RAS Trainee Review

by BDO

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

6.1/10

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

Studying - Client work - Emails/Phone calls/Visits to clients sites/excel/word

6/10

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

Definitely - communication skills, excel skills, numeracy skills, literacy skills

8/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

I enjoy the variation and the challenge Sometimes feels overwhelming and unsupported

6/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

Not very - the ICAS side of things is well structured but BDO communication to trainees is not great

4/10

5. How much support do you receive from your employer?

Although people are always willing to answer questions there's not much guidance in the way of expectations - you're very much hands on learning which is overwhelming at times

5/10

6. How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?

Quite a lot - you are given one day per exam you sit to study, which not all firms do. However you're sometimes expected to work late which doesn't leave much time to study day to day

7/10

7. How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?

Useful qualification but not very in this specific role

5/10

8. Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)

Yes there's weekly yoga or the annual football tournament - not sure if there are others less widely advertised

8/10

9a. Would you recommend BDO to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

They are a good company to work for on the whole - like most large firms they could go a bit further in terms of organisation and support but they really give you the chance to learn a lot

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

Practice all of the tests a lot before you sit them. For the assessment day try to relax and be yourself - have a little knowledge of what you've applied for - they're not expecting you to know everything