Audit Trainee Review

by BDO

Best Apprenticeship Employer

Rating

9.8/10

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

Audit trainee working in the Professional Services sector. Work on-site at clients mostly auditing their accounts. It is a very steep learning curve for new joiners such as myself so the role involves learning lots of new accounting skills on the job

10/10

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

Yes I have learned a lot of exam based skills in college at the same time as technical skills. These include excellent use of Microsoft Excel and also Auditing a company's cash, fixed assets, trade debtors and creditors and many more elements of financial accounts

9/10

3. To what extent do you enjoy your programme?

It is a lot of hard work as there is a requirement to work hard during busy seasons so this involves long hours but these are paid as overtime which is unique to big accounting firms, unlike the big 4. Also studying on top of work is difficult sometimes!

9/10

4. How well organised/structured is your programme?

It is very well organised. There are frequent graduate training sessions which frequently help add to your skill set. Also there are regular performance reviews which help identify strengths and areas for improvement. This structure helps personal development significantly.

10/10

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

We are given a buddy and a counselling manager and a counselling partner so the support network is great and have plenty of people to talk to if you have any queries or need support

10/10

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

A lot from BPP, they offer 24/7 support over email and have interim progress calls where can discuss anything youd like in regards to the qualification!

10/10

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

Yes as a lot of the tutors are former accountants themselves so they help explain how what we are learning can be applied to a practical situation which i think is excellent.

10/10

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 are networking events once a quarter in the form of drinks, there are plenty of sports teams - I play for BDO Mixed Hockey, and there are frequent team socials in departments

10/10

9a. Would you recommend BDO to a friend?

Yes

9b. Why?

The culture emphasises personal development and provides a clear pathway for long term success at the company. They also clearly care for their employers with their overtime policy unlike the big 4. They offer very exciting fast growing clients to work on too.

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

Be yourself. It is clear there is an emphasis on hiring personalities. The assessment day was very good too and feedback through the whole process was good, unlike other firms. The transparency of the application process alone is a reason why you should want to work at BDO.