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
I had a great time at PwC. Before the internship, it seemed quite daunting joining such a big company, but I was eased into it with the residential trip in the first week and the atmosphere in my office made me feel really comfortable. I've learnt a lot about tax and business and it's been great to gain real professional experience.
My team were really welcoming and wanted to get to know me from the offset. I gained exposure to many different types of work and whenever I struggled to understand something, my team were always willing to patiently explain things, in a non-patronising way, which was great. Over the 6 weeks, I had great fun taking part in a few socials with my team: football, sports day and footgolf for the annual away day.
Upon arrival, I was designated a 'buddy' and a 'career coach' - both were senior to me. My buddy helped me with any small issues I had that I wouldn't want to bother a manager with and she was my first point of contact throughout. Weekly informal meetings with my career coach helped to identify my strengths and areas of improvement and to discuss my career future. The career coach system PwC has in place is one of my favourite things about the firm.
The workload varied. Some days I was rushed off my feet with work and others I had to walk around the office looking for work from people. I attended a few meetings with senior managers and partners, and I regularly sat in on group phone calls, listening and making notes. Generally, the work I did wasn't too technical but it gave me a chance to see what sort of clients and work the company gets involved in.
Obviously, as an intern, I didn't have the technical tax knowledge of someone who had completed their ACA training. However, I found that although the work I was doing wasn't necessarily difficult a lot of the time, it gave me an opportunity to see what kind of clients and work the company deals with and it enabled me to ask questions and ultimately learn as much as I could.
It was my first experience of working in a professional environment so it has given me an insight into the kinds of skills I would need to develop and refine to succeed in any job I go into in the future. Relationship building skills, the ability to work under pressure and the ability to ask the right questions for good answers are the main skills I identified as useful during my internship.
The Company
It was generally very comfortable and relaxed. The dynamics of the team made the experience fun and everyone was very inclusive and made me feel welcome. The partners were involved with the team so it was good to get to know them and ask questions about their role at PwC.
The interview process was good for me. I was studying abroad and PwC accommodated for that by allowing a video interview so that I didn't have to fly home twice, after having done so for the assessment centre. At the start of the internship, we were taken to a hotel in Windsor for a few nights to network with other interns and meet partners. This was really fun. Throughout the internship, I felt well-supported; particularly with the 'Career Coach' system they have in place.
The residential trip at the beginning must have cost the company a fair bit of money, so it was a great first impression and showed that they wanted us to enjoy our time with PwC. I took part in a few social events organised by the team and I think my personal development was a priority to the company - particularly with the career coach system. During the 6 weeks, I delivered a 'knowledge share' presentation on an area of tax that interested me. This was a new experience for me since I am a mathematics student and i enjoyed the challenge.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Sports and Social Club
Company Car
Subsidised/Company Gym
National Travel
International Travel
Financial Bonus
Company Parties/Events
Staff Sales/Staff Shop
Above 25 days holiday
Working from home
Healthcare from home
Healthcare/Dental
Travel loan
There is a lot of room for progression at the company in many different specialist areas. I get the impression that people are generally rewarded for hard work by quick progression and there is a lot of flexibility to work in another line of service, city or country if that's what you want to do. When joining on the grad scheme, you are required to do a 6 month secondment to another line of service to gain exposure to other areas of PwC, which I think is another example of how the company values your personal/professional development.
The Culture
I kept in touch with the other interns on my intake in the office and we regularly met up for lunch and drinks after work. The residential at the beginning was a good chance to socialise with interns from around the country, widening my professional network. I got involved in a few social activities with my team too.
I live in Birmingham anyway for uni so nothing really changed for me. It is relatively low-cost to get the train or bus into the city from where i live just outside and you can eat/drink out relatively cheaply if you look around for the right places. Generally, Birmingham is pretty affordable.
Birmingham has some really great pubs, bars and clubs. Broad street, which is where a lot of the clubs are, is a 15 minute walk from the office and there are plenty of restaurants and cafes in the area around the office. Birmingham has a lot to offer in the nightlife scene.
As I mentioned, I got involved in football matches, a team away day playing foot golf and drinks with colleagues. Having the out-of-work activities gave an opportunity to get to know people in a non-professional way, which ultimately led to feeling comfortable within the team in the office. Everyone wanted to get involved and do things together so it created a really nice team atmosphere.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
Accounting, Audit
West Midlands
September 2018