Audit Trainee Review
at BDO
Higher Level Apprenticeship
Accounting
London
Review Submitted: May 2021
Overall Rating
4.3 /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!
4/5
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Overview of Role
5/5
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Skills Development
4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
My role at the present moment is to do a mix of studying and auditing. I am studying towards my accountancy qualification, so am taking exams and studying for these exams, mixed in with spending time in a supporting role on audits. I am the most junior member of audits so spend a lot of time collecting samples and completing work papers, liaising with my seniors and management regularly.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I very much enjoy my programme, I have had the chance to work on a variety of projects, being able to work independently on a lot of sections, working them through from start to finish. The culture at BDO is very supportive and I have definitely experienced this so far.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I studying quite a few accounting modules at University so had a base knowledge of accounting before starting this role. However, the studying for the ICAEW qualifications has taken this knowledge much further, and my auditing has allowed me to apply this knowledge into real life situations, clients and audits.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
I joined at quite a difficult time, the start date had to be pushed back by almost 3 months but when I did join I felt like they were really prepared for us to begin, with set induction training and projects for us to begin straight away. We have a clear plan going forward for the next 3 years which is very nice to have.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
We receive quite a significant of support, we are split into training groups of people who have joined with us, and this allows us to get support from our training group leader. We also have people managers who are solely responsible for our development. This is very good to have as it feels like we always have someone to talk to if we have any issues.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
3/5
We receive a lot of support from BPP in the form of online tutoring, many online videos and tips, and physical books for our learning. We get regularly emails to ask about our progress. I do feel like we could more easily contact someone specific if we had questions, rather than having to post in an online forum.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
The knowledge we learnt through our training provider definitely helps us perform the role better as we learn the technical aspects in a learning environment, and then when it comes to working on jobs I can then much more easily apply this knowledge to each role. My auditing modules have understandably helped the most with my job, with the rest only being able to be applied rarely.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
I joined the company in COVID times so the opportunity for social events has been limited, however we have had the opportunity to have online socials where we have had a chance to meet fellow graduates and also people more senior in the company. Some of the social events we have had have been very innovative such as "speed dating" type event.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend BDO to a friend?
Yes
Why?
I believe the culture of the company is the thing that I would recommend the most to other people. I believe that the supportive friendly culture is a really nice environment to learn my trade in. I would always choose BDO over the big 4 as I believe I get much more support than I would there.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BDO?
Make sure you sell yourself as a person during the interview process, experience and qualifications are useful and will get you through the doors, but I believe they are looking for people who understand and like the BDO culture. My assessment days were a very positive experience as they made me feel very relaxed so I think it's important for everyone to try and just be themselves.
