Audit Intern Review

Working in Assurance isn't always the most interesting, but the good bits of the job far outweigh the boring bits. I have had an incredibly interesting, educational and fun year and will be happy to return once Uni is finished.

On a placement at PwC you are treated exactly the same as a graduate joiner. I had significant responsibility during my placement, and never went wanting for work to do. You are working on real audits of real clients, and your work really does add value to PwC and your clients - whether they be a small manufacturing firm or a multinational corporation (I've worked on both!).

You are assigned a buddy and a people manager to support you through your career at PwC, however that is just the formal support you receive. Everyone I have worked with has been friendly and willing to answer questions or concerns I have, regardless of how senior they are.

Suffice to say that working for the number one accountancy firm, you will have plenty of work to do! There are times throughout the year where you need to work a bit of overtime, but when it comes to it if you are enjoying your work it really isn't a chore. PwC are really keen to push a work life balance agenda, and you are always encouraged to manage your time properly to ensure you aren't working 24/7! It is also worth noting that when things are less busy there is the opportunity to work from home, to clock off a little early, and to work flexible hours if needs be.

On a placement at PwC you are treated exactly the same as a graduate joiner. I had significant responsibility during my placement, and never went wanting for work to do. You are working on real audits of real clients, and your work really does add value to PwC and your clients - whether they be a small manufacturing firm or a multinational corporation (I've worked on both!).

When you join PwC in Assurance you will start studying towards your ACA qualification. This is made up of 15 exams taken over 3 years. During my placement year I have had the opportunity to take 8 of these exams. This is in-keeping with the fact that you are treated exactly the same as a graduate joiner. This is a really important aspect of the placement at PwC as when you return after Uni (provided you are offered a job!) you will return into the second year of the grad scheme, meaning your placement doesn't cost you a year of your career.

I worked in a smaller regional office, which had a really good friendly atmosphere. There are non-stop social events organised throughout the year, from sports, to quizzes to cocktail making evenings (for free of course!). Overall I was really happy with atmosphere in my office, and I would suggest the best thing about working for PwC is the fantastic people you will get to work with.

Being a global company it is hardly surprising that this was a very well run/ well organised placement year!

PwC pay for you to take time off work and study in college towards your ACA qualification. Over the course of the placement year I will have had a full 3 months off simply for this purpose. On top of this you have a significant amount of training when you first join, to prepare you for the world of audit, and you have internet based learning to complete periodically. Overall I would be surprised if PwC are making a profit on their placement students considering the financial investment they make in terms of training and development (and your salary of course).

I have been offered a graduate job for when I finish Uni. My understanding is that it is expected that you will be offered a graduate job - after all you do go through the same recruitment process as a graduate joiner - but you have to make sure you are working to at least the expected standard.

I joined in a cohort of 17 other people (business placements, graduates and school leavers) in my office. These were not all from Assurance, some were from Tax, Public Sector and Risk Assurance. These effectively become your year group, similar to a University year group. There is an excellent social scene amongst your year group, as well as with other year groups too.

I was based in Milton Keynes. There is expensive housing and cheap housing in Milton Keynes, it really just depends how fussy you are about your house/area. It is much easier if you just live with your parents of course!

There are a few good clubs in Central Milton Keynes, and lots of nice restaurants and bars. If you know where to look there are also some nice, authentic pubs across the City too.

As I have described above, there are significant opportunities for extra-workaround (not a real word, but it makes my point well) activities.