Risk Advisory Trainee Review
at BDO
Degree Apprenticeship
Audit
Birmingham
Review Submitted: October 2025
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
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
4.2/5
-
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
I am currently just past my first month at BDO and my role hasn't involved any real client work as a school leaver. It has mostly been training and studying. This involves attending in-person college and online calls with tutors as well as self study. I have also been involved in Professional Development days which help to enhance your skills and acknowledge improvements you may need to make going forward.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
As of right now I can only give four stars and not five as I've not been given any chargeable work. I'm sure when that starts to pick up I will enjoy the role way more because I'll actually be thrown into it. My team and the office make it very enjoyable though and the close connections that you'll form with the other EiC's will prove to be so beneficial for your wellbeing.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
I have developed so many skills and such confidence that I thought I had before but turns out I've enhanced it so much more. There are so many times were you will have to be confident and sociable that it just becomes second nature to you.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
Currently it is very structured, I know all my dates and what happens when. It's clear there is a strong structure that has been tweaked and adapted throughout the years. I would say at the start though there was a lot of information coming from multiple different sources which was quite confusing. A lot of information was missing that I had to actively chase myself, Like exam dates and events not being pulled through to my outlook. These have all been resolved by the very helpful staff at BDO.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
There is support form so many different sources its just about knowing where you can find this and what is available to you. The support is there but it just involves you to use your initiative and speak up when its required.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
BPP is our college that we use and they couldn't be more supportive. The tutors are excellent and are there always to ask questions. There is a plethora of information on the BPP hub as well and very good communication form them via email. They also have forum and you can post about any question or concept you may be struggling with and it will be answered in less that 24 hours.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
3/5
I've not really used any study knowledge because I haven't been in the role fully yet but I'm sure that key terms may pop up eventually. In risk advisory its quite different to audit where I feel the qualification would go hand in hand for them.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
4/5
There has been quite a few socials as part of our team as well as Balls we get to attend. Plenty of networking events to get involved in also if you put yourself out there.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend BDO to a friend?
Yes
Why?
It feels like such a fun company to be involved in and less of a profit driven company that utilises less workers but puts more strain and workload on them. The company cares for its employees.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to BDO?
You need to be confident and bubbly. Its such a client facing company that values strong relationships with its customers that if you are highly lacking in communication skills or interpersonal skills then you need to develop this.
