Forensics Technology Business Placement Review

I enjoyed my placement at PwC to a great extent. Having the opportunity to work for such a prestigious company was a great experience, from the highly professional facilities to the excellent staff members you meet, there was much to be pleased with. As an intern, I felt valued as a colleague and I was provided with a multitude of opportunities to develop my skills. This will certainly benefit me in my degree studies and future career path.

I felt very valued by colleagues in all forms of work, my opinion was treated as equal to others of higher grades than myself (where necessary). My voice was always heard. What made me feel more valued was the responsibility of work I was given, as my responsibilities increased I felt as though I was more valued since the work I would do was important. My opinion mattered in meetings and in situations where I was asked to give my own input.

I was given a lot of guidance by management and supervisors. Managers would help me in the best way they could, given their busy schedules, and any thing I required extra help with I simply had to ask. Alongside this, my career coach would regularly follow up with me to find out whether I was satisfied with the work I was doing (which included any need for support that I had). Others were conscious that as a placement student I probably required more support.

How busy I was depended on the tasks that I was put on to. Overall, there was always work to complete once I joined new projects or tasks, I was least busy when switching between projects or if things began to quieten down on a project. On the other hand, working towards deadlines on high-level tasks were instances where I was the most busy and this was common across my placement. My busyness increased during the times where colleagues in my department had increased work to do (e.g. after Christmas).

As a business placement student my responsibilities increased with the amount of time that I was exposed to tasks/projects. Generally speaking, I was given the same amount of responsibility as an Associate grade which is a fairly good amount. Of course there was a limit to how much I would be responsible for, but what I was given was according to the level I had shown. When starting out on projects and tasks I was given some time to adapt and understand the nature of the project. Then I would be expected to complete work after this, how quickly my work would progress in terms of responsibility depended on how good I was at grasping the initial tasks.

The skills I have developed will greatly benefit my studies. Being in a working environment has increased my interpersonal skills, which enables me to be more communicative on group coursework tasks. My confidence in speaking and presenting to others has also increased. Another notable skill is time management which I have improved on given the high volume of tasks that I had to complete. This will reflect in the time I allocate for my studies.

The office had a wonderful atmosphere, everyone was kind and easy to approach. On some occasions there would be bake sales or other fundraiser activities going on in the office which really lightened the mood. There was also an element of seriousness to the work environment as well since meetings and discussions were carried out in the office at any time. Overall, PwC allow you to feel at ease in their offices, there was never a dull feeling atmosphere.

I would say the internship was set up to a good degree. One aspect of it is that as a placement student, PwC try to maximise the experience and skills you gain through different opportunities. The other aspect is that you are treated as someone valuable to the workforce, so specific placement schemes are not put in place but colleagues take it into account. In a way, I felt as though I was given more responsibility in the work environment as opposed to being an intern that shadows and spends time learning.

The firm invested and offered many different opportunities for training. The first few weeks included many induction/training days which helped me to grow accustomed to the working environment. PwC provided free access to many online training platforms, enabling you to learn at your own leisure. This could range from learning new software (such as Python programming) to learning keyboard shortcuts on Microsoft Excel. Some training was compulsory and certainly good for my development since it provided me with ample knowledge to augment the work I complete on a day to day basis. Other forms of training were held regularly and were open to all, so how much training additional training there was depended on you.

The future employment prospects were very appealing. Towards the end of a placement, PwC will consider your performance across the year and make an offer for a graduate role in the same department. There is also the opportunity to change roles through a transfer process however this involves more conditions. Not all companies provide interns/placement students with the opportunity to return. Being a full-time member through the graduate role also increases the number of perks available to you.

There was a very good social scene amongst fellow students/colleagues. It was easy to become acquainted and close to the colleagues that were in my intake since we undergo the same training and perform some initial tasks together. Outside of this, there are many opportunities to expand your network and build relationships with fellow colleagues and placement students you meet during socials, training events and even on a day to day basis in the office.

Fortunately, I was able to live at home with the rest of my family and commute to work so living expenses were not an issue. Socialising and going to restaurants in the area was a different case. The PwC office I worked in was based near London Bridge so there was a great amount of places to eat and socialise in but prices were high as expected for being in Central London. There was always a wide variety of places to choose from.

The Nightlife in the area I worked in was amazing. Since the office I worked in was near London Bridge, as expected there were many places to visit and options were good. Alternatively, it was also possible to catch a tube service from London Bridge Station to visit other Central London areas which have great Nightlife such as Oxford Circus. PwC also holds social events after work for whatever the occasion may be (e.g. team social events).

There were many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work. For instance, there was a weekly football match in the department that you could participate in. The teams would change on a weekly basis. Other than this, there were different groups to be a part of (similar to societies at university) such as the Christian network. Teams also hold social events which others can join, there is an annual Christmas party that is held.