Economics and Policy Associate Review

Overall the placement year was very good. I was able to work on client work as well as get involved with other service lines.

On more than one occasion I was responsible for critical parts of our project work. The fact that my colleagues felt I could handle this was a very good feeling.

I met regularly with my People Manager (Supervisor). We discussed how my placement year was going as well as a lot of other factors such as personal life and balancing university work alongside client work.

Every department has busy seasons and this was my experience during the year. Around Christmas time work slowed but over the rest of my placement I was very busy. This is also dependent on how much you are willing to take on i.e., you get out what you put in.

I was given a lot of responsibility, this included attending Board meetings with clients as well as pitching ideas to clients. As above, how much responsibility you are given depends on how much you are willing to accept.

As part of my university studies I was required to do a report on my placement organisation. As I was working in consulting, and had experienced doing similar pieces of work for clients, I was much better prepared in planning, and executing my project. I was also able to speak to many people across the firm with more technical expertise than I had, allowing me to produce a higher quality assignment.

The atmosphere was different to what I expected, more so to do with the fact that here are numerous teams seated beside you (It was an open plan office). The offices were of a very high standard and the London office in particular was very nice. In my experiences the office atmosphere depends on the office you are assigned to, and as such this can change as you move between offices.

The work placement was very well structured and involved regular communication between my supervisor, resourcing and myself.

This very much depends on the office you are based out of, as certain training is only available from certain regions. However, the firm does provide extensive online training which is useful for both new joiners and senior managers alike. Also, there are various training workshops you can sign up to and attend if you want to.

I have had a very good year with PWC and I am looking forwar to returning there once I complete my degree.

Yes there was. We were told by resourcing that we had the freedom to plan and organise any events we would like to have.

Although cheaper than London, Belfast is a capital city and as such prices in the Central Business District are higher than they are elsewhere

The nightlife was good, however was mostly restricted to the weekends due to work.

There are various initiatives run by the firm both regionally and nationally, and they range from cycling events to team dinners.