@Naffysa, so I guess I'll be seeing you come October?

Got the following e-mail from a nairalander. I feel it would be beneficial to everyone if I respond here but if you want to make it private send me an e-mail and I will respect your wish and respond to you via mail.

I am ********* and I have been following your posts on the Job/Vacancies thread.I will be resuming for training at PWC in October and want to get prepared.I can deduce you are a worker at PWC and I have quite a number of questions to ask you. Kindly read below.Thank You.

1.What are the various units under PWC Advisory and what is the criteria for placement into respective departments ?

2.In your view what is the best unit in PWC ? ( FSIP, ENERGY or CSIP ).

3.From our calculations monthly salary after tax is 142k but u indicated 165k for A3.Can you pls expantiate further.

4.What are the things I can do during the Induction training program to land myself in a good unit and escape a bad unit ? (I did my service in a bank and I don't want to have anything to do with a bank in my life.).

5.Do people in Advisory also travel and do they have opportunities for training ? Thank You for taking your time to read this.I will be expecting your answers.

.

onyijess:
Thanks, wI'll do U a mail.

Okay!!!

Got your e-mail! The following is the response to your questions:

I am ********* and I have been following your posts on the Job/Vacancies thread.I will be resuming for training at PWC in October and want to get prepared.I can deduce you are a worker at PWC and I have quite a number of questions to ask you. Kindly read below.Thank You.

Congrats!!!

1.What are the various units under PWC Advisory and what is the criteria for placement into respective departments ?

PwC advisory dabble into a whole lot of things and the various units are carved out based on the nature of the Advisory services they render.

Before now the Advisory unit was just one big family under the name: Performance Improvement (or PI for short) but since it's rebranding the unit has undergone a number of changes and innovation hence the split into various units.

The units I can give for now are: Performance Improvement and Risk management. Though there are other units whose functions vary from Strategy, Forensic audits to Business Recovery services.

2.In your view what is the best unit in PWC ? ( FSIP, ENERGY or CSIP ).

In my view the best unit as per the category you have given i.e Assurance units e.g FSI, ENERGY etc would be ENERGY, closely followed by SPA before CIPS. But if your question has to do with the best unit overall, then my answer would be TAX for the following reasons:

a) Work-life balance.
b) Higher pay.
c) Less witch hunters

3.From our calculations monthly salary after tax is 142k but u indicated 165k for A3.Can you pls expantiate further.

The range of the after tax salary for the first level Associates (A3s) was what I gave. The gross salary is more than the range I gave. Hence, a first level associate should expect to go home with at least 165k every month.

4.What are the things I can do during the Induction training program to land myself in a good unit and escape a bad unit ? (I did my service in a bank and I don't want to have anything to do with a bank in my life.).

The truth is that in PwC a bad unit depends greatly on individual perspective. The unit I mentioned (FSIP) is 'bad' in my view for a number of reasons e.g The leadership is not smiling, crazy deadlines, work-life balance for peak periods is non-existent etc but this does not mean that people in that unit are necessarily not progressing despite what they face.

In PwC, HC (Human Capital) is in charge of allocating staff to the various units based on need, expertise and some other criteria. A staff can lobby to be out of a particular unit if he or she has a good reason not to be in that unit. PwC Human Capital are responsive to staff needs.

Given that you have a background in the banking sector, you are most likely to end up in FSIP because you already know the terrain but this is not cast in stone. You can still find yourself in some other unit as well.

I will advice that you let HC know your grouse against the banking sector on time and please give them plausible reasons why you can't go back to the banking sector. If your reasons are okay, then you might just find yourself in some other unit.

5.Do people in Advisory also travel and do they have opportunities for training ?

Every Staff of PwC is exposed to the training program at various levels of development. Personal trainings via CBTs are readily available to every member of staff and classroom trainings are also done at various times. Training is something no one would lack in PwC.

Like I said before the greatest asset of PwC is their staff and they go to great lengths to ensure that ALL their staff get the very best, top of the shelf, trainings. So your answer is: YES, Advisory staff are properly trained and get to travel too.

Thank You for taking your time to read this.I will be expecting your answers.

Thank you!

Hi calculus, thanks so much for the in depth enlightenment regardn pwc. Buh I hrd from a source dt pwc signs an agreement wiv her clients not to employ any associate workn under d pwc umbrella in any of d clients firms. Thus, makn it difficult 2move out of pwc unlike kpmg dt gives room for opportunities abound regardn associates bn employed by its clients. Pls cld u shed more light on dis? Thanks in antoicipation

Naffysah: Hi calculus, thanks so much for the in depth enlightenment regardn pwc. Buh I hrd from a source dt pwc signs an agreement wiv her clients not to employ any associate workn under d pwc umbrella in any of d clients firms. Thus, makn it difficult 2move out of pwc unlike kpmg dt gives room for opportunities abound regardn associates bn employed by its clients. Pls cld u shed more light on dis? Thanks in antoicipation

Quite true for those auditing some oil companies like Exxon mobil but this is not true for other staff members who happen to be in some other units.

Even when one is in ENERGY where the individual might be exposed to the audit of companies like Exxon, the individual can still be employed by other companies like Shell where this restriction is non-existent.

Oh K! Thanks a bunch.

Hello D, I got your message. Below is my response:

So starting salary is 165 right? (does this amount apply to both chartered and non chartered? )
Does it increase after 6 months probation? And to what amount?

* Starting salary is between 165k and 180k but it's safe to stick to 165k.

* There is salary differentials in PwC. The more value you add to the firm the more you are likely to get paid. Those who are chartered get more than their mates who are yet to be chartered but the salary differential with respect to this criterion is not material; say, between 5k to 15k.

* Your salary increases at every stage of your development. So, Yes, when you scale through the probation period (the first 6 months), your salary will increase to something between 175k to 195k.

I also heard that after a year from the first 6 months you'll get to A1 (Associate 1) and your pay will increase again, how much does it increase to?

You heard right! If you continue to perform very well, you should make the third level associate i.e Associate 1 (A1) in 1 year; starting from Associate 3 (A3). At A1, your salary should be between 185k and 205k.

How many years does it take one to move from associate to senior associate?

Movements/Promotions in PwC is relatively fair compared to some other organisations. Moving within a grade level e.g Associates (A3 to A1) or Senior Associates (SA3 to SA1) is termed movement as long as they are within the same grade. Movement from one grade to another e.g from Associate to Senior Associate i.e from A1 to SA3 is termed promotion.

Appraisals are done with respect to any job you spend at least 40 hours on, and the appraisal system is such that you will be graded from a scale of (1) to (5). If you are graded either (1) or (2), it means that you are doing exceedingly well or you are performing beyond expectation. If you are graded (3) it means you are performing as expected. But anything below (3) is not good i.e you are performing below expectation.

For someone who is consistently ranked between (1) and (2) all through, the individual is expected to become a senior associate in just one and a half years from the moment he steps into PwC. But if the individual is ranked between (2) and (3), the individual might spend about 2 years before becoming a Senior Associate. You do not get moved or promoted when you are ranked below (3).

In summary, it will take a year and half to become a senior associate if you perform above expectation, 2 years if you are performing as expected but no promotion or movement if you are performing below expectation.

What's the pay of a senior associate?

A first level Senior Associate (SA3) earns between 220k to 230k; a second level Senior Associate (SA2) earns between 260k and 275k while a third level Senior Associate (SA1) earns something in the region of 300k to 360k.

I heard that they never pay the performance bonus stated in our letters because departments never get to meet targets, is this true? Does the performance bonus increase as your level increases?

That is not true! Performance bonuses are paid at the discretion of the partners. Some Units meet their targets and get paid their bonuses but this bonus is NOT a 'Right'. If you get paid, then take it as 'other income'. Please don't plan your wedding based on this bonus otherwise you might get the shocker of a lifetime.

Do they give Christmas bonus?

NO!!!

When do we get due for leave for those of us starting in October and when do we get paid the leave bonus?

Your leave should come up anytime from July, 2014 and your bonus is paid when due. Human Capital (HC) will give directives to this effect. Usually you get paid your leave allowance towards the end of the month alongside your salary; but you must have commenced your leave and applied for the allowance at the exact time HC advised.

Do people wear natives on Fridays?

NO!!!

Are there strict colours that are to be worn at work?

YES!!! Mainly conservative colours that do not constitute what one would term: Colour riot. This is different for ladies.

Must guys put on a suit? If no can one just wear a shirt without a tie?

You can do without a Jacket but the suit pant is compulsory and you must wear a tie unless when you are at a client's site where 'dressing down' is the norm, then you can skip the tie but first get the permission of your Lead Senior.

What other benefits abound in pwc? I already know the HMO, any other staff benefits?

1) Staff car loan.
2) Training.

I will strongly advise that you do not apply for a car loan because HE WHO GOES BORROWING, GOES SORROWING WHEN PAYING BACK. If you must buy a car, please save to buy one.

Is there a particular tribe base in pwc (like diamond bank has more igbos? Wema bank yorubas and like that)?
Is there a staff bus?

NO! NO!! NO!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

Men calculus ur d bomb...tanks for all d advice....
So pls wot can one do to improve hs performance...
Wot r dose tins u do dat r extraordinaair... So u get the 1nd 2 scores

Ugoh11: Men calculus ur d bomb...tanks for all d advice....
So pls wot can one do to improve hs performance...
Wot r dose tins u do dat r extraordinaair... So u get the 1nd 2 scores

In PwC the competencies for each level are clearly defined and made available to each member staff on the Performance, Coaching and Development (PC&,D) database.

Every staff is expected to have gone through this database with his or her coach and have Discussed and Agreed what the staff is expected to achieve for the period.

If a staff achieves all his performance goals with every passing job and demonstrates all competencies relevant for his level and in addition, demonstrates the compentencies for the next level while in his current level, then the staff is performing beyond expectation.

That is, if as an A3 you meet all your performance goals and competencies relevant for your level and in addition you demonstrate the competencies for the next level (A2) then you are performing beyond your level and should be taken to the next level.

Things to do:

1) Discuss with your coach.

2) Agree objectives with both your coach and your lead senior.

3) Make sure you and your coach (including your lead seniors are on the same page).

4) Do your work with a bid to meeting and surpassing your performance goals.

5) Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand the job. In PwC questions are encouraged. The slogan is: SHOUT WHENEVER YOU ARE IN DOUBT.

6) Do not become an Island. Your team mates are very important, so work as a team.

7) Always make sure your lead senior is aware of ALL that you do at every stage of the work. Even before you start a job, let him know your approach.

8.) If you are experiencing delays from the client, please let your lead senior know on time. Do not wait for the last minute. No one likes surprises in PwC. If you shock them at the last minute, they will shock you too when it's time to appraise your work.

9) Try and manage your lead senior, partners and your managers.

10) Know the managent style of your managers and how your lead seniors like to work. You can get necessary info from colleagues who have worked with such managers or seniors.

11) Always pray so that you don't fall into the hands of the ENEMY. Some Partners, Managers and seniors can really be a pain in da butt.

12) Etc.

Calculus thanks alot for answering all my questions.

D.

Number 8 made me laugh.
SUMMARY:If you shock them,dem go shock you.

Keep wondering why your id is calculus21. Is it that you liked differentiation and Integration in school?

Anyway, I have been told by PwC current staffs several times that take home for level A3 is 142k. I wonder how yours is different and moreover a range?

chidike: Calculus thanks alot for answering all my questions.

D.

Any time D.

Phonon: Number 8 made me laugh.
SUMMARY:If you shock them,dem go shock you.

Na so o! Do me I do you things

joboy834: Keep wondering why your id is calculus21. Is it that you liked differentiation and Integration in school?

Yes!

joboy834:
Anyway, I have been told by PwC current staffs several times that take home for level A3 is 142k. I wonder how yours is different and moreover a range?

The take home when I started was 134k for A3's. With the recent TAX improvement this increased considerably by, say, at least 30k! I don't know where you got your info from but it's either not true or there has been a review of the salaries of the newbies (recent new hires).

The last time I checked was a year ago from one of the Associates on my job and then the salary was at least 165k. Maybe the effect of the TAX improvement was not extended to those who came in after. Tough luck if true.

Men calc tanks joor,whilst am a little scared am happy bc i knw now wot am getin into,hope say i no enter wich hand.lol... And as per d advice on performance ,d english long small but i thnk i get d whole pict.tanks again

It is 142k net confirmed. The guy's total emolument break down is exactly same with mine in my employment letter, and he get dt amt as tke home

joboy834: It is 142k net confirmed. The guy's total emolument break down is exactly same with mine in my employment letter, and he get dt amt as tke home

When did he join?

Ugoh11: Men calc tanks joor,whilst am a little scared am happy bc i knw now wot am getin into,hope say i no enter wich hand.lol... And as per d advice on performance ,d english long small but i thnk i get d whole pict.tanks again

Fear does not get anyone anywhere in PwC. Confidence does! If you give in to fear then you most likely will end up at the bottom of the food chain.

Am not here to ask questions but to appreciate @calculus12. U helped a lot of people make career decisions and dis is no small feat.

I tink u also have a gift of giving clear and concise explanations leaving little or nothing to imagination. U must be an asset to pwc. What an intelligent fellow. People like u make nairaland worth it especially in this era of clowns.
Hats off sir!


I must also add that this thread is quite painful to some of us that have blown opportunities at both pwc and kpmg. Its like the opposite of what dis thread stands for right? Lol. Hope to give pwc another shot tho. Hmmm

michaeled45: Am not here to ask questions but to appreciate calculus. U helped a lot of people make career decisions and dis is no small feat.

I tink u also have a gift of making clear and concise explanations leaving little or nothing to imagination. U must be an asset to pwc. What an intelligent fellow. People like u make nairaland worth it especially in this era of clowns.
Hats off sir!

Lol!!!

I appreciate you back!

Calculus12:

When did he join?

November 2012.

Bro, can you shed more light on how PwC help in achieving one's professional certification(ICAN and ACCA).

E.g I'm in my professional level with 5 papers left, but I currently have an outstanding of £519. I need to offset that to kick back to the ACCA program. Will PwC help offset the debt and as well pay for remaining P-papers?

How many days are set aside for study leave, and when are you expected to be certified in PwC?

I heard the pension in our offer letter is paid in net i.e 80.8% of your pro-rated(if you didn't work all through their FY) pension.

Are you sure of the salary difference between chartered and non chartered staffs?

What's up with the N10,000 for physical examination in the offer letter. What is it for?

Please I will like you to also shed more light on PwC's SECONDMENT ABROAD & LOCALLY. Does everyone go for it? Who gets entitled to it? Must you be certified to be eligible for it? What's the trend like in secondment in PwC

I really appreciate your selfless contribution bro. Your behaviour and character will surely take you to places. Trust me!

joboy834:

November 2012.

Oh! That explains it. It implies that the income tax advantage was not extended to the new joiners in full. Though you guys still enjoy it in part. Well, I guess this is just temporary. PwC's salary scale is standardized, so when you guys climb up the ladder the salary will become much better.

joboy834:
Bro, can you shed more light on how PwC help in achieving one's professional certification(ICAN and ACCA).

E.g I'm in my professional level with 5 papers left, but I currently have an outstanding of £519. I need to offset that to kick back to the ACCA program. Will PwC help offset the debt and as well pay for remaining P-papers?

PwC Nigeria is a professional firm of auditors and part of the legal requirements for auditors is that they be affiliated to one or more professional accounting bodies and become a chartered member. This is one area of staff development PwC does not take lightly.

Every staff member is given the relevant support to become a certified chartered accountant, and matter of factly, one cannot become a manager in 'PwC' without being a chartered accountant.

To this extent, the firm helps her staff members pay the relevant tuition and fees. A staff member has the option of choosing either to become a certified chartered accountant of the ACCA or ICAN.

If a staff member decides to opt for ICAN, then his tuition and fees will be fully paid. But if, on the contrary, the member staff decides to opt for ACCA, the firm will only pay the tuition and fees to the extent that it will cover for the tuition and fees of the ICAN.

That is, if ICAN charge NGN 1,000 and ACCA is NGN 2,000, the firm will only pay NGN 1,000. The balance will be taken care of by the individual staff member. In other words, the standard tuition and fees the firm pays can only cover for ICAN, this excludes the cost of books. The firm provides books free to every staff.

Now, in your case since you are already indebted to the ACCA, you would have to take care of your bills in full and the firm will re-imburse you to the extent that the amount paid will cover for ICAN. In other words, PwC will help with a part while you take care of the rest. I will advice that you approach someone in HC preferably a manager and explain this, you might just be lucky.

joboy834:
How many days are set aside for study leave, and when are you expected to be certified in PwC?

In PwC every staff member is entitled to 7 weeks of study leave each financial year. Your leave is scheduled to suit your needs. If you choose to write 4 papers at a sitting, you would be entitled to 5 weeks of study leave. The remaining two weeks is a buffer, sought of, in case you do not make some papers.

If, for instance, you were successful on the first attempt, (assuming you wrote 4 papers) then you would have to forfeit the rest of your study leave till the next financial year because you have no paper to reseat. This can be a bit tricky actually. The schedule of exam leave is as follows:

1) For 4 papers you get 5 weeks.
2) For 3 papers you get 4 weeks.
3) For 2 papers you get 2 weeks.
4) For 1 paper you get 1 week.

Note that you cannot carry over a leave to the next financial year. If you use 4 weeks instead of your 5 weeks, you cannot carry the outstanding to the next financial year. Now if for instance you write 3 papers and get 4 weeks, and you are successful, you would have just one week outstanding to write just one more paper.

But if on the contrary you are not successful, you may have access to your buffer weeks i.e the extra two weeks. You do not get the buffer weeks unless you fail at least one paper and it also depends on the number of papers you are writing next. I hope I have not confused everyone.

Now this info is VERY IMPORTANT: In PwC there is really no expected time for one to be chartered but it is normal to get certified before you become a manager. YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FAIL A PAPER FOR MORE THAN TWO TIMES. THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF TIMES YOU CAN FAIL A PAPER IS TWO. IF YOU FAIL A PAPER 3 TIMES YOU WOULD BE ADVISED TO LEAVE THE FIRM. Take your exams seriously.

joboy834:
I heard the pension in our offer letter is paid in net i.e 80.8% of your pro-rated(if you didn't work all through their FY) pension.

I don't know!!! But I don't think it is likely because your pension is paid and remitted to your Pension Fund Administrator (PFA) on a monthly basis. Once it is paid, they won't have access to it. You earn your pension monthly. So the amount of pension you get should be the amount you have earned for the year which is dependent on the time you spend with the firm. Your pension continues with your new company or firm and you would have access to your pension funds after retirement and at a certain age stipulated by law.

joboy834:
Are you sure of the salary difference between chartered and non chartered staffs?

I am sure that the difference is not material but not sure of the exact amount. It should be within the range I gave. Getting the exact amount would be very difficult for the following reasons:

1) You would need to compare your salary with one who is chartered (same level).
2) If the individual has some other deductions e.g phone bills, loan payment etc this would distort the figures.
3) Other special salary differentials from Finance can also distort the figures.

joboy834:
What's up with the N10,000 for physical examination in the offer letter. What is it for?

I don't know! It wasn't in my offer letter . I hope you guys were not asked to pay the money?

joboy834:
Please I will like you to also shed more light on PwC's SECONDMENT ABROAD & LOCALLY. Does everyone go for it? Who gets entitled to it? Must you be certified to be eligible for it? What's the trend like in secondment in PwC

PwC takes training and development VERY seriously. Secondment is greatly determined by staff level, availability and opportunities. If you want to be seconded to a member country, you would have to indicate interest to your coach and include it as part of your development plans for the year.

However, it is unlikely for Associates to get this opportunity because there are more senior staff who are waiting for such opportunities also. So if you want it, you would have to wait till you become a senior and pray that the opportunity comes knocking. A number of the firm's staff have been taken to countries like Canada, USA, England and some other countries to include African countries as part of their development.

Just do your job very well, be the best and pray that you get the opportunity when you eventually become a senior.

joboy834:
I really appreciate your selfless contribution bro. Your behaviour and character will surely take you to places. Trust me!

Lol!!!

It is my pleasure!

michaeled45:

I must also add that this thread is quite painful to some of us that have blown opportunities at both pwc and kpmg. Its like the opposite of what dis thread stands for right? Lol. Hope to give pwc another shot tho. Hmmm

Sorry about that. It is certainly not my intent. Work hard and you would get the best. Don't worry. I told a friend this about a year ago. Though he missed out on PwC but got NBC instead. He just came back from a trip to Europe courtesy of NBC, despite spending just a year with them.

Keep your chin up

Calculus12:

Sorry about that. It is certainly not my intent. Work hard and you would get the best. Don't worry. I told a friend this about a year ago. Though he missed out on PwC but got NBC instead. He just came back from a trip to Europe courtesy of NBC, despite spending just a year with them.



Keep your chin up

Tanks for ur kind words. Much appreciated.

Oga calculus I quite appreciate ur contribution on this thread.It has proved quite helpful to a lot of us just coming in.May the good Lord answer ur own questions too.By the way I am not without questions. 1.Assuming one happens to be a peak performer what is the shortest time it will take to move from A3 to the highest Senior Associate level ? 2.Does PWC pay out of state allowances to audit team members who are out of lagos on audit assignments ? 3.I heard that in Kpmg u are given 6 weeks leave to prepare for professional exams.Does this apply to PWC too ? If a person has papers in June and December will it still be 6 weeks or 12 weeks ? 4.I also heard PWC pays Full fee for ICAN but if u are doing ACCA u are just given d ICAN equivalent amount.How true is this ? 5.I heard CFA is not relevant in PWC except u are in Advisory.How true is this ?

@ calculus during what period does the appraisal take place? is it at the end of the year? quarterly? or bi annually? and will you know the score given by your mentor?

How many years have you spent there and what is your level?

@ joboy834 I don't have any 10000 for physical examination in my pl offer letter Oh! Where did you see it. my let is 6 pages, what page?

chidike: @ calculus during what period does the appraisal take place? is it at the end of the year? quarterly? or bi annually? and will you know the score given by your mentor?

How many years have you spent there and what is your level?

@ joboy834 I don't have any 10000 for physical examination in my pl offer letter Oh! Where did you see it. my let is 6 pages, what page?

It is in the last page of the salary computation. You will find it under where those HMO,insurance and life assurance is. It is the last of the benefits in that category.

Hi Calculus12,

Thank you for clarifying alot of issues on this thread. I wanted to ask if PWC will reimburse me for the ACCA papers (both exempted and passed) that i have paid for, will they also pay the tuition costs that were incurred. Lastly, is there any support for CFA exams?

Thanks a bunch

yomihagin: Oga calculus I quite appreciate ur contribution on this thread.It has proved quite helpful to a lot of us just coming in.May the good Lord answer ur own questions too.By the way I am not without questions.

Okay!

yomihagin:
1.Assuming one happens to be a peak performer what is the shortest time it will take to move from A3 to the highest Senior Associate level ?

The shortest time it will take a peak performer, who brings a whole world of value to the firm, to become a partner would be, say, about 7 years.

That is an extraordinary case o! I want to believe you know Taiwo Oyedele. He came in to the firm in 2001 as a corps member and 7 years after NYSC he became a partner in TAX.

Now for the normal case where one is a peak performer, the shortest route would be:

A3 - 6 months
A2 - 6 months
A1 - 6 months
SA3 - 6 months
SA2 - 1 year

So in 3 years, a peak performer can make the highest level of Senior Associate but this is rare.

yomihagin: 2.Does PWC pay out of state allowances to audit team members who are out of lagos on audit assignments ?

Yes they do! PwC pays in naira for any local out of state assignment and in dollars for any International assignment. I am not sure of the exact rates now but it is standardized.

yomihagin:
3.I heard that in Kpmg u are given 6 weeks leave to prepare for professional exams.Does this apply to PWC too ? If a person has papers in June and December will it still be 6 weeks or 12 weeks ?

I am not sure about KPMG but I have explained that for PwC in one of my earlier posts. You may want to refer to this please.

yomihagin:
4.I also heard PWC pays Full fee for ICAN but if u are doing ACCA u are just given d ICAN equivalent amount.How true is this ?

Very true!

yomihagin:
5.I heard CFA is not relevant in PWC except u are in Advisory.How true is this ?

Very true!