PwC, the one firm for all talented graduates

• What is it we actually do in Assurance/Audit?
  
  
  We start by getting to know the Client Company, finding out what they do and how they do it. We also want to know what they plan to do in the future. We put all this information together to establish what risks the organisation faces, if they are being addressed and the impact on the accounts. So our interviewing, analytical skills and strategic vision needs to be just as good as our number crunching. A career in our Assurance business offers a wide spectrum of opportunities. From advising our clients on M&A transactions, to analysing the risks they face or providing audit services, Assurance goes far beyond the numbers.
  
  
• So far, so good, but what will I be doing every day?
  
  
  In the first few years, you'll divide your time between being out at a client's site and studying for your professional exams including attending lectures.
  
  Your clients could be right next to the office, or they might be 150 miles away. This means that travel can be a big part of a career in Assurance. You'll be working with different clients every few weeks in different locations and with different teams - so you'll need to like the change and variety that this brings.
  
  You'll also attend lectures where you'll learn continually and spend time building friendships and networking with your peers from across the business. It can be tough and the training for professional exams is intense - your social life may suffer for a while. This means it's crucial to keep up with the learning by revising and getting help if you need it. It also means that your technical expertise will be on a steep trajectory.
  
  
• What do I get out of the job?
  
  
  Not only do you study for an internationally respected business qualification, you also get plenty of variety and excellent development opportunities throughout your career. You'll quickly develop excellent communication, project management, business awareness and coaching skills.
  
  
• What do I have to put in?
  
  
  You've no doubt realised by now that sometimes it can be hard work, including travel, overtime during busy periods and revision for exams. However demanding this may sound, we think you'll find that our flexibility and recognition of hard work will reward you well.
  
  
• How will my career at PwC grow?
  
  
  Years 1 & 2
  You’ll spend your first couple of years in Assurance learning about our business and developing your set of key skills. You'll find yourself working with all kinds of clients and you'll continually apply the knowledge you've picked up at college.
  
  Years 3 & 4
  This is when you will want to take the knowledge you've developed in your current team and start exploring some of the other opportunities available in the firm. You could move to another business team in Assurance or to another area such as Tax or Advisory, or to the other side of the world.
  
  Wherever you go, you'll find yourself taking more responsibility for your own work and maybe supervising team members of your own. There's a good chance you'll also be in the final stages of your professional qualification, so study will still be a feature of life, at least for a little longer.
  
  Manager/Senior Manager
  At this level in Assurance, you'll be developing your strategic planning and business insight skills. You'll also build on our client relationships with key people in national and multinational organisations.
  
  Director/Partner
  As an expert in your chosen field, you'll deliver the highest standard of client service and lead the firm's relationship with our global clients. You'll inspire your teams by taking a personal hand in their development and helping them network across the firm.
  
  At this highest level in PwC, you'll also play your part in setting the strategy and direction of the firm, and even in influencing the way our profession develops.
  
  
• What opportunities are available?
  
  
  Wherever you start out, you'll experience different areas, clients and working practices, see how a range of organisations operate from within and develop a real understanding of the issues faced by management teams all over the world. This broad exposure builds on the foundation of your professional qualification to make you a confident, well-rounded business advisor.
  
  
• So what is Financial Audit anyway?
  
  
  Our financial audit business is the largest area within Assurance. An audit is defined as 'an examination of financial accounts or records to check that they are true and fair'. But what does this actually mean and why do we do it?
  
  Every organisation we work with is legally obliged to prepare financial accounts in order to see how much profit or loss it's achieved for the period and to determine its net asset position at the period end. It's our job to make sure the report is a true and fair reflection of how the organisation has performed.
  
  Financial Audit is the area within Assurance where most of our graduates start their career - here you'll get to work on audits and related projects for clients of all sizes and from all sectors.
  
  
• How are we organised?
  
  
  In Assurance, we have over 1,000 professionals, divided into six separate sectors: Banking, Insurance, Asset Management (AM), Consumer Industrial Products & Services (CIPS), Technology Information, Communication & Entertainment (TICE), and Business Wealth Services (BWS).
  
  Banking
  We’re the largest and leading provider of assurance and advisory services to the domestic and International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) banking market. Our clients include domestic banks, building societies, IFSC banks, corporate treasuries and securitisation vehicles as well as large treasury centres. Typically, we work in teams of about five and over the course of the year, for six to eight clients. Initially, you’ll tend to focus on loans, debt securities, bank reconciliations, fixed assets and payroll before moving on to areas such as credit review, derivatives and big ticket leases.
  
  Insurance
  We provide audit and business advisory services to non-life, life, reinsurance and broker companies, here in Ireland and around the world. In fact, we’re the leading adviser to the insurance industry in Ireland and internationally. Your first year will generally involve focusing on bank and cash, management expenses, payroll, fixed assets, debtors and creditors. As your experience grows, you’ll take responsibility for key areas such as investments and actuarial reserves.
  
  Asset Management (AM)
  The largest group within Assurance, we provide audit and business advisory services to investment management companies, fund administrators, custodians and investment funds. Our market share dominates this market sector at over 60%. Working in a team consisting of three to 15 people, you’ll initially focus on areas such as investments, income and expenses but can expect to take responsibility for auditing an investment company from start to finish within your first year. In your second year, you’ll be able to lead smaller assignments.
  
  Consumer Industrial Products & Services (CIPS)
  We provide audit and business advisory services to plcs, subsidiaries of overseas clients, Semi-States, large private corporates and trade associations. Our clients operate in a large range of industries including Retail and Consumer, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering and Construction, Food, Energy and Utilities. Teams vary in size from two to 12 people. On smaller assignments you’ll work on a number of areas. On larger assignments you’ll work on just one or two, but still gain exposure to the key issues through team meetings.
  
  Technology Information, Communication & Entertainment (TICE)
  We’re the market leader in providing audit and business advisory services to this sector. Our clients include major Irish corporations, as well as a significant number of US multinationals operating in Ireland. Our typical audit assignments involve teams of between two and 20 people working for up to eight weeks. From the outset, you’ll learn how to deal with clients effectively as well as taking responsibility for specific sections – these will probably be fixed assets, debtors, bank and payroll, but you’ll quickly broaden your experience in terms of both sections and clients.
  
  Business Wealth Services (BWS)
  Dealing with the domestic market, we focus on three specific sectors. We deliver practical, innovative services to the entrepreneurs behind Irish businesses as well as the companies themselves. In the Not-For-Profit Sector Services and Public Health Services, our knowledge covers areas such as statutory audits, internal control evaluations and organisational structure reviews. Most audit assignments here involve teams of up to five working on assignments lasting between one and five weeks.
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• What professional qualifications will I study for?
  
  
  When you join us in Assurance you enter into a formal training contract in conjunction with PwC and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ireland (ICAI).
  
  You will be required to study for the Chartered Accountancy (ACA) qualification. There are a number of routes you can take to attaining your ACA qualification. It is important that you research and understand the possible entry routes and discuss your options at interview. Deciding the right route for you is an important choice, but the following illustrates your options and should help you to make the right decision.
  
  Route 1 – Direct Entry - Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
  The majority of our graduate places are through our direct entry route, attracting students with a business related degree or postgraduate qualification. The range of exemptions from the ACA examinations is dependent upon the level and results of degree/postgraduate qualification obtained. Please visit the ICAI website for further information.
  
  The firm will pay the following fees which arise during the ACA training contract period:
  
  • Student Registration Fees
  • Exemption Fees
  • CAP 1 / CAP 2, FAE Course Fees (first attempt only)
  • Exam Fees (first attempt only)
  
  Learn more about this entry route on our entry route page.
  
  Route 2 - Masters of Accounting
  Some of the business graduates whom we recruit will be offered sponsorship on the post graduate Masters of Accounting courses at the following locations:
  
  • University College Dublin - Masters in Accounting
  • National University of Ireland, Galway - Masters in Accounting
  • National University of Ireland, Maynooth - Masters in Accounting
  • Waterford Institute of Technology - Masters in Accounting
  • Letterkenny Institute of Technology -Masters in Accounting & Finance
  • Dublin City University -MBS in Accounting
  • Dublin Institute of Technology -MSc Accounting & Finance
  • University of Ulster Jordanstown- Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Accounting
  • Dundalk Institute of Technology - Masters in Accounting
  • Athlone Institute of Technology - Masters in Accounting
  
  Students being sponsored on the above courses and not in receipt of a grant for course fees will receive a contribution of €7,600 towards the course fees. We provide laptops for all those undertaking any of the above courses.
  
  The Firm will pay a book allowance of €575.
  
  Students recruited who are currently pursuing a postgraduate course in accounting will receive an allowance of €2,500.
  
  Learn more about this entry route on our entry route page.
  
  Route 3 - Professional Diploma in Accounting
  We recruit many students who are non business graduates. We offer sponsorship to non business graduates to study for their Professional Diploma in Accounting (PDA) before joining the firm. PwC offers sponsorship at the following colleges
  
  • Dublin City University – Professional Diploma in Accounting
  • Dublin Institute of Technology - Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting
  • University of Ulster, Jordanstown - Graduate Diploma in Accounting
  
  For students sponsored on a PDA course and not in receipt of a grant for course fees, we will pay the course fees in full, up to €7,600.
  
  For students being sponsored on the Professional Diploma in Accounting we will pay a book allowance of €575.
  
  Graduates who join PwC after successfully completing the PDA should visit the ICAI website for further information on exemptions from ACA examinations.
  
  
  Learn more about this entry route on our entry route page.
  
  What better way to find out more about PwC than to meet our people