Associate Review

I really enjoyed my placement year with PwC. I was treated as if I had joined the job as a graduate and was treated no differently even though I was on placement. I was given very challenging work and my own responsibilities, this made me feel like a valuable member of Pwc and that my placement year helped to support PwC’s values.

I joined with around 14 other graduates and we all become very friendly and would support each other. Furthermore seniors would always show appreciation for the work I was completing for them. Everyone is always working to the same goal in teams and thus everyone is always helping everyone out.

During the first few months of placement there is was a lot of training from seniors. This training continues throughout placement, which means you are given good support consistently. However at times there is not always the time for supervision and support which means you can struggle through a task as no one has the time for coaching.

When you first join PwC you have to sit exams to become ACA qualified, therefore a lot of spare time around exam times is spent revising. However when you are not studying for exams (breaks between the sittings) it becomes more manageable. Work is still very busy and you are never sat there feeling bored. However at times there are tight deadlines and these require more hours on a day basis. However the hours and business increases and dresses everyday, so there is an even balance overall

On placement I was given work that was challenging, hard and sometimes above my grade. I was allowed to have a lot of responsibilities which allowed me to progress so much during the year. The responsibilities involved working on my own at site, coaching summer interns and being given extremely tight deadlines.

My year in placement has significantly developed my skills. I have become an extremely confident person and my skills in accounting developed a lot. The training I received will be very helpful when I return to university as I developed my analytical and critical analysis skills. Beyond university, the team working skills I learnt will be very useful in any company I work in.

The office environment promoted initiative and fresh insight. It was a lovely place to work with colleagues always being available to provide help and coaching. At times such as busy season the office environment was a bit more intense however this is expected as everyone is under pressure. However despite this there is still a team and supportive feeling in the office.

The placement was amazing. There were no issues with joining PwC and no issues during the placement. The recruitment process was also very clear and straightforward with exactly what I had to do and where I had to be. On joining I felt no different to any other member of staff despite me being a placement student.

PwC invested in my academic and professional development, throughout the year I was studying ACA. This was paid for by PwC. Furthermore they supported my professional development by always providing training on a regular basis. Seniors and colleagues were always helping. I believe the firm invested a lot in me whilst I was on placement.

After placement I was offered a graduate position to return after I finish my degree. I have gladly accepted and will be returning in September 2020.

Everyone in my year group that joined PwC was very sociable and friendly. The whole office was very social when there were certain seasonal events such a Christmas. PwC has a social club and they run events for all staff throughout the year.

The cost of living and socialising was reasonable. I do a lot of extreme sports and was able to afford these whilst comfortably affording living costs.

The nightlife was okay. There are a few good nightclubs and there is a university near by which makes the night life more lively. Some areas could be improved, however overall the city has enough for what was needed. There were a lot of good restaurants too.!

There were some activities, however there were not a lot of sports to get involved in. There were other opportunities to get involved in but these just didn’t suit my tastes. I know there was football team that would play every week. However there was no other sport group when I was there.