Management Consultancy Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship at PwC, I not only gained industry insight but also built up a strong network within the wider team. I completed client facing work and the responsibility I was given exceeded my initial expectations. All of my colleagues took responsibility for ensuring that I achieved my targets and objectives.

I was delegated active client work which made a real impact to the project. This was backed by support from the team and assurance that I was making a positive contribution to my colleagues. Socially the team were also very receptive and treated me as a full time employee, not as an undergraduate.

Both my People Manager and managers on my project were all very supportive towards myself. At all times I felt that I could approach them with concerns or questions. What really impressed me was the network of support available at the firm. At all levels, my colleagues always ensured that I had opportunities to exhibit my skills.

My project work consisted of the majority of my time taken each week, this was mainly delegated from managers and had timescales for completion ranging from a few days to a few weeks. When I had more capacity to pick up work the team did not hesitate to get me involved in different areas of the project that I had not yet experienced.

The aspect of my internship that differed most from my expectations was the level of responsibility I was given and the level of my work. I was undertaking work that fed back into the project leadership team and was approached by managers to consult on this. Furthermore, my level of responsibility grew as a reaction to previous work completed, so as I completed higher responsibility tasks I increased trust within the team.

The key skills that I developed during my internship that will help me entering my final year of studies were independent working, research and communication. The work I completed was led by myself and required that I managed my own time well and fully understood the tasks I had been assigned. Research was key in my internship as some aspect of the work was led by actively collecting information to process and feed back into the project. Lastly, all of my work had to be clearly delivered and shared with the team, this meant that it had to be understood what the work entailed and who may need access to it.

The office environment is very collaborative, where conversation is encouraged in order to return a higher value to the client as this builds up relationships in the team. For me this was great as it meant I had maximum exposure to the whole team and was able to channel my interests through joining in on discussions.

The placement followed a good structure from initial training to my local induction I felt fully utilised and that my colleagues respected the scheme. This allowed me to get the most out of my time as I had a set project and area assigned to me for the full time I was in the firm.

The initial training was central for all UK interns and lasted 3 days in a residential setting, this was a combination of training exercises to fully prepare us for our local offices. On the job I completed e-learns and training surrounding my area which helped me to understand the industry and my responsibilities.

The graduate scheme that the firm offers is very strong and an exciting prospect for an undergraduate, the training offered is extensive and well managed. Further to this, it allows for personal interests to be explored and it is encouraged that graduates rotate across project areas and competencies, to better inform their specialisation.

The wider office team and intern group were encouraged to socialise outside of work, whether it be project meals or office socials, there is a culture of building relationships across the board.

The cost of living is very reasonable and I benefitted from living in my student house for the duration, commuting was cheap and quick.

The area has a very good nightlife, with a lot of restaurants and bars locally, which cater to all tastes.

I became involved in various outside of work activities which meant that I built my network beyond my project gaining genuine relationships.