Company: PwC
Date: 2021-06-04
Overall rating: 1/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Junior

Abandon All Hope
Pros: The salary is okay, and there are some amazing people
Cons: I have worked in some truly terrible jobs in my time. In fact, prior to joining PwC, I didn’t think it could get much worse than my last job. But, as PwC constantly reminds us, they do like to “Reimagine the Possible”. And they’ve certainly done that.

Starting a new job during a pandemic was never going to be easy, and in part, I’m sure some of the issues I have experienced may be attributable to that. But, pandemic or not, the standard of training and support that I, and others, have received, has been nothing short of disgraceful. 

Thrown into client work for the first time during the company’s busy season, we were often left to fend for ourselves, expected to complete complex documents with little or no guidance and to unbelievably short deadlines. And if, on some rare occasion, someone did think to reach out to offer help, it was often at their own expense, adding yet more stress to their already impossible workload. Here, credit must be given to the few truly wonderful people at PwC who do care about the welfare of others, knowing - often from personal experience - just how little support is given. It was this, more than anything, that first made me realise that PwC’s problems are not born of the pandemic; they are endemic, and likely have been for some time. 

The PwC grad scheme also offers you the chance to sit accountancy exams. And while, on the face of it, this might seem like a great opportunity to have your employer pay for you to obtain a much sought-after certification, the exam seasons I have endured so far have verged on the edge of torture. 

PwC offers the bare minimum in terms of study leave. In fact, despite the fact that the exams are a requirement of the job, they actually give them very little consideration. Pre-course work must be done on your own time. During busy season, this means working late into the night during the week (after an 11- or 12-hour day) and often at the weekend. On top of that, many of my peers, myself included, have even been forced to use all our limited holidays to have even a hope of passing. 

During the 4 or 5 weeks of classes, you have no option but to revise every waking hour of the day. And the sad reality is that, even then, your chances of passing are slim. The resources ICAS provide are poor in quality, riddled with errors, and the exercises often don’t match the content of the notes. The standard of teaching is mixed, with some clearly experienced tutors, and some who visibly struggle to comprehend the content they profess to teach. And while I understand that everyone has to start somewhere, their inexperience may be about to cost several people their jobs.

Now you might be wondering if upper management are aware of what’s going on. Has anyone thought to speak out, let someone know what’s happening? Yes. Time and again, we have called meetings with seniors and representatives who claim to have our best interests at heart, who claim to care about our mental health and well-being. I have sat in meetings where my strung-out, exhausted colleagues have recounted their experiences through tears. In many cases, they haven’t slept well in weeks, can barely find time to eat, and are generally struggling to cope. Time and again we have told ourselves “Surely, something has to be done now!”. But no. Each time, we are met with reassurances that our concerns will be raised with senior management. And, in fairness, maybe they are. But ultimately, it always comes to nothing. 

In all my life, I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a more burnt out, run down, and generally miserable group of colleagues. And if there was ever a more damning piece of evidence that PwC is failing its employees, it’s that those that have been fired for failing exams (and I have known more than a few) were not devastated or disappointed, nor even remotely perturbed. They were grateful.

You might think that I’m writing this in the hope that PwC will see it and care enough to do something. But in the year that I’ve been here, PwC have demonstrated, time and time again, that they do not care. No. I am writing this in the hope that somewhere out there, someone who has just received a very tempting offer letter from PwC might read this, and think twice before accepting.