PwC Talent Academy Review

It was a hugely enjoyable three days, packed full of useful information and insight into the firm.

I could tell that a great deal of prior time and effort had been put into the organisation of the event, and the HR team were approachable and informative.

On top of the informative structured sessions, the HR team and employees from other fields were very helpful in giving advice.

Since the three days mostly served as an extended assessment centre, there was a larger focus on assessment than skills sessions, but the sessions that gave insight into the various divisions within the firm, as well as the firm as a whole, were useful.

A lot of effort had clearly been put in to make the three days as useful as possible, full of great sessions and networking opportunities, and the day-to-day coordination of the various events ran smoothly.

Very relaxed and friendly, but perhaps aside from the assessment elements. Since we had been put up in a nice hotel, we were able to make use of the various facilities (including a gym and pool) during our free-time, which again made for a relaxed atmosphere.

Unfortunately, since the three days largely served as an extended assessment centre, there was not a large focus on skills sessions and simulations. Nevertheless, there were still great opportunities to pick up information from descriptive job-role presentations, but no real focus on developing our skills. There were, however, sessions focused on considering and developing our career values.

We had a whole afternoon dedicated to presentations by current employees on their respective job roles, which were very informative. These same employees were present at one of our socials as well, which meant that we could pick their brains further if we wanted to.

The HR team and other employees were always approachable, which confirmed my impression of the company culture as being one of collaboration and teamwork. Furthermore, throughout the three days, the HR team continually reminded us that, if the employees were keen to move departments or locations, and they could back up their desire with a credible reason, and they worked hard for it, PwC would often be very accommodating to allow the change. They made it known that our career at PwC would be what we made of it, as long as we used our initiative, always sought to better ourselves, and worked hard, giving more great insight into a company that seems to have a friendly, collaborative atmosphere.

Each attending student was provided with an expenses claim form and reminded to hold on to any travel ticket receipts (even taxi journeys). We were then encouraged to send in the completed form, along with any reasonable receipts (not exceeding a certain threshold value, in the case of flights) for travel that we took, to a postal address that they specified.

These opportunities were very good indeed. On the first night, we had an informal dinner with members of the HR team and current employees, followed by drinks, allowing us to ask questions in a relaxed environment. The following night, we had a more formal dinner with current PwC partners, with one partner on each table, and with the partners rotating tables after each course. I particularly valued this experience, as it was a privilege to dine with partners at such a firm as PwC, and to get the opportunity to ask them questions about the firm, their careers, and the like.

At the informal dinner on the first night, we had a Mexican-themed meal, served as a buffet with plenty of good food, with wine provided at the table and drinks tokens for the hotel bar handed out for afterwards. The food at the Partner meal was more formal, and was very good indeed, again with wine and drinks tokens provided. Both of these sessions were great fun, and proved useful for acquiring more information.

To an extent. During the job-role presentations made by current employees, most of them touched on some of these activities, including socials, trips and informal sports days, but there was not a large focus on this during the three days.

Definitely. Despite it effectively being an extended assessment centre, the three days provided a great insight into the values, atmosphere, and job roles of a very good firm indeed. The whole experience was great fun, with great socials and networking opportunities. If you join the three days in Latimer House, you'll be put up in a very nice hotel (a bit out of the way, admittedly) with all expenses paid, and a pool and gym provided. Overall, despite it being tiring and full-on (they had to pack all of that information into just three days), it was definitely an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.