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My last blog was kind of a whirlwind tour of the first 3 months of life as a PwC Business Placement student, so I’ll try and include a bit more detail this time…

I last posted at the beginning of the second set of exams, about a month ago. This study period was really intense, especially as I’d got an exemption from one. That sounds backwards, but you have to work on the days allocated to studying for that exam, so the mix of work and learning was quite tiring, but I’ve got some extra work experience in. When I started, I didn’t think I’d get any exemptions from the exams because I’ve obviously not finished my degree yet, but you can if you’ve done the relevant modules so make sure you apply!

Our exams were on the day of the Christmas party, which was a great incentive to work hard because we could let our hair down and really celebrate afterwards. Nearly all the office came along for a proper Christmas dinner, the highlight of which was the first years’ Christmas song. There’s a tradition in this office for the new starters to sing a song in front of the whole restaurant, and unfortunately for us this year was no exception. We’d re-written the lyrics of Jingle Bells with a PwC theme, which got a good reception, and then we sat back and enjoyed awards for ‘worst tie’ and other random achievements. It was a good way to get to see what the people we work with are like when they’re out of work.

The Christmas period here can be very busy, and as a first year I have to do a lot of stock counts. These are one-day jobs where you go out to a client on your own and audit their stock count, checking that they’ve counted, recorded and followed procedures properly. The first one I did on my own was fairly scary, because there’s a massive difference between spending time with a client knowing your in-charge and being on your own at a site. However, because you have to do it a lot, you pick it up really quickly and get a real sense of achievement from doing it yourself. It’s also a good way to get to know a client ahead of jobs, as you’re often booked to the stock count of companies that you’re auditing later in the year.

Looking ahead to January and February is a little scary, as I’m booked to clients back to back until late April, spending time both locally and away in London. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in and learning more on the job, as being at home studying does leave you feeling a little detached. But I’m sure I’ll be taking that back in a few weeks when I’m desperate for a day of textbooks and exam questions! That’s the thing that’s great about this placement; it’s a mixture of work in the office, and work studying for exams, just like uni, so you won’t feel like you’ve had too much of a culture shock!