Summer intern (assurance) Review

I really enjoyed my time at PwC. I spent six week with the audit and assurance team at the Cambridge office, working on a range of clients in the science, technology, education, charity and property sectors, gaining on the job experience and knowledge. It was also a lot of fun!

I was mad to feel very welcome by my colleagues. There are a greater proportion of younger employees than older within assurance. Many had just left university, so I found it easy to identify with them. Early on in the internship there were a number of social events where we got to know each other.

I received enough guidance and support from my colleagues, at varying levels. In particular, my direct 'in-charge', a Senior Associate, too an active interest in answering my questions, no matter how basic they were. The atmosphere in the firm is conducive to allowing personal development through supporting and developing each other.

On an average day, I would arrive at 8:30 and leave just after 5:30. Although an hour is given for lunch, it would be usual to take the full time. I was grateful for the free time in the evenings. Of course, our internship fell outside the so-called 'busy period'. Before January and March, hours can be much longer.

I was given responsibility for several specific parts of the audit process for a client. My work was reviewed by people more senior than me. I very much enjoyed this, as it gave me the sense that I was directly contributing to the service we were providing to the client.

The skills I developed will undoubtedly help me in future careers. As I do not study an accounting, economics or finance-related degree, they are unlikely to aid my studied, other than work-ethic and time management skills. I also developed specialist knowledge of specific PwC accounting software, which may prove useful should I return as a graduate.

The office was very relaxed. There was lots of coming and going, with new faces each day. The majority of audit work takes place on client site, so only two weeks of my time were spent in the PwC office. The Cambridge office is moving to a newer building imminently.

The internship was organised very well. We started with a gathering of all the UK interns in a conference centre in Windsor. This was a great opportunity to network, and gave us a feel for the wider PwC community. After this, the local office did a great job of organising our time onto specific client jobs.

There were several days dedicated to coaching in accountancy skills early on. We were also encouraged to complete eLearns. There was a heavy emphasis on feedback and setting goals. This carries on all the way up the firm. There was a sense that PwC invests in its people, as they are its biggest asset.

Very appealing

The social sense was vibrant and exciting. The high proportion of young employees within the audit and assurance team helped this. There were organised events, which were great fun. Other informal and spontaneous gatherings also occurred. It was very nice to be included in these as an intern, which made me feel welcome.