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
Doing a year in industry was the best decision I could have made as part of my degree, and choosing PwC was ultimately what has made it worthwhile. I have grown both personally and professionally very quickly during the year, ensuring I make the most of the opportunity I had. Working in such a friendly firm, with individuals who are at the top of the profession make the experience hugely rewarding. The firm as a whole is a close unit, and there is always someone there to support you and push you in the right direction. The flexibility and the variety of clients and teams that you get to work with make the job very interesting, even when some testing areas can be cumbersome. Overall a very fulfilling experience.
From the start of the placement you are included in the graduate intake and treated the same as every other graduate. You all have the same training and do your ACA exams together. It is a very social firm, with colleagues becoming friends very quickly. You get to know individuals from all grades, whether it be other associates or directors and partners, everyone values your input and the team is always very supportive of each other. You all are going through the experience together, often long hours and troublesome clients mean you form a strong working bond.
I was given increasingly challenging work by my managers, as they wanted to help push me to learn and develop quickly. I often felt out of depth, but had the understanding that they were always there to support and help me if I had any questions or problems. You are also given a personal manager who helps you with your career ambitions.
This varied throughout the year, and depends and what clients you work on. I had clientele that were very busy jobs, often working a large amount of overtime. This alongside exams and the required revision meant that most of my day was very busy and a never ending to do list! However, there are periods where it is not as busy and there is a greater level of flexibility.
You are given responsibility from the start, often having client meetings in your first weeks of working on client site. This can be daunting, but it helps you to learn and develop quickly. Throughout the placement I was also given increasingly challenging and required bits of work of which I had full responsibility for. I was also in charge of some April joiners, ensuring they had work and helping them through any questions or problems.
The level of training you get at PwC is incredible, the various opportunities to learn and grow are available all the time. Studying towards the ACA Qualification (one of the highest regarded business professional qualifications) also helps with your overall knowledge of business. It is something that I would highly recommend, as it means you have a deeper understanding when going back to final year, as well as moving forward in the future, the ACA will open many doors. However, there are a plethora of other on the job skills that will help with any professional and personal work in the future.
The Company
Everyone was super friendly and very interesting. It was great having a variety of people from different backgrounds and cultures. Individuals are always willing to get involved with whatever activities are happening around the office. Having a table tennis table also made challenging colleagues a great way to take a break and have some fun.
The whole transition from student to a working professional was completely seamless. They have the process nailed down, and there were hardly any further recommendations that could be made to make it easier to adjust to working life. After a few weeks you find yourself naturally fitting into the work life balance, and delving deeper into the work.
I was given the exact same training and development as the rest of the graduate intake. This meant training sessions early on, as well as college for the ACA exams (something only PwC fund for placement students). The investment made for the ACA means that I have completed 7 out of the 15 required exams. There is also a huge wealth of online training and courses available for you to benefit from. I don't think they could have invested any more into my personal training and development.
Flexi Time
Sports and Social Club
National Travel
Company Parties/Events
Working from home
I feel that the way the placement year is set up with PwC is the best out of any other experiences from other students I have spoken to. The placement year is essentially your graduate role as an Associate 1, and when you go back after graduating you continue as if you hadn't left - joining as an Associate 2. You are also given the opportunity to move offices or lines of service if it is something that you would like to do. It is rewarding knowing that you don't have to now do a graduate job and basically start from scratch.
The Culture
The graduate intake size was around 20 people, all of a similar age. The firm as a whole is full of young individuals which make the social scene fun! There are also lots of events that are run by the firm, and lots of parties for the various teams. There are also lots of opportunities to play sport with colleagues which means that whatever your interests, there will be someone around that will be up for doing something. I couldn't recommend the social aspect enough.
London is fairly expensive as it goes, and socialising can add up quite quickly. However, PwC have funds that pay for quite a lot of the socialising and sporting events. We had courts for tennis, squash and badminton paid for by the firm, as well as on the last Friday every month drinks and pizza delivered to the office.
There is always somewhere to go in London if you want a night out. However, most of the time we would head to a pub nearby and grab some drinks after work. I feel that London provides all types of entertainment and you will always be able to find something or somewhere interesting to do in the evenings.
There are a lot of 'clubs' for individuals to get involved with that are outside of work. You can play sport with colleagues (Squash, badminton, tennis and football) as well as get involved with organising a variety of events such as ice skating and office parties.
Details
Placement (10 Months+)
Accounting
London
November 2018