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
Overall I found it a very enjoyable experience and it far exceeded my expectations. This was mainly due to a very friendly and welcoming team as well as the work being interesting and engaging. Another factor which made my internship so enjoyable was the work environment- it was a relaxed and collaborative whilst still being occupied by hard working individuals.
From the first day, my colleagues were not afraid to trust me with challenging pieces of work and treated me just like any other member of the team. They were always very appreciative and gave me positive and useful feedback. Being treated in such a way helped me feel like a highly valued member of the team.
To aid me throughout my internship I was assigned both a career coach and a buddy. Both were very helpful in explaining what the team does and were happy to answer any questions I had. Additionally, whenever I was given a piece of work, plenty of guidance was given with respect to how to carry out the piece of work and any training needed for new software was also given to me.
Most days I was very busy with work- some being longer projects which were ongoing for a few weeks and others shorter term projects. I did have to proactively seek out a lot of the work myself but this provided a good opportunity to interact with the rest of the team. I was also not overworked for example I very rarely had to stay late to finish work.
I was given far more responsibility than I expected- being put on work for big clients and attending client meetings. It was a great opportunity to attends these and gave me a good idea of what work at PwC is like. Although given lots of responsibility, my supervisors/managers always made sure I knew that they were here to help if needed.
I received a lot of technical training (in new software for example Alteryx and Enlighten and also in software I had used before such as Excel) which will be useful in many different companies within many different fields and hence will assist me even if I don't end up working in this team. It also enabled me to expand my skills for how to deal with clients- both face to face, over the phone, and via email. This is very much a transferable skill.
The Company
It was a great atmosphere- it was relaxed and chatty with people getting on with their own work but also sharing ideas. Having said this, there are also booths and more traditional working desks for when you had a lot of work to do. There was a good sense of flexible working and there were also socials to attend.
Initially there was a bit of a lack of communication regarding which office I would be based at and also regarding the residential trip in the first week. However the rest of the internship seemed well organised with a lot of schemes in place to help us settle in for example the buddy scheme.
They invested a lot in me for example they gave me training for software which I had previously not used. They also gave me opportunities to attend client events and listen in on client calls which were great experiences. I feel as though I have learnt a lot throughout my time here.
Flexi Time
Subsidised Canteen
Company Parties/Events
I have been offered a graduate job through them which I am very pleased about and am very likely to accept due to the good pay as well as resources given with regards to study for the actuarial exams. Another key factor in me accepting the job is the great friendly atmosphere in the office.
The Culture
Yes there was- a few of us would normally go out for lunch together and the company also organised intern lunches and intern leaving drinks. There were also weekly team meetings which were very sociable with food and a general catch up. Overall I'd say the social scene was good.
It was expensive as it was in central London however I am lucky to live not too far out and hence was able to live at home with my parents for the duration of the internship. The team also regularly bought drinks and snacks which we could all enjoy in the office.
We didn't go out at night a huge amount but it's a very busy area with a lot of bars and pubs. The bars that we did go to were bustling but the team ensured we booked off an area so we could all sit together. I often met up with friends out of work after I'd finished and there were lots of very nice places to eat and drink.
There weren't too many opportunities but that was mainly because I was only there for 6 weeks. I know that there are plenty of opportunities for people who are there permanently. For example there is the PwC Panto each year at Christmas and there are also a variety of sports clubs and societies.
Details
Internship (1 Month+)
London
July 2019