Forensic Technology Intern Review

I liked it a lot. There was a good mixture of being given work to do, as well as being able to shadow various different projects and see different things happening across the department. Sometimes there wasn't much work to do, so felt a little frustrating while waiting for opportunities to come up.

Even though I'm only here for one summer, it was very good to be included in various different projects, including being given the opportunity to work on a serious case with a large client, and being shown the ropes along the way. Socially, the team I worked with was very friendly and inclusive, so I felt at home.

The managers and senior associates often took time to explain new things and how to do different tasks. However, there is an expectation that you won't need to be told the same thing twice, so always take notes as you go! The company also encourages other younger members of staff to help with settling in, which was very helpful.

It depends on the day, but I think there were a few too many days with too little work to do. However, when consistently working on one project, there is a good volume, and they try to not leave you shadowing without doing anything yourself for too long. I only felt too busy in the run up to a presentation, which was good to stretch myself.

I would be given responsibility for small-medium tasks, which would usually be reviewed (generally all work done within PwC is quality-controlled by a more senior member of staff) to ensure the work is good standard. I think too much responsibility was given in terms of finding work, I needed to go and find projects with a good level of availability, when I didn't know the department well enough to do this easily.

I really appreciate PwC's focus on good quality work: they don't like to cut corners or leave loose ends, which I think was very important to learn to be so accurate and careful with my work. I think the specific skills would be useful only if I choose to work in a similar environment/business field.

Even though the office was often quite busy at times, the team was always very friendly and up for a laugh! They really value personal relationships and social time, so encourage social activities, such as monthly drinks after work (subsidised!), and organising a weekend away; as well as having a very good atmosphere in the office.

PwC organised a big training conference in London for all the interns across the company at the start of the internship, which was very well organised. However once I got to my office, it felt a bit more clunky: there were no plans set in place for what work I would be doing, and it felt like I was doing odds and ends for a while.

The company really works to care for its employees as best as possible. They provide lots of training in various areas, from specific technical training for the day-to-day work, to opportunities to work on "softer skills" such as leadership, presentation and communication. However, this can get clouded in the daily busy-ness of work in the office.

They have a difficult application process for the internship, with online forms and assessments, assessment centres and interviews. On the flip-side of this, they know that if you've passed all of these hurdles, then they wouldn't need you to go through it all again, and so, provided you work hard during the internship, you're nearly guaranteed a job if you want one.

The team had a good variety of people across different ages groups, from fellow placement students and fairly new graduates, to more experienced staff. All of them were very happy to talk to me and spend time with me. People were often keen to socialise outside of work hours as well, so it was a very good social scene.

Belfast is a relatively cheap city to live in by UK standards (and I lived with my parents during the summer!), so very good.

I'm not one to comment on this, but seemed very good.

PwC provide loads of social opportunities, from football with colleagues, to local charity participation and cheap monthly socials. On top of this, full-time employees are able to choose certain "benefits" with their pay, such as gym subscriptions etc. The company does it's best to care for its employees and give them as many opportunities as possible to enjoy their time.