Audit Trainee Review

Interim audit testing is for 9/12 months of the year, with year end audits taking up 3 months of the year. I'll be responding to emails, communicating with managers and seniors who will give me tasks. I will also be emailing or communicating with clients to discuss queries with them, and using professional scepticism to audit their accounts.

I've developed mostly my communication skills - from ringing clients, emailing clients, emailing managers, emailing partners and contributing to meetings. I've also improved my time management skills through having to balance my work life with studying for ACA exams, which can be tough. I've also developed my critical thinking and problem solving approach.

It can be tough when it's really busy, but the people have been very nice. The clients BDO work with are really interesting and dynamic, the mid market has alot of fast growing companies so the audit from one year to the next could require a completely different approach, which keeps things interesting.

College is very well structured, we all have access to our resource planner meaning we know exactly what we'll be doing in the months ahead. Induction was good, we were given manuals for howto do the basics and we also attended a week long residential course to understand the basics of audit before we started in the office.

We have regular meetings with our counselling managers, and we also get regular feedback opportunities to know where we can improve. BDO also have a mindfulness portal with tips for how to improve your wellbeing, including diet, sleep, mental wellbeing and exercise. BDO are very supportive, with yoga sessions to relieve stress during bust period and a huge emphasis on mental health and speaking up if you're struggling.

We get 6 monthly review calls from BPP to discuss our apprenticeship, how we think we are doing and our exam scores. They also help us to set targets for improvement. They also email us every now and then to ask how we are getting on and if we have any questions about of upcoming exams.

Audit is quite specific, however accounting definitely comes in handy when doing an audit. The work you get taught in assurance also helps, with looking at ICAEW ethics codes and making sure you are acting in a way that the ICAEW expect you to. The more advanced modules are more relevant to audit than the initial ones.

There is weekly football organised for people in the office, as well as monthly drinks which are held in the office. There are also lots of volunteering opportunities - we get 10 days a year to volunteer to help out. There are also trips you can take with the firm - there is a trip to Budapest to play football. There is also a basketball club and regular running events.

Yes

BDO is very supportive, especially when you first start and you may not know exactly what you are doing. The clients that BDO work with are also so vast, with lots of different sectors and industries to get exposed to. BDO also are generous with study time for your exams.

The application process is really friendly - everyone is approachable. The advice is definitely plan your time, be yourself and put yourself out there to make friends. Also don't be afraid to ask questions if you're unsure, everyone was a trainee at some point and so people are so understanding when you're new.