Peter McNally

Job Associate
Employer PricewaterhouseCoopers, Dublin
Education Bachelor of Commerce, University College Dublin (2004), Master of Business Studies, International Business, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business (2006)

It was while completing a graduate training scheme at another company that I decided to go into chartered accounting. I submitted an online application to PwC and shortly afterwards was invited to a presentation where I got to meet people from across the firm, including some senior partners. This took the form of a sit-down lunch, and was a great way to decide if this was the right place for me. It can be hard to differentiate between the Big 4, but the event provided exposure to a cross-section of the firm and the whole process really warmed me to PwC.

I then got called back for an interview. This was competency-based, with two managers, and lasted 45 minutes. I was offered the job a few days later.

I work in the assurance practice of the firm. I'm an Associate in the Asset Management department. We take investment funds and provide an auditor’s report of financial statements produced by the fund's administrator. I'm generally based around the Financial Services Centre in Dublin and I liaise with clients daily to get an understanding of how they work. Then I examine the documentation behind their transactions, such as ledger books, until I’m happy that their figures are accurate.

There are usually about five to ten people on an audit team in my department, and jobs can last from a week to several months. The audits are all cyclical in nature, so every year you progress up the ladder on each one. I’m just finishing the first year of a three-and-a-half year training contract, so I’ll be expected to know more next time round. Occasionally tasks are repetitive, but I’m never in a situation where there’s nothing new to learn.

Recently I worked on the audit of a massive multinational construction company. It was really interesting as it was a completely different company to those I usually work on, and there was a huge amount of money involved. It was fascinating to see what went on behind the scenes and gave me insight into an area of business that I’d never had contact with before.

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