Audit Review

Working on the external audit of many listed and non listed companies. This involves performing testing over a companies financial statements to determine whether they show a true and fair view financially and have been appropriately prepared in line with accounting standards. This means that i've been exposed to alot of different areas as there is lots of testing that needs to be performed in an audit. I communicate to the client contacts on a daily basis whether this be emails or video calls and have had lots of exposure to people in senior finance roles such as financial controllers and directors.

This year has been a great learning opportunity and i feel i have learnt so much about accounting and audit and have also developed as a professional. Whilst working for Pwc, i also studied towards the first year of the ACA qualification. This means that i studied towards a professional qualification whilst working on client engagements in the year which is good as it means i have been able to apply what i learned in my exams into the practical world. I have developed lots of professional skills in the past year. I believe my communication skills have improved hugely as i have worked with lots of different people and had lots of exposure to meetings and conversations with clients. This also means i have developed my team working skills as i have had the opportunity to work with lots of different teams which is a core part of a successful audit.

Yes, you are given lots of responsibility as you are treated as if you are a graduate. This is a good thing as you really feel like you're part of the team and can make an impact. On this basis you are given lots of different tasks that contribute to the completion of the audit. Sometimes there are admin tasks that need to be done which don't always feel meaningful but the majority of the time i was performing testing over lots of different FSLIs and given the responsibility to communicate with the client and complete the testing.

When i joined i was given a career coach and a buddy who were both there to help me with any questions or issues i had which is particularly useful at the start when you are new to everything. I received lots of good coaching on client engagements throughout my year which was always with a good attitude. There is a good culture at the firm whereby if i had any issues i did feel like i could speak up to someone and they would listen and try to help.

The company culture was very good, i worked with lots of different people throughout the year and everyone was nice. Socially it was more difficult for our peer group of new joiners as we joined during COVID and lockdown. However, as things started opening up we were able to meet up and it was good being able to go for team lunches and dinners. There are lots of opportunities to get involved with charity, sustainability or voluntary initiatives at Pwc.

I enjoyed my placement a lot as i felt i was given lots of opportunities to develop in the year and feel i have learned so much. The people were great and the company culture was always good. The placement exceeds my expectations as i didn't expect to be given so much responsibility and exposure to clients which was great for my development. For these reasons i would definitely go back as it's a great company to work for.

Yes

During the interview just be yourself and show that you have an interest in the role you're applying for. For the assessment centre day i would say try to get involved as much as you can to show leadership but this doesn't mean trying to take over as its about working together as a team which is one of the core values of Pwc. To prepare for day 1, my advice would be to be a sponge as you be given lots of information very quickly when you are taken through the basics of the line of service you applied to and it is best to soak as much of this up as you can. I would also say start building relationships from day 1 with your peer group as this will definitely help you through work and exams if you study towards a professional qualification. I was inspired to join as Pwc is a great company to work for and the opportunities are excellent.