Assurance Intern Review

I had a fantastic time during my internship with PwC. I was given real responsibilty and able to contribute to real client work - I've come away with a genuine insight into the graduate scheme should I decide to return next year after graduation. Overall, the placement was very well structured with lots of support from everyone I worked with. PwC prides itself on its people and this was evident from the short time I worked for the firm. At no point did I ever feel under pressure to deliver results.

On the whole, I felt very valued, particularly when given the opportunity to work with a smaller team out on client sites. I was trusted to work on some significant areas which would usually have been the responsibility of a junior full time employee. Everyone was very open, friendly and chatty and happy to talk about things other than work - something which I hadn't expected when I first started. I would also stress that at no point was I expected to 'typical intern tasks', eg. photocopying, making tea or buying lunch.

Everyone I worked with was very, very supportive and happy to take time out of their day to help me with any problems/issues I had. I got the impression that everyone I worked with was well aware that at one point, they were an intern/new joiner with very little experience. I've come away with a strong grasp of the basics of audit and feel well prepared should I decide to return after graduating. The support I received here was far in excess of any other placement/internship I've done up to now.

I was never bored and had a good balance between 'crazy busy' and 'nothing to do' which I fully appreciated. I must admit that before joining, I was sceptical as to how much work there would actually be for me to do - I was happily proved wrong. There were times where there was less to do than others, but the managers on client site/in the office were very happy to find something else for me to do if I asked them. Work was typically focused on one project at a time - in contrast to other work I have done where I have had to work on multiple things at one time.

As I stated before, I was trusted with work that would have otherwise been given to a graduate. This often involved talking to our client contacts, a very intimidating experience certainly at first! Examples of areas that I worked on included auditing cash, property, plant and equipment (PPE) and payroll. I never felt out of my depth, as my team were always on hand to answer any questions I had. The amount of responsibility I had was for the most part appropriate to my experience, knowledge and skillset.

As a political science student, my auditing skills will not contribute directly. I would say, however, that the confidence and experience of working in an office environment more generally will no doubt stand me in good stead for the future. In terms of how my skills will relate to future work, I would say that a period of six weeks was not enough to build a strong enough skillset to say that my time at PwC will benefit me particularly. I would, however, say that my familiarity with the job and processes involved will make transition to full time work easier.

I enjoyed both my time in the office and on the client sites. Everyone was very friendly and sociable. The Reading office is a large, open plan space which makes it very easy to go and talk to someone. As I have mentioned previously, conversation was often about things other than work which I really appreciated. If I was ever stuck, people would be very happy to come over and give me a hand. I'd say that in comparison to my other work/internships, PwC Reading had the best balance between 'plain noisy' and 'library quiet'.

The internship was the best set up scheme I've had the opportunity to take part in. Every intern (and new graduate joiner) is assigned a buddy, typically someone in their first year, who is on hand to answer any questions you might have. This was particularly useful in cases where I had questions I was too embarrassed to ask anyone else! In terms of the structure of the internship, I really appreciated the first week of training. This gave me a chance to get to know everyone without the pressure of real work.

We were sent on a three day residential on our first week, which gave us a basic grounding in the principles of assurance, PwC methodology and PwC software. We then had two days in our local offices learning about other procedures, including IT/technical skills. The coaching I received on the job was first class - this was delivered by a more junior member of each team which gave me the opportunity to ask questions individually rather than in front of a class. I have come away having learnt a lot in a very short space of time.

I was offered a graduate role with the firm, something which I believe the vast majority of interns do. The application process to get the internship, and then the internship itself, is essentially one big job interview. You are offered a place in your line of service (eg. tax, consulting, assurance) and in the office you've been in - but do have the opportunity to apply to transfer either line of service or office if you so wish. Those seeking to do so must pass another interview with a member of management from their new office/LoS.

Absolutely. Compared to my other work and internships, the social scene here was by far and away the best. We made a concerted effort to do something at least twice a week, be it bowling, going for dinner or a drink after work. Drinks on a Friday evening were a regular thing not only with the intern group but with other memebers of PwC, which gave us a fantastic chance to get to meet new people at all levels of the business in a more relaxed environment than the office. I'd consider myself very lucky to have had such a great group!

Reading is essentially an extension of London in terms of living costs - I was paying roughly £520 a month for my accommodation. As I was only here for six weeks, I didn't really feel the full effect but should I return next year I am sure I would. Employees at the Reading office, however, are paid more than other PwC staff at other local offices (eg not those in London) to compensate for this. I wouldn't say that the cost would put me off considering joining full time, but it's certainly something to consider.

Decent. I wouldn't say it was anything special, but there is a decent selection of clubs/bars/restaurants in Reading.

As above, the social scene was excellent.