This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.
Rating
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The Role
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The Company
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The Culture
- 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
- 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
- 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
- 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
- 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
- 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
- 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
- 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
- 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
- 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
- 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
- 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
- 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
- 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
- 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
The Role
My internship at PwC was extremely enjoyable throughout - looking back a few months on I have nothing but positive memories of the six weeks. I would say the enjoyment stemmed from two key factors: the excellent way in which the company organised the internship, and the people (both fellow interns and PwC staff) who were proactive in making me feel settled remarkably quickly.
As mentioned above, this was a key factor in the success of the internship. PwC staff were unfailingly friendly, willing to take time out of their own schedules to explain actuarial concepts and methods. The buddy system which PwC arranges also helps - you are allocated a staff member who was a recent new joiner, who can answer even the most basic and trivial questions you may have. With your questions answered, the work you then produce is valued too - thank you messages, "well done", "looks good" etc feedback. It's the small things like this which are much appreciated.
Definitely a standout, certainly in the case of my people manager (who is your de facto boss for the internship). When handed work by my PM, it would often be accompanied with helpful notes on what to look out for, previous templates to provide a shortcut and so on. Additionally, halfway through the internship, a coffee meeting with your PM provides ample opportunity to discuss areas of strength/weakness, and to receive additional guidance.
Mean/median fairly busy, with a slightly above average standard deviation (couldn't resist). Actuarial work, especially on the pensions side, has an ad hoc element in the sense that tasks will arrive from other areas of PwC with a "can you do this by Friday?" note. This work is then delegated, with those who have capacity picking up the relevant tasks. I enjoyed this style of work, as it certainly gives you a wide exposure to clients, including some high profile firms. The amount of work was manageable throughout, and I only had to stay later for 30 mins/1 hour on perhaps two occasions. Given summer is a traditionally quieter period, and there were two actuarial interns, I thought it was impressive that we were so well occupied: longer term projects were also on hand when the day-to-day tasks dried up.
I was treated as if a new graduate joiner rather than a summer intern, which was pleasantly surprising, if initially a little daunting! Having undertaken PwC WebEx training in basic actuarial techniques, we were given real client work from day one. Of course, your work is checked numerous times before being sent out to clients, so there is a safety net! I was also given some internal business development work, focussing on investment performance and strategy, which could have tangible impacts going forward - that was particularly interesting.
For my degree, the actuarial skills themselves are not applicable (however these will naturally be ideal preparation for an actuarial career post studies). Having said that, since returning to university, I have found the Excel knowledge which I acquired extremely useful. As a long term devoted Mac user, I had very limited exposure to Microsoft Office. Anyone in a similar position - definitely worth brushing up pre-internship!
The Company
Very good - professional yet polite, formal yet friendly. We would take it in turns to offer rounds of drinks (tea/coffee that is!) through the day, and people would take the chance to chat every now and then. Worth an honourable mention is the food - there is a really great culture of bringing in cakes/treats etc, especially on a Friday or post holiday. I believe a baking rota is usually in place, although I was not called upon during the 6 weeks - most probably thankfully for all concerned. Am now practicing.
Outstanding, from the superb opening event at Windsor to the clearly defined feedback process which culminated at the end of Week 6. I always felt well informed of where I was up to, and what I was expected to do - national managers would email round on a weekly basis to check on our progress. This is the advantage of interning with a large firm like PwC - they have been running schemes like this for years, so have honed the structure of their internships to make them as attractive as possible.
At the residential induction, there were tutorial sessions to help us get to grips with fundamental auditing principles and the computer programs used for audit, which were actually quite fun! We were also given laptops with all the necessary software that we used for all audit work over the course of the internship.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
Company Parties/Events
Superb - am very fortunate to have been offered a graduate position with PwC post studies. (My previous opinions would hold regardless though!) The previously mentioned feedback process guides your employment prospects. As work is completed, you may ask for feedback from the colleague who allocated you said task. Over the internship, these are collated and presented to your people manager. In conjunction with your department's relevant partner, a decision regarding your future is then made, and delivered to you on the final day of the internship.
The Culture
It was very easy to get to know everyone in the office through social events, like end of month drinks, and football every Monday. We also regularly went for lunch in our teams, which provided more opportunity to talk to everybody.
It wasn't cheap, but it was great quality and 8 mins (timed) walk from the office, so was ideal. Living in Manchester isn't necessarily as cheap as you might think, the centre has gentrified significantly over recent years - be prepared for high food bills if you use Tesco Express/Sainsbury's Local etc, and some of the pubs are not far off London prices. Having said all of the above, the internship is paid and will cover all of the above comfortably. There are also strategies you can use to your advantage (Aldi in the Arndale, student discounts, Wetherspoons 3 mins from office etc).
Manchester is renowned for its nightlife, and I can see why. Although the area surrounding the office is primarily other offices, it is only a few minutes walk to various places with live bands and drinks offers. From there, a stroll into the centre takes you past many eating places to the more traditional bars/clubs. I would recommend heading over to the Northern Quarter, which I thought had a buzzing atmosphere and many quirky venues.
Yes, and the interns were always made very welcome at said events. On the first day in the office, I attended a promotion drinks (essentially an open bar) where I met many PwC staff for the first time. Later on, there was a curry night which had in part been scheduled so that we could attend, as well as an enjoyable social at a nearby private bowling alley. Finally, another promotion drinks on the penultimate day - in a very upmarket venue in Spinningfields. The advantage of working across pensions and reward is that both teams will organise activities, hence double the invites!
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
North West
June 2017