Women in Business - Assurance Review

I enjoyed the program. It gave me a good understanding of what a day in the life at PwC looks like. Everyone was very friendly and I got to shadow lots of different meetings. It gave me an insight into different types of audits as well as the management of a large firm.

Though I did not have much to add in meetings themselves, most people made an effort to get to know me and my career goals. The employees seem quite young and approachable and made me feel very welcomed. The managers I was shadowing made sure to check up on me throughout the program to make sure I was having the best experience I could.

The entire program is you shadowing different women over a three day span so you always have someone there with you. They encourage you to ask questions and are great at briefing you before meetings so you don't feel so lost when they begin. You're not expected to have auditing knowledge at the beginning, so there's no expectations of you.

The program is only three days long, so I wouldn't say that I left the program and learned how to do an audit. However, if you're not sure you want to work in assurance, I think it would be a great way to get an insight into what the work load looks like.

This program was structured so I could shadow different people on their jobs. It was very flexible. I just tagged along with whoever had something for me to sit in on. I got to see different kinds of audits, different stages of the process, and meetings with management that gave me an insight about how a large firm runs.

The experience I got on this insight would best be described as a genuine perception of the actual atmosphere of the PwC office. You're inserted into a real workweek at the firm. It was no secret that many people were working towards deadlines, but it was encouraging to see how everyone handles the work and manages to enjoy themselves as well.

This was only a three day program so I didn't receive formal training. However, the opportunity itself to sit in with different women in assurance was valuable in my personal development. The company invested time and mentorship to me in terms of this opportunity and I think it will prove valuable in my professionalism and career choices down the road.

In this program you're not formally working on any specific projects, but it does give you insight as to how projects runs and the timetables of an average working week. I think it was the best way of showing someone the way the firm runs since you get a feel for the schedules and expectations before having any work.

You are inserted into life at PwC and you are experiencing the working week alongside managers and associates. So, you get a great feel for exactly how life works at the firm. You can always read about the company values online, but this program really helps to bring those values to life.

I was already fairly sure I wanted to pursue a career in this field. This program gave me a more clear idea of what to expect after university. I think if I had not come into the program with an idea of my ideal career path, I would have gotten a lot of answers from this program.

I was paid for this insight week. I did not incur expenses since the office is within walking distance from my flat. However, during the application process I was reimbursed for my travel expenses and accommodation expenses. During the insight I got to travel offsite for a meeting and that was paid for.

Again, this was only over three days so there were no formal networking opportunities. However, you have access to the entire office and everyone was happy to speak with me. I think if you are looking to make connections and gain insight from current employees this program offers exactly that.

From the calendar, I can tell that PwC seems to offer a lot of fun staff events. Again, however, I was in the office for three days so I did not experience any formal event first hand. From speaking with employees, the events seem to be their favourite part of the job.

Yes. From going to the Females of the Future event and speaking with people during this placement I got to know about all the different ways to get involved outside of work. There seems to be a plethora of volunteer opportunities as well as sport clubs and other little societies.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone considering pursuing a career in accounting, especially if interested in working at a Big 4. It was helpful in my decision that PwC is a place that i would like to work and gave me the experience of being in the office and meeting people before I start working.