Women in Business Review

I really enjoyed my time at PWC in the London offices. It was a good way to get a snap shot of the Deals Tax division and understand what the various teams within Mergers & Acquisitions do on a daily basis and to help me decide whether I would fit in well with the firm.

I felt highly valued by the firm throughout the visit. I was continuously invited to meetings and events that would have been of interest to me. Even though I was only there for a short period of time, I really felt as though I became part of the transfer pricing team and attended team meetings.

The HR contacts were helpful and always on hand to answer any questions or queries I had. The Director who I spent my week shadowing was also extremely helpful and would always ask if I had any questions or any areas that I didn't understand and required more clarity on.

I developed my networking skills from meeting a range of different people across a range of teams. I also developed my level of professional excellence from attending high profile meeting throughout my time at PWC. This insight has also helped me decide what I want to do after University and realise that PWC would be a really good company to work for.

The insight was well structured. On the first morning, there was a scheduled slot with a HR representative in order to get me set up with a laptop and the programmes on the laptop such as my own emails and similar. Then throughout the insight, the Director that I was shadowing had arranged for me to shadow individuals in different stages of their career in order to keep the placement varied.

The people at PWC were very friendly and were always asking me about what I was studying back at university and how I was finding my insight. Everyone is really hardworking but is always happy to make time to help you when you are stuck or answer questions you may have, even if you think they seem silly.

Initially I was asked what I wanted to get out of the placement and this was important to try and set deliverables and goals. I was also able to speak to new graduates about the graduate scheme and get a feel for the ACA exams to understand what I will undertake. I was also to speak to a Senior Manager to understand the career progression available to me.

I think it was quite reflective. From speaking and shadowing a range of individuals from a Senior Associate, to a Senior Manager, to a Director, I was able to understand the range of work that is undertaken. I was able to listen in on client calls and experience a report being written for a client, showing me what I could perhaps get involved with in the longer term.

My insight allowed me to understand the company culture quite well. I found it inspiring to see women in senior roles but who also have a good work-life balance and have families. Speaking to the graduates allowed me to understand the on-boarding process and the way that PWC goes about integrating you into the company.

Really valuable. I was able to understand the work that different individuals and teams complete and match it to the skills that I believe I have. I was able to observe the career progression available. As a result, I really feel as though the experience allowed me to decide on what I want my future career path to look like.

I was paid reasonably well for my week. I was able to cover my travel expenses and have money left over. I was also taken to lunch on various occasions which was nice and a good way to network.

I was invited to drinks with some of the recent graduates which was a good way to talk about the final interview process, the ACA qualification and the graduate scheme as a whole. I attended a leaving lunch for a member within the mergers & acquisitions team which was actually a really good way to speak to other individuals whom I had not met during the week. From being invited to meetings I was also able to meet Partners.

The opportunities were good. From speaking to the graduates I found that when you join PWC, you are allocated to a social group who run socials regularly in order for you to keep in contact with other individuals on the graduate scheme. From attending leaving drinks I was able to meet other individuals from across the division who I would otherwise not have met.

I believe the gym membership in part-subsidised which is a good way to keep active.

I definitely would. It is often really hard to understand what a role entails just from researching online. Gaining hands-on and real life experience is a great way to find out if you are best suited to a role and also what it would require from you on a day to day basis. The insight also provided me with a range of contacts whom I will keep in touch with.