Talent Academy Review

This 3 day intense program gave me the opportunity to further understand the work being carried out the firm through various interactive business games and presentations.

Right from the start you can tell that the staff wants you to succeed. They also want to ensure that you truly understand what it means to build a career at the firm and help you in making the right choice.

Throughout the 3 days plenty of support was given. Everyone was extremely approachable and their "nerve centre" was easily accessible in the hotel in case you needed their assistance.

As I said before, they staged plenty of group exercises (both assessed and non assessed) which, with the exception of one, revolved around this fictitious company. Because there were different scenarios you needed to apply different skills.

The programme was well balanced and you never felt like they "overloaded" your day. I would have liked for them to spend a bit more time on presenting their services lines though I understand the difficulty of bringing employees from their divisions and giving talks.

Apart from the early morning starts, I genuinely enjoyed every second of the academy. The people were absolutely great. You also had free time to enjoy some of the hotel's perks.

As it was only a 3 day insight program this does not apply to me.

As I said before, I would have appreciated more sessions on PwC's offerings for graduates and would have liked for some graduates to attend the networking sessions. Nonetheless I was able to grasp a vague idea of what it would be like to have a full time role with the company.

Whether it was a group exercise, a company presentation or a networking session, their culture came across quite clearly.

They truly want to place you in your ideal role. So whether you are clear on your career path or not, the recruitment team want to give you as much information possible in order for you to make the right decision.

They provide you with an expenses claim form which you then have to send along with your original receipts.

We had a networking session and an informal dinner with the recruiters on the first day while on the second day they hosted a Pimms reception and dinner with the partners.

In terms of time and organisation I would have to say great. This gave us the chance to chat up with other candidates and staff.

I was able to ask a few questions with regards to activities employees can get involved. I was actually shocked to learn that PwC stage a pantomime every year.

I would definitely recommend the Talent Academy to my friends who are interested in pursuing a career in the financial services industry. As they say, it is the experiences that stays with you. Even if you are unsuccessful you learn a lot in three days so it's a definite must.