Help clients manage risk, unlock opportunity and solve what matters most.

A graduate career in Specialised Assurance Services

Two men looking at laptop

In Specialised Assurance Services, you’ll help market-leading organisations in every sector — from financial services and tech to retail and pharma — solve complex problems and make smarter decisions. Whether it’s identifying hidden risks, ensuring systems and processes are accurate or unlocking untapped opportunities, your work will have real impact. It’s a chance to build trust, drive innovation and shape the future of business, right from the start of your career.

Applications We recruit continuously, meaning roles open at various times. Applications are now being accepted for specific roles.
Entry requirements Final-year graduate and postgraduate university students on track to achieve a 2.1 minimum.
Locations Dublin, Cork and Limerick.

Explore our business areas

Discover where your skills fit best. Work across industries, solve real problems and help clients move forward.

Data Analytics, Modelling and Artificial Intelligence

Transform data into insight — empowering clients to make confident, real-time decisions.

Join us to help clients across industries transform data into clarity — using cutting-edge analytics and AI to improve quality, governance and insight. From extraction and enhancement to modelling and visualisation, you’ll be hands-on with the tools and techniques that drive smarter, faster decisions. It’s a chance to work at the intersection of technology and business, solving real-world problems.

Internal Audit, Risk and Regulation, and Transparency

Help clients rethink risk and regulation, protecting their business, boosting performance and earning stakeholder trust.

In a world where transparency and accountability are essential, you’ll help clients design and assess the controls, processes and tools that keep them compliant and resilient. From protecting reputations and mitigating threats to unlocking performance and building trust, you’ll be part of shaping smarter, stronger organisations.

Information Technology Risk

We help clients stay ahead of tech-enabled risks, designing smart IT controls that protect their data and build trust through secure, resilient systems.

In today’s fast-moving, tech-driven world, businesses rely on trusted IT platforms to stay connected and competitive. As a graduate, you’ll test clients’ systems and processes to ensure their data is accurate, secure and properly reported. You’ll identify IT risks, design smart governance and risk management solutions, and help shape strategic responses to cyber threats — building trust and resilience from the inside out.

Accounting, ESG and Capital Markets Advice

We help clients navigate complex accounting and capital markets transactions, bringing clarity, confidence and insight to high-impact decisions.

As a graduate, you’ll dive into high-impact work as part of a team advising on complex accounting issues, auditing client assets, and supporting solvency and regulatory engagements. You’ll collaborate with our ESG and regulatory advisory teams to help clients stay compliant, build trust and drive performance. It’s hands-on experience that puts you at the heart of business-critical decisions from day one.

Grow here. Go further.

Are you ready to make a difference?

Our business areas

Explore our diverse business areas, where you can help clients in various industries solve their most important problems.

Our business areas

We convert data into actionable insights that help our clients make real-time decisions with confidence.

We help clients rethink risk in a way that protects their business and drives performance improvement.

We help clients achieve their strategic and business objectives through refined risk and control functions.

We help clients design and implement IT risk and control solutions that protect their business and data.

We assure all aspects of our clients’ businesses to help them build trust with stakeholders.

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What professional qualifications will I study for?

If you join Specialised Assurance Services, you can study for your Associate Chartered Accountant (ACA) qualification. You can achieve this through three entry routes, which are dependent on the exemptions your college course gives you. We also offer the option to obtain the ACCA qualification and complete a Master’s in Computing for some of our teams.

Qualification routes

Direct entry—ACA

This is the route most graduates take if joining PwC directly after college. Some degrees will entitle you to exemptions from the first set of exams (CAP1) and you will start with CAP2 exams. If your degree doesn’t entitle you to any exemptions, you will sit three sets of exams.

Benefits include:

  • CAP1, CAP2 and FAE course fees paid (first attempt only);
  • Exam fees paid (first attempt only);
  • Study leave provided, appropriate to each exam level; and
  • Comprehensive in-house exam support, including study leave.

Sponsored Master in Accounting

For this entry route, you must have full CAP1 and CAP2 exemptions when you join the firm. You will start your exams at FAE level.

Benefits include:

  • €7,600 towards the course fees;
  • A bursary of €2,500 (taxable);
  • A book allowance of up to €575;
  • If you have already started a Master’s in Accounting, we will pay you a bursary of €2,500;
  • FAE course fees paid (first attempt only);
  • Exam fees paid (first attempt only); and
  • Comprehensive in-house exam support, including study leave.

Professional Diploma in Accounting

This conversion course is mainly for students who have completed a non-accounting degree. It will give you exemptions from CAP1, and you will join the firm and start your exams at CAP2 level.

Benefits include:

  • €7,600 towards the course fees;
  • A bursary of €2,500 (taxable);
  • A book allowance of up to €575;
  • CAP2 and FAE course fees paid (first attempt only);
  • Exam fees paid (first attempt only); and
  • Comprehensive in-house exam support, including study leave.

Direct entry—ACCA

While most of our accounting graduates study for the ACA qualification, we also offer the ACCA qualification. The timing of study and exams is more flexible, with most exams run four times per year. Graduates following this route are able to build a path to qualification that suits them and the business area they work in, while attaining the qualification during their training contract.

Benefits include:

  • Tuition and related fees paid;
  • Study leave appropriate to each exam level is provided, commensurate with that provided for our ACA students; and
  • Comprehensive in-house exam support, including study leave.

Direct entry—Master in Computing

Some graduates joining Specialised Assurance Services, particularly those who will work on projects related to data analytics, modelling, artificial intelligence and IT risk, may complete a Master’s in Computing during their training contract. This is undertaken on a part-time basis in the second and third year of your contract with us.

Benefits include:

  • College fees paid;
  • Exam fees paid (first attempt only); and
  • Study leave appropriate to each exam level, as well as for the final project.

We also hire graduates who have already completed a master’s degree that is equivalent to those mentioned above. These graduates are not on a training contract and are compensated appropriately.

"At PwC, no two days are the same. As an Internal Audit, Governance, Risk & Compliance (IAGRC) Associate, I work with diverse clients and projects that constantly challenge me to grow. The variety keeps me engaged and continuously learning."

Karen Chandrakanth,Specialised Assurance Services, Associate

What professional qualifications will I study for?

If you join Risk Assurance, you will study for your Association of Chartered Accountants (ACA) qualification. You can achieve this through three entry routes, which are dependent on the exemptions your college course gives you. We also offer the option to obtain the ACCA qualification and complete a Master in Computing for some of our teams.

Qualification routes

Direct entry—ACA

This is the route most graduates take if joining PwC directly after college. Some degrees will entitle you to exemptions from the first set of exams (CAP1) and you will start with CAP2 exams. If your degree doesn’t entitle you to any exemptions, you will sit three sets of exams.

Benefits include:

  • CAP1, CAP2 and FAE course fees paid (first attempt only)
  • exam fees paid (first attempt only)
  • study leave provided, appropriate to each exam level
  • comprehensive in-house exam support provided, including study leave
An image of the direct-entry route for graduates in assurance to qualify as a chartered accountant.

Sponsored Master in Accounting

For this entry route, you must have full CAP1 and CAP2 exemptions when you join the firm. You will start your exams at FAE level.

Benefits include:

  • €7,600 towards the course fees
  • a bursary of €2,500 (taxable)
  • a book allowance of up to €575
  • if you have already started a Master in Accounting, we will pay you a bursary of €2,500
  • FAE course fees paid (first attempt only) 
  • exam fees paid (first attempt only)
  • comprehensive in-house exam support provided, including study leave
An image of the direct-entry route for postgraduates in assurance to qualify as a chartered accountant.

Professional Diploma in Accounting

This conversion course is mainly for students who have completed a non-accounting degree. It will give you exemptions from CAP1, and you will join the firm and start your exams at CAP2 level.

Benefits include:

  • €7,600 towards the course fees
  • a bursary of €2,500 (taxable)
  • a book allowance of up to €575
  • CAP2 and FAE course fees paid (first attempt only)
  • exam fees paid (first attempt only)
  • comprehensive in-house exam support provided, including study leave
An image of the direct-entry route for non-accounting postgraduates in assurance to qualify as a chartered accountant.

Direct entry—ACCA

While most of our accounting graduates study for their ACA qualification, we also offer the ACCA qualification. The timing of study and exams is more flexible, with most exams run four times per year. Graduates following this route are able to build a path to qualification that suits them and the business area they work in, while attaining the qualification during their training contract.

Benefits include:

  • tuition and related fees paid
  • exam fees paid (first attempt only)
  • study leave appropriate to each exam level is provided, commensurate with that provided for our ACA students
  • comprehensive in-house exam support provided, including study leave
An image of the direct-entry route for graduates in assurance to qualify as a chartered accountant.

Direct entry—Master in Computing

Some graduates joining Risk Assurance, particularly our Data Analytics and Assurance or IT Risk Assurance teams, may complete a Master in Computing during their training contract. This is undertaken on a part-time basis in the second and third year of your contract with us. Generally, our graduates joining Data Analytics and Assurance and IT Risk Assurance teams specialise respectively in data analytics and IT.

Benefits include:

  • college fees paid
  • exam fees paid (first attempt only)
  • study leave appropriate to each exam level is provided, as well as for the final project

We also hire graduates who have already completed a master’s degree that is equivalent to those mentioned above. These graduates are not on a training contract and are compensated appropriately.

An image of the direct-entry route for graduates in assurance to qualify as a chartered accountant.

Contact us

Careers help desk

Recruitment team, PwC Ireland (Republic of)

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