- Poor sense of management structure
- Lack of empathy and basic consideration for the needs of their trainees - took 2 days off due to health reasons and was terminated from their training programme due to this, despite producing sufficient evidence to prove that these days off where due to circumstances beyond my control. Both HR and the Academy Managers did not accept this. I sat exams for SQL in the morning of the day of termination, then straight after sitting the exams (and passing them too!) I was called in for a meeting by the Academy, informing me that they wish for me to leave without any good cause! They then forced me to sign an agreement stating the termination was "mutual", when this was not the case and then offered for me to re-start this programme if I wished to this February. I accepted this and told them that my grandmother had unforeseeably passed away, so during the period of 9 week training, I would need to take a day off to attend her funeral. Again, this scam of a company lacked the basic understanding that their employees are humans and not ROBOTS, and said that if I start again but take a day off, I will again be terminated. This is absolutely ridiculous. You are expected to dedicate 9 hours of your day from 8.30am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday. If you arrive even a minute after 8.30am, this could constitute in being terminated from their questionable "training agreement", and then you become liable to apparently £20,000 worth of "training fees".
- Not only do you run the risk of being terminated for being ONE MINUTE late to training, and taking a day off for a genuine hospital appointment, but you are also expected to dedicate weeks of your life working VOLUNTARILY for this company.
- Their business model is effectively a scam, they promise you that you'll be placed with a blue-chip client after training, but this is very unlikely! I know former trainees who have been on the bench for 6 months without being placed.
-You only get paid once you are actually placed with a client. Again, there is no guarantee this will happen, and even still, the pay is significantly lower than you would get if you were employed by the client themselves. FDM takes 70% of the money the client awards for the project, and the trainee themselves only get 30%.
- Pay is minimum wage,£18,000 per annumm and as stated only awarded once being successfully placed with one of their clients. This company is NOT TRANSPARENT in terms of this.
- Their training agreement has a non-competitive clause, stipulating that you are contractually bound to the company for a salary of only £18,000 (way, way below the average graduate salary), for a minimum period of 2-years. If you decide to leave the company, or the company fires you (for whatever reason they like), you are liable to pay training fees of £20,000.
- Google this scam company and you will find not only many poor reviews, but also the fact that they have falsely dismissed trainees, then taken them to the local county courts in hope to make £20,000
- This company are fully EXPLOITING young graduates who have freshly come out of university and are trapping them with their false promises!
- Training programme does not come anywhere near to £20,00
- Training is poor- you cover things such as "professional skills" for a week, which is basically going over how to perform at interviews, and how to speak in a professional way, as well as other models to do with finance, IT and banking regulations that a) you will have most likely covered at university if you studied Economics, Finance, Accountancy, Law, Computer Science, Maths or similar. and b) this training can be self-taught.
- PLEASE STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS
