Vantaggi
Over the 3 years I worked for BDO the firm became increasingly professionalised and there was a real move towards data analytic techniques which is the way audit is moving and so it was great to get exposure to that. BDO is full of really intellectual and driven people and it is brilliant to work in that kind of environment. I had the opportunity to work with many sizes of clients operating in lots of industries and gained a more varied and deeper knowledge of business than I perhaps would have got in a Big 4 firm. TOIL and being able to take the ACA are massive benefits to undertaking your training contract with BDO. The firm also encourages internal secondments where possible and internationally.
Svantaggi
- Worked with some managers who shouldn't have been promoted to that title as they have no human empathy and can't manage themselves let alone others. - The training internally is often poor, focussing more on the way the training looks than the content. - I feel as though whilst working for the firm the "exceptional client service" has slipped due to poor resourcing within the firm. An attrition rate of staff is just accepted by the firm, when really this should be highlighted as a major problem. Why not try your hardest to keep knowledge within the firm rather than see it go and bring in less competent external hires - As a consequence of poor resourcing junior staff are delegated too, causing to perform work beyond their grade without any training support. It also leads them to have no work/life balance as their workload mounts; you end up living and breathing BDO, worrying about your workload at all hours. - It is great that BDO promotes getting feedback on all jobs, but then this seems to have no consequence in the overall appraisal system. The merit rating system if anything is utterly demoralising and provides little opportunity to reward staff. - BDO is stupid when winning work. Some partners obviously do not do budgets for fee proposals, and so go in below competition but then want a good recovery on the job. This causes the job to be done with less staff, faster and with lower graded individuals. - The remuneration and benefits are poor compared to other audit firms and industry.