Nathan Peach En Route to PWC                                                                            May 2023

At school I was always good with numbers, logical processes and problem solving and my family suggested that I should do accounting. I went to school in Willenhall, from Year 7-11 I attended Willenhall E-act Academy and moved to St Thomas More Catholic School for sixth form so that I could do my A levels in accounting, maths and physics. When it came to apply to university, I decided that I did not want to leave home as I just wanted to focus on my studies, so my journey at the University of Wolverhampton began. I signed up for a three-year accounting and finance course alongside my part time job in Argos that I had had since my second year in sixth form.

I found my classmates easy to get along with and my lecturers were always extremely helpful, encouraging, and supportive. My lecturers would always look to make sure we got the best out of their classes; they were good at recognising me when I had performed well and would give me praise!

I found the course insightful, but by the second year I decided I needed to apply this theory in a practical environment. I also needed to be 100% sure that a career in accounting was for me, so I decided to switch to a sandwich degree and find myself a placement. By the end of the first semester, I had found a yearlong placement at Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK in Melksham, near Bath in Somerset. I was part of the finance team, so I was involved in month end and year end reporting, intercompany processes, Profit & Loss variance analysis and was eventually responsible for monthly meetings with a cost centre owner to ensure budgets were met or to find a solution to cost problems. I also had the chance to be involved in some internal audit and tax work. On completion of this placement, I could not wait to get back to university so that I could complete my degree and find a job in accounting. The year in industry helped me grow as a person, I came back to university more confident, more attentive, more skilled (with people and accounting itself) and more satisfied with my choices so far.

I started looking for jobs in semester 1 of my final year and enrolled on the Institute of Directors (IoD) programme so that I was assigned a mentor. I applied to many companies, and I remember not getting past the second stage of the KPMG selection process. I spoke to my mentor who was really helpful and accessible. He gave me hints and tips on how to get through the recruitment stages. I tend to talk very quickly, and he advised me to slow down and think carefully before I speak. He also sent me over sample cover letters and frequently asked interview questions. I am incredibly pleased to say that I am on track to graduate with a first-class degree, and I have made it through the five stages of the PWC selection process and start as a graduate audit trainee in September. PWC will sponsor me to complete my remaining ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) exams. My degree is accredited by the ICAEW so I can claim five exemptions which means less exams to do for me!

What advice would I give to future students?

• Sign up for sports activities and societies. (Something I wish I did more of)
• Ask your lecturers lots of questions to embed understanding.
• Do not leave revision, exam preparation and assignment writing to the last minute, do it as you go along. Save yourself the pressure!
• Find a placement, use the experience to help you decide if you are on the right career path and build up your character.
• Sign up for the IoD mentoring scheme in the third year.
• Enjoy your time here, I know I have!

Interview by Lorraine Morris

Head of Department

Finance, Accounting and Economics