Risk Advisory Executive Review

Overall, I've enjoyed my experiences so far at the company.
The staff has been unconditionally supportive of my work and personal development. The job (which primarily involves internal audits of client operations) is interesting, something that I enjoy performing. There is a bit of a steep learning curve to start with, but I picked everything up fairly quickly, and have progressed to doing internal audits on my own in a few months.
Part of the graduate scheme requires me to complete the ACA accounting course. This is only partly relevant to my work, as it primarily focuses on areas that are irrelevant to my day-to-day operations, such as tax or external audits. I would have also preferred more time to study for these exams, as there has been several times where I am required to study in the evenings or on the weekends.

There are no formal management responsibilities for this role. I have began leading internal audits on my own. This includes interacting with and interviewing clients, writing reports for review, as well as finding and investigating evidence to ensure that controls are in place to mitigate risks.
The investigation aspect is the most enjoyable aspect, as it is interesting finding out how company operations work.

We are assigned audits and clients rather than choosing them ourselves, and we have stated tests to perform as part of the audit process. We can largely approach in any order we wish. Managers are always available to support and talk about findings we have received, and they will reach out to us and discuss any changes for reports etc.

The job is a 9-5:15, and as exams are part of the job, I also spend notable hours revising in non-work hours. The pay also requires me to budget fairly tightly.

Fairly well, there are multiple managers / senior members of staff who have also gone through the same graduate scheme and have achieved success. There are also regular training sessions and support from managers.

My people manager has been excellent, although I rarely have issues that I need to bring to them there are still weekly meetings scheduled in. My Buddy has also been brilliant, and helped me with advice throughout the job.

There have been a few times where I did work beyond my scheduled hours, and several people (second years and managers) said that I shouldn't be doing that. Although the culture within the job does not recommend working hours beyond those scheduled, study time can take a significant amount of my free time, including weekends and evenings.

People are very friendly in the office, and I would consider several of my coworkers as friends. People are also very supporting and are always willing to give advice.

The culture is supporting and welcoming. There are also several groups within the firm relating to DEI, although I am not a member of any of these groups.

Yes

BDO's culture is accepting and supportive. Although the ACA course can be stressful at times, if they have competent maths skills and an inquisitive mind, I would recommend BDO.

I was expecting consultancy, and although this is a part of the role, I was not expecting as much evidence gathering and review. This is not necessarily a bad thing though.