Assurance Associate Review

I found the one-year placement at PwC very challenging but equally rewarding. In my experience, the placement year was broken up with many different jobs, so each week always felt fresh and challenging.

At first, it was difficult to make friendships as the firm is so large and jobs are rotated often. However, by the end of the year, I had made lasting friendships with my year group, and some senior members.

There was a well-developed coaching culture within my office, managers and seniors would always be understanding and supportive,

During exam periods/busy audit season, there is little free personal time and it is easy to feel overwhelmed, however, when sitting some of the later exams, everything felt more manageable.

A senior member of the audit team will support and coach you throughout any work you are doing, however, you will be responsible for all of your own work, this can include performing tests and speaking to clients alone. This is one thing I found unforgettable about the placement experience.

Completing ACA exams and auditing financial statements has added a huge amount of depth to all the prior years of university studying.

Very little time was spent in the office, however, time spent at client offices was always interesting and enjoyable.

Almost perfect, there is a well-established placement scheme that runs alongside the graduate scheme. It is obvious the placement scheme has been running for many years and been improved year on year.

There a is a large induction and training program before you are induced into the firm. This is in-depth audit training delivered by seniors who work in the office. There is also the ACA training and exams which is both a timely and costly investment.

Future employment is very achievable, I was personally offered a graduate offer, which I happily accepted.

As mentioned above, placement students are mixed with graduates, so there is a large community of new employees. There are also multiple social events ran throughout the year.

No problems.

There was no nightlife around the work location, however, regular socials were set up in the nearest cities.

PwC are very flexible if you have any personal commitments outside of work, and there is also many PwC activities to get involved with.