Overall Rating
4.4 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
3/5
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
Support and Guidance
5/5
-
Company Culture
4.5/5
-
Overall Experience
5/5
-
Future Career Prospects
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis.
I spent a lot of my time working on excel to prepare workbook for an audit. There was also plenty of opportunities to interact with current trainees as well as other interns. The first week was a training week including a 2 night stay in a London hotel and a 2 night stay in Warwick. Following this, we spent time on a new audit each week to experience the different sectors that the firm has to offer.
Were you given much responsibility during your placement / internship?
For the majority of the internship I was not working on important tasks. Big responsibility is not often given to interns. However, I was invited to a call with a client following my partner shadowing day. Despite this I was not expected to contribute to the call and just sat in and listened. The majority of day to day tasks are filling in spreadsheets and therefore there is little responsibility. The audit sector tends to lend more responsibility only to more senior individuals.
Please rate how meaningful the work you were doing was
3/5
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills, or developed your existing skills?
Excel skills are incredibly important for in audit. However, going into the internship my excel skills we not very good. However, I learnt a lot of new short cuts and was taught many techniques throughout the internship. Additionally, I have developed communication skills due to listening to explanations of how to complete tasks that I have never done before. Learning how to ask the right question and expressing your questions is certainly a skill I have developed.
How would you rate the training provided during your experience?
3/5
How would you rate your development of industry-specific skills during the experience?
4/5
How would you rate your development of personal / soft skills during the experience?
4/5
Please rate how these skills have helped you in your career development
5/5
Support and Guidance
How much support and guidance did you receive during your placement / internship?
Throughout the internship I was offered plenty of support. Whenever I had a question there was always someone to ask. If the team that I was working on was busy I may have to wait for assistance (understandably) but eventually someone would make time to help me. Everyone was always happy to help and there was never any pressure to not ask a 'silly questions'. I did sometimes struggle with a lack of training and understanding of what I was doing but this was mainly due to how short the internship is.
How would you rate the support and guidance from your line manager?
4/5
How would you rate the support and guidance from the wider team?
4/5
Company Culture
What was the company culture and general atmosphere like?
There is a very welcoming culture at BDO. Everyone is happy to help. The firm feels welcoming to everyone and there does seem to be a massive hierarchy. BDO is also an incredibly social firm and offers a competitive work / life balance. Additionally, the firm hosted many socials during the first week of our internship including paying for 4 nights in hotels. Having spoken to many of the current trainees, they supported this and always said good things about BDO's culture.
How would you rate the inclusiveness of the culture?
5/5
How would you rate the social opportunities?
5/5
How would you rate the diversity initiatives?
5/5
How would you rate the charity, sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives?
5/5
Overall Experience
To what extent did you enjoy your placement / internship?
Overall I have enjoyed my placement at BDO. There were plenty of opportunities to speak to current trainees and sometimes more senior members of staff which gave me an insight into a career in audit. I particularly enjoyed the partner shadowing day which gave me a higher up view on audit. While at times the work wasn't always engaging, this was often due to my lack of knowledge on how to complete tasks and as such an intern will be given simple tasks.
Please rate your level of enjoyment on your placement / internship
4/5
Please rate how your experience met your expectations
5/5
Future Career Prospects
Please rate the future employment prospects at BDO
5/5
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend BDO to a friend?
Yes
What advice would you give to others applying to BDO
I would definitely recommend an internship with BDO. The firm has a great social culture and that filters down to an intern level as well. Very few competitor internships will offer the same opportunities such as a partner shadowing day. There is also an opportunity to secure a graduate training contract at the end of the internship which is a great opportunity to advance your career. The application process may be time consuming but it is definitely worth the effort.
