Senior Associate Review
at PwC
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Accounting
Birmingham
Review Submitted: May 2023
Overall Rating
4.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4.5/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
3.8/5
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Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
During my apprenticeship my role has progressed from being an Associate to a Senior Associate in one of PwC's tax teams. My day to day role has changed throughout the apprenticeship, starting with more admin or manual tasks, to speaking with clients, leading calls, writing project reports and performing complex calculations today.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
Overall, I would say that I do enjoy the programme. There are elements that are stressful, such as balancing exams and studying with work and a personal, but overall I enjoy working at PwC and working with the people in my team. One drawback is that there is a fair amount of admin involved in the apprenticeship, such as filling out training logs and regular meetings with an apprenticeship coack.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
Yes, I have done both. PwC has an extensive learning and development programme from the get go, meaning you receive a few weeks of training to prepare you for the role before you start. I have also been studying for the ACA (chartered accountancy) and that has taught me a variety of new topics and skills. I've also learnt business writing and client service skills.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
PwC has a team that is dedicated to the organisation of its apprenticeships and works alongside kaplan to ensure that its apprentices have a good experience. These two teams are closely connected and arrange all of your exams and study for you, and are always on hand to ask any questions you might have.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
The main support I receive from my employer is the provision of fairly extensive study leave for my ACA exams. The apprenticeship team also offers regular guidance about keeping up to date with our apprenticeship requirements, and we have a dedicated talent coach who we meet with regularly to discuss our apprenticeship and progress.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
4/5
As they provide all of the teaching and courses for my ACA exams, I have received quite a lot of support from my training provider. They have an online portal with an ask a tutor function that means that I can access support at almost any time and receive a quick response. The tutors are always very approachable, too.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
Firstly, being qualified as an ACA chartered accountant is viewed very positively in the field that I work in, so it helps with my reputation among peers and my clients. Secondly, a lot of the areas that the training focuses on are directly relevant to my work and give me a broader knowledge of any issues that my clients may be facing and how we can help them.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
Yes there are some, although much of my apprenticeship has been during the covid 19 pandemic and a lot of my work has been remote or hybrid opportunities for these have been limited. There is a regular monthly social club for the office that I have attended a few times, and they also promote participation in the annual run in birmingham.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend PwC to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I would recommend PwC to a friend because you can learn a lot there and get lots of really valuable experience. If you want to, they will throw you in at the deep end and put you in front of clients quickly, giving you experience that you might not get elsewhere.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to PwC?
PwC has recently removed its degree requirements in its application process and offers a variety of programmes which include degree apprenticeships, school leaver programmes, graduate schemes and experienced hires. Therefore, I think there is a place at PwC for most people given the wide variety of teams and specialisms they have, so I would recommend doing some digging on the different roles available before applying to the first one that you see.
