Associate Review

I really enjoyed my internship period working at PwC. It was really nice to return to the office and be able to work again with previous colleagues and get back in contact with them after a couple of years. My experience could have been improved if I visited a client site whilst on the internship.

For the majority of my time during my internship due to unlucky timing and nature of some of the clients I was working independently with managers working on different jobs. This resulting in me only really speaking to them on the phone or on google hangouts. Despite this, every single phone call was not only useful but was friendly and it made the managers feel more approachable despite not knowing them in person in some instances. When I worked in a team last week it was a wonderful experience. I really enjoyed it since the atmosphere was light yet you were expected to complete work but everyone is so approachable and willing to help.

I rated this a 7 due to the nature of my work. I was always encouraged to message or ring my managers when I had a query so in that respect I knew I could always rely on this. However I spent quite a lot of time independently learning about the EGAs and File. I would often request access to PY File to see how the company audited the client last year and was then able to use those examples to create accurate documentation. Throughout my internship I always knew what work needed to be completed and I could go to a manager or my career coach should I run into any trouble.

At the start of the week I was given a task plan. For some clients I was working in they had multiple entities I was working on. This meant the task plan was in essence multiplied by the number of different entities. This meant that I was really busy and my time was filled for all days on my internship. I would constantly update my task plan as I went along and would constantly update all my managers each day and would indicate my capacity and how I would be happy to pick up additional work towards the end of the week should I be able to close out my existing tasks.

Whilst this website indicates 10 equates to "I was running the show". Whilst I completely disagree with this and I was by no means running the show I had an incredible amount of responsibility when I was working on the clients. As highlighted in previous questions I was working independently in the office for the majority of my placement so I had the responsibility that my task plan was completed. I had the responsibility of phoning and emailing clients on my own accord when I needed to gather evidence or ask them queries regarding documentation they provided.

My degree at university is Accounting and Finance so I think the skills acquired in PwC will help me incredibly! The internship has given me a deeper understanding of what occurs in the workplace and on an audit and I can use this to provide background in my coursework and essays. PwC has also taught me how valuable time management is and how you can utilise it to your advantage to be more efficient. This will help me when it comes to exam season and I can revise to the best of my ability.

The way the office is laid out is incredibly open and everyone is sat in the same area which is something I personally prefer. There are no barriers or doors, everyone can communicate with everyone when they have questions or queries. It is quite quiet but we are working in a professional setting and it is still relaxed.

When looking objectively, the internship was organised. We had a residential for the first week to get a feel for the company and also to meet our peers who would also be on the internship with us. Then we would all be assigned different jobs and interns would go out and work either in office or on client site and the general premise was to have a mixture of the two and for the other interns in my office this was the case. However for my personal experience I feel that I did not really have this balance since I worked in the office and did not have the opportunity to visit a client site.

PwC invested their time into me which probably the best asset I could of asked for. They are patient and are eager for you to improve and understand the firm and why you are performing some of the work you are doing. You are constantly learning and developing every day which has been incredibly rewarding.

Future employment opportunities are incredibly integral to this internship. At the end of the 6 weeks you have a meeting which hopefully PwC will offer you a full time graduate job at the end of your degree!

Peers that you work alongside are the same age as you and in exactly the same boat and you form really good friendships as you progress through the internship. As a result of this social opportunities naturally develop. Every Friday, the interns and the first year graduates would go to the pub or sometimes during the week would all go out to lunch together.

Since I live at home the cost of living was perfect for me since I didn't really have to pay for any living costs! In terms of socialising in Southampton most of the places you visit are reasonably priced for the quality of service it provides. Pubs are quite cheap!

Personally I am not a big nightlife person but there are plenty of opportunities to experience nightlife within the internship. Most of the interns and graduates will go out on the weekend. With plenty of bars and clubs that are relatively cheap there is a good experience for everyone involved. Just make sure you don't embarrass yourself too much!

There are a number of social clubs that are run within the office and whilst they are completely optional it will only benefit you to get involved externally with other employees. I have played in the PwC 5aside team. A weekly email is sent out and you can choose whether to opt in or opt out to playing each week so it is incredibly flexible.