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It was a very good internship, with a terrific range of opportunities. The beginning of this 6 week internship included 5 days inductions split between a Hotel and the Office. This gave us some foundation of the firm as a whole, our line of service and also the office we would work in. During the internship we had a good amount of work and were challenged with various tasks. Overall very good internship.

I felt very valued by my colleagues, particularly given that I was welcomed by everyone. PwC has a really friendly atmosphere and there were many occasions to talk with colleagues of all seniority. As a matter of fact, all the teams I joined made me do important work and were always ready to help. Their availability at all times was astounding.

Managers and supervisors are incredibly useful from the start to end. They are part of the welcoming team and are there to help at all times, whether it is for professional or personal reasons. The hot-desking policy makes it possible to be seated near to everyone and the general atmosphere is one of collaboration. Therefore it is only natural for managers to be of guidance.

The amount of work depends a lot on both the season and your determination in working hard. There is no pressure to work later than 5:30. At some periods of the internship I would be relatively busy, whereas for a couple of weeks (August) I was often asking around for more work. Overall, your busyness depends on how keen you are to hit the ground running during the internship.

I certainly felt that I was given a good amount of responsibility. With Tax, given it is very technical, interns cannot be given much independence. Nevertheless, I often took some initiative during tasks and managers and associates place a lot of faith in your capabilities. This ranged from research to compilation of data.

compilation of data. Tax is not very central to my degree, so in that respect little. Nevertheless I learnt how to use several new Excel functions and I also appreciated more the individual importance towards a group project. More than anything I believe I have improved my communication and analytical skills, both crucial during the internship and during my degree.

The environment in the Reading office is fantastic. The hot-desking policy, the lack of partner offices, the summer-casual wear etc… all contributed to a more chilled environment. The offices are brand new, with modern features such as break areas and a table tennis. All these factors complemented well with the working culture and made the day to day tasks more relaxed. This atmosphere was reflected amongst the colleague culture, making everyone very approachable.

Very well organised. Plenty of induction, both to firm, job and office. Then meetings and people had been assigned to welcome you. During the internship plenty of check-ups were made, with manager meetings and HR contacting. The workload was well distributed, opportunities to explore other areas of service were available. Indeed the freedom within a structured placement was somehow achieved. This made it all the more insightful and worth doing!

The firm has invested aplenty. The induction is the perfect example: 3 whole days in a hotel with the whole intern year and then 2 days at the office. They are investing from an early stage to make you part of the firm. On top of that there is investment in personal improvement, through day to day specific help and online resource practice. Indeed, there is personal training every time you ask for it since people are always ready to help!

Future employment prospects are very appealing. This is an industry where there is a lot of need for its services. PwC is growing, while also being the biggest of the Big4. The organisation is growing in the regions, particularly in Reading and so opportunities are available. PwC helps with financing the ACA and that renders you very employable from then on. Opportunities vary between each department, but overall there are lots.

At the induction we had the opportunity to socialise with all the intern cohort for a couple of days. During the remainder of the internship we would always have lunch together in the break out area. On some occasions we had after work drinks with the office and that was a good chance to socialise. Overall the internship organises some occasions to do work together with other interns, but one must organise himself/herself. With colleagues, Friday drinks was a good occasion to catch up.

I stayed in Reading which has prices near to those of London, but cheaper. Accommodation in particular is noticeably cheaper than London, but drinks and food not so much. Of course living expenses depend on your lifestyle (eg lunch cooked at home vs takeout). I would always get meal deals etc for lunch. Then dinner I would cook at home. Drinks on Fridays are not very cheap, especially given the proximity to rail station. If you want to commute to Reading you have to factor in hefty travelling expenses.

I didn't go out clubbing or anything like that so haven't tried 1st person. However I have heard that there are quite a few places to go and they can be good fun. The bars and pubs in Reading vary, but overall are nice. The Oracle area is great for dinner as it has plenty of restaurants and places to do shopping etc...

During my six weeks there was an office event where we played softball in the park, with drinks and food. The office has a football team and people do get together for sporting activities (eg gym, running). During the 1st slot of the internship there was a big social event for the whole office. Activities outside of work with the office are restricted to drinks during the internships, but it's up to you to organise stuff with friends. I've heard during the winter they do office trips though!