Assurance - Summer Internship Review

Although there wasn't much work to complete during the first two weeks of the internship (due it being summer and a relatively slow time for businesses), the work became interesting towards the end and there were plenty of social events throughout which were very enjoyable. The induction was a three day residential event and involved lots of networking, social events, a barbecue etc. and was a great way of getting to know interns from across the country. We finished the induction with a formal dinner with partners and directors from the firm which was a great experience!

By far the most positive aspect of the internship was the people I got to work with and how valued they made me feel. My colleagues were warm, inclusive and always supportive. I learn a lot from them very quickly and they went out of their way to ensure that I was given interesting work which was relevant to my interests and provided support throughout. The office culture is very open- everyone from interns to directors sit together in an open plan office which makes collaboration and general relationship-formation very easy.

My people manager was very helpful. She organised regular meetings with me in order to make sure my queries could be solved and I could perform the best I could. People who are a few years senior to me normally gave me the most advice since they were in my shoe not long ago. I wish I could ask more questions during my time.

This varied quite a lot throughout the internship. At the beginning of placement, my workload was quiet light as I was learning the processes and how the company works. As I became more knowledgeable and comfortable in my role, I was given more work and therefore, my days became busier. During quieter moments, I would use this time to network or complete my placement essay.

I was happy with the level of responsibility that I was given as it demonstrated that I was valued by my team. This responsibility steadily increased as I demonstrated my ability to the team. Being given a good level of responsibility meant that I was able to show my skills and knowledge to my line manager and put me in a better position of getting a job.

I have developed important skills in the course of this summer internship at PwC, namely communication skills and presentation skills. Most of the information was very career related which is less specific to my degree, however I will still use this going forward in the future, in particular for interviews and assessment centres.

The general atmosphere in the office was very relaxed. The first month of the internship was August and the whole office had a dress-down policy where we could wear anything to work (unless we were on client-site or had a client meeting in which case standard business attire was required). The office has great free coffee and large dining areas where everyone has lunch together. There's also table tennis so we could have some great fun during breaks! Overall the atmosphere was casual and relaxed but still professional.

I found the internship to be well organised, which was to be expected considering the long-standing nature of the programme. The induction during the first week ensured we were well prepared for joining our teams and I found the induction to be very beneficial to my development. Throughout the internship, there were a number of skills sessions and networking events organised for us to get the most out of the placement.

The firm definitely invested a lot in my training and development. A considerable amount of resources were spent on providing the residential induction and the training was thorough and extensive. Supervisors spent a lot of time helping us to understand the work we did and actively sought out work for us which was interesting and relevant to our interests. Furthermore, we were given work which encouraged us to develop new skills and understand new concepts rather than giving us mechanical and tedious work.

I received an offer for full-time employment which was great. Furthermore, the firm offers a great deal of flexibility in terms of choosing your career path and allows graduates to change lines of service and offices after completing the initial years of training and qualifications. We were given a lot of information about different areas of the business and what a long term career at the firm could look like.

I found there to be a really great social scene at PwC, amongst the interns and permanent employees alike! We would very often go out for drinks in the evenings after work, which was a nice way to get to know employees out of a work context and network more informally.

The cost of living in both Edinburgh and Glasgow was cheap, but if you have to combine the two of them like I did, it ends up costing double. Hence the low score. The socializing itself was really fun in both areas but the cost of it was unsustainable. Staying a bit far from the city can be manageable though.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have great nightlife, and because I had already experienced both, I had an even better understanding of it. However, I have to stress that combining the two is too stressful. There are plenty of pubs and bars along with some nice restaurants. The prices are a bit high but PwC pays you enough that covers the cost of living.

We had one social whilst we were there, which was good fun. Apart from that, there were opportunities to do stuff outside of work but I did not take advantage of them, so I cannot pass judgement on those. However, it seems that there are many and varied things to do outside the office.