A Postcard from PwC: English
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Andrew Williams
Subject: A level English
Job Title: Tax technology & transformation director
Where I work: Tax transformation team, London
How I use English in my work now:
- English Literature helped me to understand that you need to do more than just reading. To truly understand you need to interpret and challenge the text and form your own opinions. This is especially true if you don’t agree or enjoy the text.
- I apply this lesson to my role on a daily basis. I need to process lots of information, listen to lots of views and form my own opinion. This isn’t always easy but is hugely valuable.
- I can’t say that I enjoyed the Handmaid’s Tale but it did make me think. I still can’t bring myself to watch the TV series though.
My highlight of my job so far
- I get the most enjoyment and job satisfaction from those moment when colleagues or clients respect my judgement and take my advice. Knowing that your perspective is valued is rewarding.
- My career has been varied and I have had the opportunity to pursue areas I am interested. Looking back I have probably changed role every 3-4 years and this isn’t something I expected of a career.
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
I would say keep learning, keep challenging yourself and be open to new ideas and influences. I’ve mainly followed this advice and when I have been true to this I have been the happiest. Over the years this has become more important to me as life priorities change.
Claire Boswell
Subject: GCSE English
Job Title: Employment Tax Manager
Where I work: Within the Reward and Employment Tax Team in Reading focusing on issues relating to PAYE and National Insurance
How I use English in my work now:
- I use my English Language and Literature skills to prepare reports and set out my advice to clients. This information needs to be clear and concise and of a professional nature.
- Spellcheck and a Thesaurus can only do so much!
My highlight of my job so far
- My team - I work with a strong team where there is a lot of trust, a lot of support and a lot of laughs.
- It is not just a desk job - I have a lot of client interaction and have many opportunities to go visit clients and see what their offices are like.
- Escape rooms, indoor golf, movie night, afternoon tea...so many benefits of working with a great company.
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
Do not assume there is just one path for you and that you are limited by your background, the way you speak, the people around you or any other factor you think stops you breaking those barriers. It is a changing world and more than ever it is about what you can personally bring to a company or team and not just grades.
Ella Bailey
Subject: A Level English Literature
Job Title: Manager, Prudential Risk and Regulation
Where I work: Risk Assurance, London Bridge
How I use English in my work now:
- I use English to draft reports to banking clients where I provide recommendations on how to improve their procedures and processes.
- I use English to correct the spelling, punctuation and grammar of my own work and others in my team when we are corresponding with clients.
- I use English to correspond with work colleagues via email or messages.
My highlight of my job so far
- My proudest moment has been that a number of Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process (ICAAP) documents that I have written for clients have had feedback from the UK regulator that the standard of work has been market leading and far surpassed their expectations.
- I have just been nominated for an award in recognition of the Diversity and Inclusion initiatives and events I plan on behalf of PwC. It was great to go to an awards ceremony and be recognised for the additional work I do around the firm.
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
If I could go back in time, I would advise my 17 year old self to aim high and think big. Go for what you want. When I was younger I never imagined I would be a Manager at the top consultancy firm in the country. It was all possible, I just needed to believe in myself.
Gistain Cho
Subject: GCSE English
Job Title: Tax technology & transformation director
Where I work: Software Tester - Senior Associate
How I use English in my work now:
- I use my English for better communicate with stakeholders and my colleagues.
- Coming from a French country my english have helped me to settle well in the UK and has continue to help me maintain a good communication whilst performing my work and day to day task.
My highlight of my job so far
- My highlight so far has being the workshop which I delivered to the university. This was very refreshing for me and I seek to go out there to help young people discover themselves through sharing my personal experience with them.
- Because of the passion I have to help young people I opted to become a Social Mobility Champion to actively share my experience with young people and help them grow.
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
As someone who comes from a disadvantaged family, I would have my 17 year old self to continue to believe in myself and never give up. I would tell myself that only me can be my own downfall and only me can make the best decisions about myself. Focus to know myself better rather than trying to become a copy of someone else.Believe that hard work is the key off success and that comes with time and by believing in God.
Joe Gilford
Subject: GCSE & A Level English
Job Title: Learning & Development Manager
Where I work: Internal Firm Services, London
How I use English in my work now:
I started working as a High School English Teacher, but found it wasn’t for me, so I moved into Training and Development. This involves training adults who also work for the same company as me. I have found this fun and rewarding. I’ve worked in charity, retail, recruitment and now financial services. I’ve designed and delivered training (digital and face to face) with lots of different people in different countries.
Some of the main things that helped me from studying English are curiosity, creativity and communication. When you study English there isn’t always a ‘right’ answer, but you can do a good answer if you make an argument and back it up with your evidence. Being curious about what other people have said about the topic, and creative about how you create your own argument, and communicating in a way other people can easily understand are skills that I learned from studying English and still use everyday in Training & Development.
My highlight of my job so far
- Facilitating in France and Cyprus on a leadership development course. People from lots of different countries came to the training course to learn more about leading teams. It was an awesome experience!
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
Choose the subjects that you are most interested in. Until 14 I really liked subjects like Maths and Science because I found them easier, and I hda always found English more difficult. But I was really interested in English because it teaches you about lots of other topics like people, history, geography, philosophy, and politics. I had to work hard to get better at reading and writing, but with perseverance it paid off. Now I really enjoy reading and did well at English. So I’d say, study things that you are interested in because it will help you stay motivated even if it’s not always easy!
Juliana Atere
Subject: A level English
Job Title: Corporate Solicitor
Where I work: PwC Embankment Office in the international business reorganisation department
How I use English in my work now:
- I am required to review, interpret and advise on contracts.
My highlight of my job so far
- Becoming a social mobility champion
- Closing on my first deal in the international business reorganisations team. I joined in 2019 and was quite overwhelmed, having moved back from practising as a lawyer in Guernsey. I am pleased to say that I was able to transition to the point where I can give advice to multi-national companies wishing to eliminate duplicate entities following a purchase of another company.
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
Believe in yourself. I went to a state school and went on to study at Cambridge University. If you are interested in law, it is okay and true that you do not need to study law at A-level.
Molly McCarthy
Subject: A level English
Job Title: Associate in Pensions Management Consulting Team.
Where I work: I am based in the FS and Deals Pensions Team in London.
How I use English in my work now:
- I use skills learned from AS English to condense reports in a succinct way.
My highlight of my job so far
- Since joining the firm I have enjoyed taking part in the wider PwC world, starting to volunteer for the Samaritans, working as a Global Mobility Champion and joining the One Young World Committee.
- I was surprised by how much trust I was given so quickly to participate in projects, meet clients and impact on deliverables.
If I went back in time what piece of advice would I give my 17 year old self?
It was not too long ago but I have definitely learned some things whilst at University and beyond. One piece of advice would be to keep at something you truly enjoy and invest in your happiness.
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