Audit Senior Review

As an audit trainee at the start of my training contract I took on the role of an audit junior where I was responsible for testing mostly profit and loss account financial statement areas such as revenue, cost of sales and payroll. Clients varied across multiple different sectors including manufacturing, construction and not for profit.

In addition to the Level 4 and Level 7 apprenticeships I was working towards my employer offered a wide range of training courses throughout my training programme to help develop the technical knowledge that was required for my role. These were mostly in the form of e-learning modules that could be completed to fit around my day to day work.

The training programme offered by BDO has been really enjoyable and I would recommend it to anybody who is looking to get into the accountancy profession. Everyone I have worked with during my time on the training contract has been fully supportive and willing to help me develop the skills needed to further my career.

Overall the training programme was well organised, the level of support within BDO is really good and you are given a good amount of study time, although the exams are difficult and you will need to spend a lot of additional time to ensure that you are ready for each exam

At BDO you are assigned a counselling manager who will become your main point of contact during your training contract and once you are qualified. You tend to meet at least once a quarter to discuss recent jobs, exams and training. This time can also be used to discuss any issues and look at ways to resolve them.

All of the tutors from my training provider were willing to provide additional support and guidance if there were particular areas I was struggling with. You also have 6 monthly progress review meetings with a representative from the training provider, although these were always with different people so there wasn't much continuity

The knowledge gained from the ACA exams helped in my day to day role, specifically the audit and financial reporting papers as there were a lot of transferrable skills within these papers. However some of the tasks performed as part of the Level 4/7 apprenticeship weren't particularly relevant to the role

Prior to COVID there would be frequent office/company events including winter/summer balls and various sport events including an annual whole company football tournament. There are also a number of volunteering activities available to get involved in where the company work with local charities to provide support and help raise money

Yes

The training programme offered by BDO provides a really good way of getting into the accountancy profession whilst also working towards a widely recognised qualification in the ICAEW ACA. The level of responsibility you are given throughout the training programme also enables you to build up the skills to help further your future career opportunities

Preparation is key during the application process, this includes preparing for interviews by researching both the company and the role you are applying for. You will also need to prepare for any assessment days you are invited to in order to stand out from the other applicants on the day