My experience as an Audit intern at PwC
In this article, Louis DETALLE (ESSEC Business School, Grande Ecole Program – Master in Management, 2020-2023) interviews a former Audit intern at PwC.
First of all, let’s recall what Audit consists in?
The financial auditor expresses an opinion on the financial statements of a company. Their objective is to carry out the work necessary to enable the auditor to give an informed opinion on the true and fair nature of the published accounts.
The financial auditor is therefore the guarantor of the reliability of the company’s financial information and has a great responsibility, in particular to the company’s third-party stakeholders who invest in the company on the basis of the information published by the company.
Where had you applied for and what makes PwC different from other big 4?
It was my first internship in corporate finance, for that matter, I wanted to get into something but I did not really know what was possible. Since, an internship in Audit is a great way to launch one’s career; because you can do whatever you want after; I figured that it would be easier for me to apply there. I quickly got interviews at KPMG and PwC.
The reason why I chose PwC is because I was accepted there first! They offered me the position first and I was very keen to get over my internship hunting!
What does an intern in Audit work on?
An intern in audit at PwC will work on different tasks depending on the specific organization and the needs of the audit team. Some common tasks that an audit intern may be responsible for include:
• Assisting with the preparation of audit plans and procedures
• Conducting research and gathering information to support the audit process
• Analyzing financial statements and other data to identify potential risks and issues
• Participating in meetings with clients to discuss audit findings and recommendations
• Preparing reports and presentations to communicate audit results to clients and internal stakeholders
• Assisting with the development and implementation of internal controls and other risk management processes
Overall, the work of an audit intern typically involves providing support to the audit team in order to ensure that the audit is conducted in a thorough and professional manner. This may involve conducting research, analyzing data, and participating in meetings with clients and other stakeholders.
What do you plan to do next?
Most former Audit intern go for transaction services, investment banking, private equity or M&A internships.
As a consequence, I am not sure, but I think I will try to get into M&A and see if I like it.
Overall, would you recommend this experience to younger students? Why?
I would personally recommend this experience to anyone who is interested in corporate finance. Because it is one of the rare fields of corporate finance that you can have a with no experience before.
For that matter, it is an excellent internship, and anyone would be very lucky to do this internship because it would mean great opportunity to do things after. However, if you are lucky, you will be able to find a more interesting internship in banking perhaps or even in a financial department of a large corporate firm.
Resources
PwC Careers website
Youtube How to succeed in Audit interviews?
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About the author
The article was written in December 2022 by Louis DETALLE (ESSEC Business School, Grande Ecole Program – Master in Management, 2020-2023).