Intern (Audit) Review

As an intern, you are expected to help complete the various tasks involved in an audit engagement - this can range from inputting information on Excel spreadsheets to emailing clients requesting further evidence and/or information. You will work with people across all pay grades and management levels, sometimes in multiple locations across the UK too. You will be involved in team and client meetings to check progress in addition to various social events scheduled by the PwC team in the office.

I have learned more audit-based skills; as an accounting student, I already had a solid foundation of knowledge regarding financial statements and the preparation involved so this was very useful when it came to completing audit tasks. You are responsible for documenting all your work and ensuring that once complete, it is then sent on for review. If working remotely or with people based in different offices, communication is vital and this can be done informally through chat functions, or formally through emails. It is also important to keep an updated training and compliance record alongside your client work.

Yes - I have been given autonomy over my tasks once they have been allocated to me, but I know that I have a range of people to get in contact with should I have any queries or come across any issues. There is no micromanagement and you are expected to get on with your work at your own pace. Meetings are added to your calendar and it is your responsibility to join and participate where required.

A lot of support was given through the Buddy system, which is a person in PwC who you can go to when you have questions about anything really. The engagement team on the audit are also really good at ensuring you understand the tasks you've been given. Even the person you sit next to in the office can be helpful if you have a basic admin question so you can be more efficient with your time.

The company culture is very positive - the office atmosphere is very welcoming and inclusive. There are no set desks so you can meet a variety of people within your department. Everyone is really friendly and will always be willing to help you if needed. There is a real comradery within the office as well, with weekly socials organised either during or after office hours to ensure a work/life balance is well maintained. The dress code is business casual too if you don't have a client facing meeting.

I thoroughly enjoyed my internship. There was a variety of things to do, including a volunteering day which was nice. There were around 30 interns in the office so it was good to have lots of people to socialise with and that is really good at the beginning when you perhaps feel out of your depth in an office environment for the first time. Perhaps the only downside of the internship was that it wasn't long enough - 4 weeks was a relatively short period of time!

Yes

Take the interview process very seriously as at the end of your internship, if you perform well, you are likely to be offered a full-time graduate job and this can take the pressure off of going through recruitment at the same time as completing your final year of your degree at University. Always ensure your CV is up-to-date and you regularly check your emails to ensure you meet deadlines in terms of completing different assessments.