Audit Trainee Review

My day to day role involves communicating with the audited entities, completing various tasks within the audit. On the planning side this often involves gaining an understanding of their systems and controls and completing various questionnaires. On the execution side, this often involves completing various planned tests to gain assurance that their financial figures are materially free from misstatement due to fraud or error.

In audit I have continually learned and developed new skills. The nature of the job requires you to continually learn and thus, I have definitely improved my communication skills as the job requires you to liaise with both the clients and your own internal colleagues to perform the job effectively. I have also developed my Excel skills as having good Excel skills can go a long way in enabling you to perform the job efficiently.

There are aspects to the job I enjoy. For example, I think the ability to study towards the ACA whilst working and constantly learning is a highly valuable experience. I also find it satisfying solving problems and completing tasks. It can, however be quite a stressful job during busy periods which is not always an enjoyable experience.

The programme is well structured. Essentially you will work for 3 years to gain the 450 days of practical work experience that you require whilst also having periodic breaks whereby you take study leave to go to college and learn the course materials to enable you to sit your exams. There are also regular calls so that you are reminded what stage of the programme you are at and what you need to be working on.

When you require support, BDO will provide you with support for any issues you are encountering. It does require you to step forward and reach out to receive support. The only area where you may feel like you need support is when it comes to exams as these can be quite stressful but you are quite restricted on when you take the exams as this is decided for you in advance.

BPP hold regular calls every few months to update us on where we are in the qualification in terms of the skills and behaviours activities we need to complete. They also have a MyBPP portal whereby you can get help if you require it from a BPP coach. I found that the tutors at BPP have been helpful and supportive,

Given that I am an auditor and I am completing a series of relevant exams for the ACA, I do feel that the qualification helps me to perform better in my role to an extent as there is sometimes cross over between what I learn and what I complete on the job. However, in some areas, in practice the work in my role is a lot more complex than what was learnt in college and thus, it is not massively beneficial.

There are plenty of extra-curricular activities to get involved in. BDO periodically host events such as the "Away Day" and other socials to encourage employees to get involved. There is also a group chat for individuals that want to play football and there is also other professional networking events that are periodically held such as the partner career stories.

Yes

I would recommend BDO if they knew that they wanted to pursue a career in accounting and liked the sound of audit. This graduate scheme is an invaluable experience which would really help in starting a career and gaining a qualification simultaneously. It also requires you to learn a lot which helps you to grow and improve as a professional.

Show that you have a real interest in BDO and the role which you are applying for. Make sure you actually do research as to what exactly a professional in the job role does and ensure that you are interested in the role as this will not only help you in the interview but will also help in the future as you will understand the job you are pursuing and will be more likely to enter into a role you enjoy.