PWC Business Insight Week 2019

I just got back from my coaching day in Reading - my day pretty much went exactly as yours, I was doing mine in the Reading office but most people that came had travelled from somewhere on the train. There were only 8 people that came to ours, so everyone became friendly with eachother quite quickly - only 5 of us want to do the actual week in the Reading office. I think lunch varies on how many students are there - we had quite a small group so we were given a tray of sandwiches, crisps and cakes, but I've been to other events at PWC for students when there's been a full buffet. Our day finished at around 3.00pm, so I would also suggest you book an all day ticket if you're travelling.
We were also told that we would be getting a reply in around 10 days - probably by call. I asked the lady who was leading the day how many people would get in to the actual week, and she told me that everyone would probably be accepted and it wasn't a competition - as long as you came to the coaching day and showed that you could work in a team and talk properly, you'd get a place. Definitely suggest that you try to talk when put into groups though, as you're being assessed on how much you contribute and if you can work as a team.
All of us came dressed pretty business casual, most girls wore formal trousers and some sort of shirt with flats, and boys wore suit trousers with button-ups, but everyone actually working for PWC were wearing casual clothes like jeans - we were told that we could wear jeans and clothes more casual to the week.
Really enjoyed the day - I was super nervous but it's honestly nothing to worry about, everyone is in the same boat and you'll make friends.

Happy to answer any other questions

For proof of identity did any one bring a provisional licsense and was it accepted.

ohmygosh!! thank you so much this is so helpful and im more hopeful i can actually have a chance of getting the place! do you know if you got in yet?
also, do you think that coming in early gave you an advantage as you showed them (im assuming most or a few of the staff were there) that you are punctual.

also im horrible at small talk and making new friends or meeting new people. any tips?

Hi, I went to the business insight coaching / assessment day in Manchester on Monday
It was really good and tbh there’s isn’t much you can do to prepare, try to arrive around 20 minutes early so you can talk to some of the other candidates, the girls who I sat with in the waiting area were so lovely and I spent the majority of the day with them - this really helped calm my nerves and we all soon felt comfortable when you had to discuss things as a group
I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can:
The first thing we did was introduce our selves (we were all sat on different tables on 5/6 and you could chose where to sit) and say what college or school we went to. Then the main pwc woman went through a bit of what’s happening in the day and then showed us a PowerPoint and video about what pwc is, what the expect from their employees and what they do - I really advise looking up a few facts up online beforehand or making notes during this
Then we went through the Structure of a good written answer and was given a bit of a mark scheme for it - it basically said be concise, structure it well (paragraphs, subtitles, bullet points were recommended to us) & write in a professional tone
The first task was the written 30 minute task - yoy could structure it however yoy wanted but the woman advised us to use headings, bullet points and paragraphs. The task had 2 questions - 1) something along the lines of why you want to work for PWC - this had 3 bullets points underneath asking you say
- what you know about pwc
- what your career goals are
- why you chose pwc Over competitors
2) why you’re the ideal candidate (basically that but long winded)
The bullet points were:
- the qualities you have that our suitable
- what you want to gain from the week
- how the week can help you achieve your career goals
I’m really sorry I can’t remember the exact wording but I would recommend planning an answer to each bulletin point and learning the key points before you go - the time limit is actually quite hard so maybe practise writing an answer
Then we had lunch - if you are a fussy eater I recommend taking something to eat - there were sandwiches available but I didn’t like the fillings 😂
We had around 45 minutes to eat and you could eat with who you wanted and during this time current employees or apprentices came and spoke to us - it was very causal they just sat and ate with us and asked if we had any questions and just told us about what they do
After lunch we went through what makes a good team and why teams fail - you have to talk a bit with your table during this so try and bond with them as much as possible during the morning to avoid awkwardness
We were put into separate groups of 5 to split us up from who we were sat with from the morning session
For our group activity you basically had 20 minutes to read a 7/8 page booklet in silence about an entertainment business who was evaluating the pros and cons of different strategies - I made notes during this time
Then you had 30 mins as a group to prepare a presention (it was literally just standing in front of one assessor you didn’t have to make a PowerPoint or a full script) about what you thought the best strategy was - TAKE A WATCH in my group nobody had a watch other than me and if you have a watch you can say you’re organised so you will be the time keeper - just try not to talk over anyone and come to mutual decision - in the presentation you all have to talk for 1 min at least each and it was a 6 min presentation
Whilst you’re preparing there is an assessor watching you but try not to pay attention.
The presentation isn’t anything to worry about as it’s only in front of one person
After this we had a tour of the office and was told we would be informed in 10 working days if we got in our not. It finished around 3:10 so if you’re getting the train I would advise getting an any time day ticket as we finished 50 mins early.
Most girls were wearing skirts and tights or smart pants and blouses - don’t worry about this just anything smart casual is fine - the boys were mainly wearing pants and shirts.
Everyone in mine were in year 12 and some weren’t applying for the same office as me

Hope this helps - good luck

How many people were there in total doing the assessment?

Hi, I went to the business insight coaching / assessment day in Manchester on Monday
It was really good and tbh there’s isn’t much you can do to prepare, try to arrive around 20 minutes early so you can talk to some of the other candidates, the girls who I sat with in the waiting area were so lovely and I spent the majority of the day with them - this really helped calm my nerves and we all soon felt comfortable when you had to discuss things as a group
I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can:
The first thing we did was introduce our selves (we were all sat on different tables on 5/6 and you could chose where to sit) and say what college or school we went to. Then the main pwc woman went through a bit of what’s happening in the day and then showed us a PowerPoint and video about what pwc is, what the expect from their employees and what they do - I really advise looking up a few facts up online beforehand or making notes during this
Then we went through the Structure of a good written answer and was given a bit of a mark scheme for it - it basically said be concise, structure it well (paragraphs, subtitles, bullet points were recommended to us) & write in a professional tone
The first task was the written 30 minute task - yoy could structure it however yoy wanted but the woman advised us to use headings, bullet points and paragraphs. The task had 2 questions - 1) something along the lines of why you want to work for PWC - this had 3 bullets points underneath asking you say
- what you know about pwc
- what your career goals are
- why you chose pwc Over competitors
2) why you’re the ideal candidate (basically that but long winded)
The bullet points were:
- the qualities you have that our suitable
- what you want to gain from the week
- how the week can help you achieve your career goals
I’m really sorry I can’t remember the exact wording but I would recommend planning an answer to each bulletin point and learning the key points before you go - the time limit is actually quite hard so maybe practise writing an answer
Then we had lunch - if you are a fussy eater I recommend taking something to eat - there were sandwiches available but I didn’t like the fillings 😂
We had around 45 minutes to eat and you could eat with who you wanted and during this time current employees or apprentices came and spoke to us - it was very causal they just sat and ate with us and asked if we had any questions and just told us about what they do
After lunch we went through what makes a good team and why teams fail - you have to talk a bit with your table during this so try and bond with them as much as possible during the morning to avoid awkwardness
We were put into separate groups of 5 to split us up from who we were sat with from the morning session
For our group activity you basically had 20 minutes to read a 7/8 page booklet in silence about an entertainment business who was evaluating the pros and cons of different strategies - I made notes during this time
Then you had 30 mins as a group to prepare a presention (it was literally just standing in front of one assessor you didn’t have to make a PowerPoint or a full script) about what you thought the best strategy was - TAKE A WATCH in my group nobody had a watch other than me and if you have a watch you can say you’re organised so you will be the time keeper - just try not to talk over anyone and come to mutual decision - in the presentation you all have to talk for 1 min at least each and it was a 6 min presentation
Whilst you’re preparing there is an assessor watching you but try not to pay attention.
The presentation isn’t anything to worry about as it’s only in front of one person
After this we had a tour of the office and was told we would be informed in 10 working days if we got in our not. It finished around 3:10 so if you’re getting the train I would advise getting an any time day ticket as we finished 50 mins early.
Most girls were wearing skirts and tights or smart pants and blouses - don’t worry about this just anything smart casual is fine - the boys were mainly wearing pants and shirts.
Everyone in mine were in year 12 and some weren’t applying for the same office as me

Hope this helps - good luck

I did the Manchester one as well have PwC called you yet saying whether you have been accepted to the coaching day yet? As if I remember correctly they said that they would call us within 10 days

If any of you people get a reply saying you are accepted or rejected to the business week. Pls keep me post it to keep me updated and I’ll do the same. They said that they would reply within 10 days to whether you are accepted or rejected.

Just got a call from the PWC team - I've been accepted into their Reading office for the work experience week! If anyone is wondering what they said on the call, the lady basically gave me feedback on both my written and verbal assessments, then asked if I had a specific preference over the date(s) in which I would be visiting PWC. Really excited for this, has anyone else gotten a call from PWC about it?

Just got a call from the PWC team - I've been accepted into their Reading office for the work experience week! If anyone is wondering what they said on the call, the lady basically gave me feedback on both my written and verbal assessments, then asked if I had a specific preference over the date(s) in which I would be visiting PWC. Really excited for this, has anyone else gotten a call from PWC about it?

I did the Business Insight Week a few years ago and I currently work at PwC. If you have any questions let me know

Yeh I’ve yet to receive a call good luck anyways in your work experience!

Well done!! Hope it all goes well for you

for the london one, what are the two different dates or is it just one?
i dont remeber the days its on can someone remind me?