Assurance Internship Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my summer internship at PwC. I currently study Accounting and Finance at university and therefore wanted to see if working in an accountancy firm was something I wanted to do in the future. I am very glad that I applied to such an amazing company and was lucky to get the opportunity to be apart of the business. The people were very welcoming and approachable and I was provided with a variety of work that ensured I was always kept busy and interested in the work that I was completing.

I worked hard in each of the teams that I was apart of throughout the internship and therefore was able to create strong bonds with various people. Within the 6 weeks internship, I was apart of three different teams, allowing me to work with a range of different people. At the end of each job I was placed on, I was provided with detailed feedback of my performance and the work I was doing. This meant that I was able to understand that I helped the team out which was satisfying. In addition, the office also set up events outside of working hours so I was able to meet people from different departments and expand my network to allow me to ask for help from a range of people. I worked hard to complete the work assigned to me and was always provided me with more, ensuring that I felt like a valuable member of the team.

I was provided with a buddy and a career coach from the beginning of my internship and I was in contact with them throughout the whole process. This meant that there was always someone there to ask questions to ranging from how to use the printer to completing specific activities that had been assigned to me. Furthermore, my career coach arranged various meetings throughout the internship to ensure that I was happy with my role and encouraged any questions that I had to be asked. This meant that there was never a situation where I was unaware of what I was supposed to be doing or when I should have completed something by.

I was always booked to various clients, providing me with a range of work to complete. I was also in different offices and not just my assigned one which meant that there were different people that I could ask for work if I completed the work earlier than was expected of me. My workload was always manageable, meaning that I always had something to do but I was never stressed with the work that I had to complete and I was never expected to do overtime to complete the work assigned to me.

I was given large tasks throughout my internship that had a significant impact on the audit of the client. However, there were many people that would check the work that I had completed after I had done it which meant that I was not really stressed about the responsibility I was given. At the beginning of the internship I was given activities to complete that were of little responsibility but as the internship progressed and after I had demonstrated my capabilities, I was provided with more responsibility which was satisfying.

I would never have imagined that I would have learned as much as I have from the internship. I was able to apply knowledge from university and other work experience placements to the work, allowing me to gain a full picture of how a business operates. Furthermore, my excel skills improved dramatically which will definitely be used in the future as formulas learnt will always be crucial to ensuring efficiency and a high standard of work. Furthemore, I also gained skills specific to PwC's IT systems that I can use in the future if I am able to work for the company again.

I never came across a staff member that wasn't willing to help which made the atmosphere really positive. The interns all sat together but were surrounded by various people around us. The average age in the office was quite young and I believe that is what made the atmosphere positive and there was a culture for helping people. The directors and partners would also speak to us, creating a situation where I felt like I wasn't an inconvenience and gained an impression of how nice everyone was.

I believe the placement was very well organised. PwC arranged our travel and accomodation and food and everything else for our 3 day induction in London, highlighting their organisation about the whole process. Also, throughout the whole process I was told which clients I would be working on and where I would be and when I would need to be places. I was also told far in advance when I would need to do something.

In our three day induction in london, we were provided with both firm and general accounting knowledge. This meant that we had a basic understanding before entering our offices. I completed two days of compliance/e-learn activities which helped me learn more about the company and procedures. Furthermore, each staff member was keen to help me learn and would show me shortcuts and how to complete different activities, highlighting that they invested highly in our development.

I really hope that I will be able to work for PwC in the future. I would love to be offered a job and be able to study with and work for the company. Their investment in their staff is something that is really appealing and the team atmosphere and helpful outlook is something appealing.

Regularly myself and the other interns would meet up outside of work for dinner and various activities. We would also sit every day together for lunch, allowing us to form strong bonds together. The office also put regular events on to allow us to socialise with other people working in the office even if we weren't working directly with each other.

I go to university in Glasgow and therefore did not require accommodation. I live in the west end and this meant that it was significantly cheaper than living in the centre of town and was only a short walk or subway ride away from the office. In addition, the cost of food is relatively cheap, meaning that Glasgow is not a significantly expensive place to live.

There are many pubs and restaurants in the centre of Glasgow that accomodate for all types of wants and needs. Furthermore, the town is always busy and I believe it feels really safe and I feel comfortable exploring the night life in the city. The interns all were from different areas, meaning we could show them the Glasgow experience.

As mentioned previously, the office put on events after work. During my internship this happened three times, providing us with lots of chances to meet outside of work. In addition, we were invited to the PwC netball but due to weather this was cancelled so we were unable to attend in the end.