Work Experience/ Summer School Review

by BDO

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

7/10

1. Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:

On the summer school programme I partook in various tasks relating to audit, such as calling and casting draft accounts and even went off-site to clients to perform parts of their audit, which was a large responsibility that I greatly benefited from

7/10

2. Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?

On the induction day in London I was able to develop my teamwork and leadership skills with the teambuilding activities that took place. I have also developed my communication skills by interacting with clients and other employees on a regular basis

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I thoroughly enjoyed the programme because I met a variety of people on many different levels, from graduates/school leavers to partners who were extremely friendly and helpful and were willing to help me get the most out of my experience. In addition, the placement gave me an insight into not only working life in an office environment but also into accountancy and will aid me greatly in making my decision between university and the School Leaver Programme

9/10

4. How valued do you feel by BDO?

I felt highly valued during my time at BDO as I wasn't treated like an intern doing admin jobs such as filing, but was given real work which was benefiting the firm and I never felt afraid to ask for help or for more tasks to complete

8/10

5. How well organised/structured is your programme?

The programme was quite well organised however I think to improve the main feedback I would give is to have an induction into the basics of accounting and what tasks employees in the firm perform on a daily basis, instead of being thrown into the deep end and given tasks to do without much basic training

6/10

6a. How much support do you receive from your training provider?

My counselling manager was great, always checking that I understood what I was doing and he was extremely supportive, I felt that I could ask as many questions without being a burden and any issues I had were resolved quickly

8/10

6b. How much support do you receive from your employer?

The HR team were in touch to check how the summer school was going and had I have had a major problem I would've felt comfortable asking for support

7/10

7. How well does your salary/package meet your costs?

The two week work experience is paid which is an added bonus as it was a great programme regardless of the salary, and BDO pay for travel expenses which is fair

7/10

8. Are there many opportunities outside of work?

Didn't experience many as the programme was only two weeks

2/10

9. Would you recommend BDO to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

The atmosphere in the firm is very friendly and I have learnt lots about accountancy from my short time here, and have gained an insight into the job and what it entails

10. What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BDO?

Make sure that you are well prepared for the interview and have had practice of competency based questions. Also learn the firms four values as they are key to the work you will perform at the firm in order to keep up the firms status of exceptional client service