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MUSIC graduate Ellen Harvey-Hills from Jersey joined PwC Channel Islands as an audit and advisory trainee in 2022.
At the end of Ellen’s second year at Durham University, she applied and was accepted for a place on a four-week summer internship at PwC’s offices in St Helier.
‘I was interested in a career in finance and thought that the internship would be a great opportunity to find out about working in audit,’ she explained. ‘I had also been considering a career in music, but felt that the openings for graduates might be limited, especially in the current economic climate.’
A wonderfully diverse team
Ellen recalls going into the first day of her internship feeling quite apprehensive.
‘As a music student, I thought I would be a fish out of water, as everyone else would have studied subjects like economics or maths,’ she said. ‘However, the people at PwC couldn’t be more diverse and welcoming, which helped me realise that you don’t need a particular kind of background in order to succeed in the world of accounting and finance. It was clear from very early on that PwC values people with different educations, experiences and ideas.’
Following the internship, Ellen was offered a graduate trainee position starting in 2022.
She said: ‘It was a big weight off my shoulders knowing that I would be going into my final year at university with a great job lined up for when I finished. I was also delighted to have the chance to work and train in Jersey, as I had assumed that I would have to stay in the UK to pursue my career.’
A chance to be creative
Ellen is studying for the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants qualification, while gaining experience of working in both audit and advisory services as part of a ‘split scheme’ graduate trainee programme.
‘I love working here at PwC. Some people might think that the worlds of music and finance are polar opposites, but I’ve found them to be a great fit,’ she reflected. ‘Much of the study and performance of music involves the kind of close analysis I carry out every day in my work. My job also involves a great deal of problem-solving, which gives me plenty of scope to be creative. On the social side, I’ve made lots of new friends, and PwC goes out of its way to look after us from both a health and social perspective. I still love singing and playing music outside work, but I know that finance is the way forward for me.’
World opens up
What about the future?
‘I’ve got just over two years to go before I qualify, but it’s great to know that there will be openings in both audit and advisory,’ Ellen said. ‘With PwC, you can work on secondment in many different cities around the world; the amount of opportunity presented is remarkable. I could see myself working in cultural hotspots like London and Boston, or perhaps even taking on Wall Street.’
If you would like to know more about graduate opportunities at PwC Jersey, please visit pwc.com/jg/careers.
