Assurance Business Placement Review

I very much enjoyed my placement year at PwC. It goes without saying a placement with PwC isn't easy and definitely requires a strong work ethic, motivation and hard work, however the experience you gain is invaluable. I completed the 11 month undergraduate placement in Assurance, which is essentially the first year of the graduate scheme programme. This is most beneficial in terms of being treated with the same level of maturity and given a lot of independence, but most importantly you will start your ACA qualification during your placement year. If you perform well in your exams while on placement, it significantly increases your chances of being invited back post university to complete the graduate scheme. Therefore this is why I believe a placement with PwC in Assurance stands out when compared to other placements offered. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the job was definitely getting to work within a variety of teams and meeting so many new people. Everyone I worked with at PwC were great and I have definitely made some great friends during my 11 months at the firm.

When attending numerous careers talks and fairs before applying for a placement, one thing in common with all firms I visited was their passion about their colleagues, and on the back of completing my placement I can now fully appreciate this. During my placement, I was made to feel extremely valued. Occasionally I would feel overwhelmed by peoples welcoming nature and kindness as I considered myself a 'temporary placement student', however I was always made to feel valued and honestly felt like I'd been there a life time. It goes without saying, the support given differs depending on who you are working with and your relationship with a team, but I was not once made to feel undervalued. There is a real sense of support and teamwork while working on a job, particularly during busy season or if there is a tight deadline to meet.

Due to the nature of the job in Assurance, you are constantly working with new teams, and therefore working under new management. In each team I worked in, there was always a 'kick off meeting' which introduced the whole team to one another and to the job. In this meeting it was always made clear who management were and who we could approach for guidance and support. Management in most cases, are not your first point of contact, but I was always made aware of who to contact for different purposes such as; on the job coaching or personal issues. At the start of my placement I was assigned a 'people manager' who was my overall supervisor. It was made clear I could approach my people manager for any problems faced while on placement, and it was encouraged to meet with them every so often to discuss my progress and build a good relationship - as your people manager is ultimately responsible for whether you are made a job offer or not.

80% of the time I was extremely busy. Assurance is renowned for this, however I personally think it is best to be busy. Being busy made the days go a lot faster and working in a team was great for morale. Assurance is renowned for having a 'busy season' which is generally Jan-March/April. The hours are certainly longer than your generic 9-5:30 during this period, which can mean some late nights. This is why it is important to have a good work ethic when entering into a firm like PwC. Although being busy, every one of your colleagues is in the same position so team work really is key. Due to the fact you are studying for a qualification at the same time as working, this can also impact on how busy you are outside of work as well. Therefore being able to get the balance right is essential.

I was given a lot of responsibility from the start of my placement. As stated above, you are treated as a graduate on a PwC placement year which may give you more responsibility than peers completing placements elsewhere. Due to the nature of the work, most jobs are based at a client site which means meeting and interacting with many other people - not all PwC colleagues. Even on my first job I was given my own areas of testing on the audit file and had to take responsibility of these - this meant having to approach and talk to the client on my own from the very first week. This was great for my development and has definitely boosted my confidence significantly. By the end of my placement, I was tasked to coach a summer intern which was a huge responsibility, but again great for my development and really proved how much I had learnt since the start of my placement.

From an academic point of view, I return to university having sat 7 ACA exams. I have chosen a module in my final year at university, which upon successful completion of, will mean I have passed 8 ACA exams. This leaves 7 remaining exams to become ACA qualified, proving how valuable my placement year has been. In addition, balancing these exams with working life has certainly provided me with an impressive skill set. Striking the balance between both these aspects of the job, while maintaining a social life outside of work, will assist me greatly upon returning to my final year of studying. I feel motivated and driven to perform well, and now understand the importance of organisation in any aspect of life. The training I received within a corporate work place will certainly be beneficial when applying for future jobs and undertaking interviews in the future.

The atmosphere was great in the office. It was probably one of the only things that greatly exceeded my expectation. Before doing a placement, I had envisaged a very corporate, serious and quiet working environment, but the PwC office certainly dispelled this myth. The policy of hot desking means you could be sat with anyone from Assurance, meaning you could go from being sat with fellow associates one day to a manager the other. Granted, most people stuck within their peer groups, however it wasn't unusual to be sat with senior members of staff, particularly when working with them. There is a calm and relaxed feel to the office, with people often breaking to chat about things outside of work, or simply taking a coffee break after being sat at your laptop for too long. There were other office perks such as lunches, bake-sales and socials for particular occasions.

The work placement was very well set up in my opinion. The most valuable aspect is the fact you are completely the first year of the graduate scheme while on placement, which really made me feel I was making the most out of my time/placement year. The only thing I would say is to know exactly what you're applying for before hand - many people weren't aware of having to sit exams during the Assurance placement year which came as a shock when we were put into college within the first month of our placement. Otherwise, it is a great scheme and organised well.

The firm invest in you greatly. While also being paid, the firm funds college tuition and the exams you are required to sit while on placement. This is invaluable for personal development and even if you perform well in your exams & are offered to return to complete the graduate scheme post university - there is no contractual obligation to do so. This makes you massively appealing to other firms, with no ties to PwC. Training and development on the job is also great, many seniors invest a lot of time in coaching the juniors as they can all relate to being new to the audit process.

Given you pass all exams sat while on placement and perform well in general, it is highly likely you will be invited back to complete the remaining two years of the graduate scheme. Therefore the future employment prospects within the organisation are high once you have completed a placement with them. In terms of being appealing - this is very much dependent on whether you enjoy the placement. Although the work can be challenging and require long hours, the aspect of becoming qualified within 2 years of graduating appeals to me greatly which is why I accepted my graduate offer with PwC. Once qualified, this opens up more opportunities internally and externally, with many people moving service lines or going into industry.

The social scene at PwC is great. There was a great social scene amongst my intake, and also from the years above. During the first few weeks of placement, there were after work drinks organised by the social committee and socials planned between myself and other placement students. This was great for building relationships and getting to know people well outside of a work environment. There are also other events which are hosted by external firms, that PwC get invited to, along with many other firms. Those I attended this year were; a Christmas ball, a spring ball and a wine tasting event. Social events are often hosted by teams after the successful completion of a long or strenuous job, or simply if the team have performed well and deserve a reward. I attended debriefs at lazertag, an escape room and some very nice restaurants.

Working in Leeds is relatively inexpensive to rent and socialise. Placement students do get paid less than graduates, but not too significantly. I certainly didn't struggle to pay rent and socialise with the salary I was on, however maintenance support is also available from student finance for placement students. It very much depends on where you live in Leeds and who with, which determines your rents and arguably social costs. Living in the city centre, on your own, would inevitably be more expensive than living outside of the centre in a house share.

Being a student in Leeds, as well as completing my placement in Leeds, meant I was clued up on the nightlife before choosing to live here while on placement. The nightlife in Leeds is great and there is something for everyone. Socialising on a night out with people at work, however, was very different to socialising in Leeds with university friends. But it gives you a different view of the social scene and makes you try new places.

There was a social committee at work, who organised office events such as the new joiners quiz (for the new graduate intake in September), a post busy season social, sports day in summer, and various other office socials. There were sports clubs you could join with work such as netball and football. There were also volunteering and fundraising projects which were often advertised via email office wide. PwC encourage employees to take a certain amount of days per year to get involved with charitable and community events such as helping in schools, old peoples homes, etc.