My Intra Placement at PWC – Lauren Fitzgerald

My name is Lauren Fitzgerald, and I am currently in my third year of the Bachelor’s in Business Studies degree at Dublin City University. I chose to do an internship for the duration of the year, and I am grateful to be completing it in PwC in the Deal Advisory Department.

The Intra Portal facilitated the process of recruitment with the continuous guidance offered from DCU Careers. Not only did we get the opportunity to have our CVs proofread, but we also had access to support documents to help with the interview process. Once our CVs were approved, we had more time to dedicate to applying to the jobs which we desired by having all the job descriptions in one place and could simply apply by the click of a button. Although applying to different internship roles is something which students could have completed themselves, the intra portal made the entire process stress-free at a crucial time where we need to reflect on future careers.

My role in the Deals Department consists mainly of working in the Business Recovery Services department with a focus on fixed-charge receivership’s. I have also got the chance to do a secondment to another part of the Deals Department known as Transactional Services. I get to work with a variety of people from directors, senior managers, and associates. My co-workers have been supportive from the beginning and they wish for me to gain the most from my time spent in PwC so I am very much seen as a part of the team rather than being given what may be seen as traditional intern jobs with little responsibility. This has enabled growth in my abilities and skills which I can carry forward in my career.

The one thing that has always stood out for me about the Business Studies course in DCU, is the array of business-related modules that we cover. From HR, to communication, critical thinking, and finance. I find this essential to successfully understand the world of business especially when we, as students, get the opportunity to get hands on experience. This is something I truly began to appreciate during my internship as the knowledge I acquired from lectures became applicable in the daily tasks in my department.

There are lots of DCU alumni in PwC which is quite reassuring that the work we do during placement does not go unnoticed. Prior to securing my placement I reached out to students who were in PwC at the time for some tips and guidance to bring forward for my interviews which helped immensely. In my work environment itself, associates and directors who also did Business Studies in DCU were more than happy to discuss their experience. There is a definite sense of community because of this!

I look forward to seeing what my future career in the business world brings but every step so far was crucial to my experience and I can’t thank enough both DCU as my university and PwC as my employer!