Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ

From the first day of the induction to arriving at the half-way point, everything has been structured and well thought-out. I started my first day feeling nervous but soon felt reassured because of the great mentoring system in place. From day 1, we were paired with a buddy whom answered all of our day-to-day questions. Since I’m from Canada, my buddy helped me not only transition quickly into a consultant lifestyle but also gave fantastic tips on navigating Manchester. For many, career progression is of value and PwC is truly great at helping its staff grow. In addition to having a buddy, we are paired with a people manager, someone more senior within the firm. My PM helped me build a network and explore the different opportunities within the firm. What I took away from 4 weeks is that collaboration is at the heart of our business. It’s hard work but people, both senior and junior are interested in providing feedback and helping you achieve your potential. For example, I’ve had chats with directors, senior managers and even the Partner and received valuable feedback on how to build my career.

As an intern, we have a lot less experience than associates and senior associates and this means we have a steep learning curve when first joining a project. However, from day 1, I was treated like an equal. I was given the same guidance, explanations, expectations, and responsibilities as associates and senior associates within my team. Even though we are here for a limited time, my teammates have all taken time to explain the project from an intuitive perspective. Never at any point did I feel that I was just completing someone else’s work. My teammates and manager created an environment where I can both understand the project from a bird’s eye view and also get my hands dirty by doing crucial work. As long as you are open minded and willing to learn, PwC will give you the opportunity to broaden your worldview and develop new skills.

From a project perspective, my line manager has been extremely patient and was always available to provide clarifications. In the first week, she was extremely busy and I was afraid of interrupting her work. However, each time I approached her, she was equally warm and welcoming. While there’s always people to help, it is important to be autonomous and develop problem solving capabilities From a career development perspective, I had chats with directors and senior managers within consulting but across the firm in different service lines. Being able to receive career advice from people with over 20 years of experience within the industry was extremely refreshing. People are always willing to grab a coffee with you and chat about their experience within industry or their time at PwC.

There’s definitely no daily schedule because our work is so flexible and constantly changing. Other than arriving at the Client site each day at the same time, I was not micromanaged in the slightest. Coming from Uni where there’s rigid deadlines and deliverables, I was pleasantly surprised to have so much autonomy and control over my work. PwC is not a face culture, as long as you complete your work in a high quality and consistent manner, you are given total control over your time. Over the last few weeks, I left the client sites earlier or later depending on the work. And to be honest, it’s this hectic schedule that makes consulting exciting and not mundane. But on the flip side, work-life balance is truly valued.

From day 1, I was in the client site. In the beginning, there was a lot to take in so I was almost shadowing a more senior teammate. After a week, once I’ve obtained a good grasp of the project, I was invited by my teammates to speak directly with the client and resolve my problems. The majority of my work involved preparing a walkthrough document. We went through multiple versions of this document and our feedback was valued at each stage of the change. Being given the same level of work as senior associates showed a lot of trust. Moreover, during daily meetings, I was allowed to present updates. This felt like a huge challenge at first but being able to express my ideas and concerns to senior management and the client really built my confidence.

Out of the PwC professional, I think ‘relationships’ was my strongest. Throughout this internship, I developed this aspect and made it even greater. Often as Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵs, we speak with senior management in a nervous way because our only exposure was through final-round interviews. By working with management throughout this project, I’ve learned that we are all human and I became more at ease at expressing my ideas. Another big area was business acumen. By speaking with people from our different business lines, I’ve developed a better understanding of what our firm does. Moreover, I’ve identified other areas of consulting and other business lines that I would like to learn more about.

The office environment was overwhelmingly positive. Snce we are mostly on client site, one office is different from another. I don't think atmosphere is really important because it's more the team.

Extremely well organized beause I felt really prepared on day 1. There were periods of time where you feel a bit lost when first starting a project. However, my buddy was always there to clatify information and help out.

PWC truly values its staff and has provided a lot of resources to ensure our success. From buddies, people managers, to networking socials, there's a lot of emphasis of creating an atmosphere where we feel valued and can develop our skills.

I am extremely excited to be joining the firm because there's so much opportunities available. Not only within consulting but also across our different service lines. What truly makes this firm great is that there's internal mobility and management understands the value you get from being able to see different sides of a project.

Everyone was professional and courteous. At no point did I feel isolated or told 'you are only an intern'. People treated me with the amount of respect I treated them. It's truly a people business

We had multiple socials after work e.g. drinks and dinner. Fun atmopshere.

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I got involved for a charity project and it was a great opportunity to bond with teammates outside of work.