, it was my responsibility to complete it in a timely and efficient manner, to a high standard. I was the most junior in the office so I was given less responsibility than my seniors.

    3/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • One thing that will have a noticeable effect on my studies is my ability to manage my time. At PwC, there is a system for logging how much time you spend on projects through the day. Therefore, this taught me to be conscious of my productivity and time-management through the day. I'm sure this will carry over into my studying and make me more efficient.

    4/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The atmosphere in the office was very relaxed, yet completely professional. During August, the office was on 'dress-down' so people wore casual clothes. I really liked this because it gave the office a more relaxed vibe and also took away some of the nervousness that would have come from entering a formal business environment for the first time.

    4/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The internship was very well organised. The head organisers of the internship was readily available if we had questions and everything ran very smoothly. The only slight problem was that the local offices didn't seem to know all the details of the wider internship, so their expectations were slightly different from those of the internship organisers. This wasn't a huge problem though.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • I think the firm really invested in me, because I was here for only 6 weeks yet they went to great lengths to make sure that I was trained, equipped, and welcomed. We were taken on a three day residential induction in a nice hotel, and taken to London at the end of the internship. We were taken out for various meals, and all of this reinforced in my mind how much they valued making a good impression on the interns and giving us new skills in fun environments.

    4/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • 3/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • Future employment prospects within the organisation are very appealling. Another perk of the internship scheme is that it has the potential to lead to a graduate offer at the end. This acts as a strong motivation throughout the internship but also shows that the firm are committed to recruitment and have very appealing prospects for employment after university.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • Among the interns in my office, there was a great social scene. This was self-managed so it depended on our initiative to organise events. We ate lunch together every day and we organised, among ourselves, a leaving meal on our last day. We were also invited by colleagues to join sports and social activities. This was a great way to get to know others in the firm.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I lived at home- so I didn't have to pay accommodation costs. Food was reasonable priced and readily available in the food hall within the office building, or in local shops. Commuting costs weren't too expensive (return train tickets were under £10 everyday). The firm reimbursed all reasonable expenses, for example if we had to travel to client site, or to London as part of the internship.

    3/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • There were plenty of local clubs and bars. I didn't take advantage of these much because I commuted into the city for work and therefore staying late into the evening made travelling home more difficult. But there were plenty of opportunities for those who really wanted to pursue nightlife outside of work.

    2/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were some opportunities to socialise outside of work. As interns, we were invited to drinks events for the whole office when these were occurring. In addition, every Tuesday and Wednesday there were 5-a-side football games, to which we were invited. Throughout the year there are a wide range of social events although summer did seem a more quiet season, but we were aware of plenty of other opportunities that would have arisen if we worked in the firm throughout the year.

    3/5

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Details

Internship (1 Month+)

Accounting

South East

September 2016


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