Summer Tax Intern Review

I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement with PwC. It has given me a great insight into the world of consultant tax accounting. Everyone in the Bristol tax department is extremely friendly and all welcomed me throughout my time here. I come away feeling that I have learned a huge amount and have made the decision I hoped I could by the end of the internship - whether or not I want to invest in a career in accounting.

My colleagues were all such lovely people. I did not meet anyone who I did not get on with. Each person who I shadowed or engaged with took extra time to explain new things to me, which made me feel particularly valued. I was also trusted with some work of my own which also made me feel valued and appreciated by colleagues.

My career coach (like a line manager) was excellent. He made sure I knew he was an approachable person and a point of call if I had concerns. He encouraged me to get the best of the internship through hard work and inquiring. Those who supervised me week on week were also very supportive and always ensured that I understood in meetings and throughout pieces of work.

Most days I had a fair amount of things to do, but as I was shadowing a whole range of people including some very senior colleagues, I definitely had some days where I did not do much. Some days were specifically marked as shadowing days, rather than me doing work myself, but others were just a little dry. However, my career coach helped me set goals at the beginning of the internship which meant that I had a side project to work on durin these times.

This varied a lot throughout my placement. Some days I met with clients and participated in conversations, meetings and directly in doing pieces of work for clients. While other days, it was more behind-the-scenes work or shadowing. I felt that people trusted me with work, and it was more the availability of work that required a lower skill set that inhibited the amount of work I was trusted with.

I think the drive and efficiency taught in PwC will help me as I embark on my final year. I hope that some of the information I have been taught will also help in any accounting modules I do in final year too. Hopefully if I return to PwC, the experience will also help me to settle in quickly too.

The Bristol office is a great environment - everyone is friendly and welcoming and there is a lot to do here. People are often organising to have lunch together, going for drinks after work or playing sport as part of the one of PwC's societies. The open plan office has allowed me to catch up up with people I have worked with throughout my time here.

The PwC team organised the whole 6 weeks very efficiently, so it ran very smoothly. We appreciated being kept informed at every stage of the process so we knew what to expect in the coming days. The team was also always on hand to answer any queries or worries we may have had.

The firm invested heavily in us from day one where we spent 3 days on an induction retreat. Throughout my whole time with PwC, we were treated equally with the permanent staff and given access to all of the facilities and opportunities as they were. I even visited some of the other offices in the PwC UK group.

I would love to work with PwC in the future. I think they are great employers and very nice employees too. The opportunity for progression seems great here and their reputation as ACA training contractors is exemplary. I find out soon if I have been offered a place on their graduate scheme, but would consider applying anyway even if not offered a job.