Summer School Student Review

This work experience placement was fantastic! I really enjoyed my time there, especially as all the staff in my team were so friendly and supportive towards me,

I was introduced to all the members of my team as soon as I arrived - I felt this was important and really beneficial, especially as it was not something that had been done on my other work experience placement at a different company. Being introduced to them made me feel more valued and part of the team, and meant I could easily talk to anyone. They were happy to talk to me and answer any questions.

I was introduced to a manager within the team who supported and guided me throughout the placement. She made sure I was okay and always had work to do, and was more than happy to answer any questions.

I developed many key skills here such as organisation and communication, and this combined with the experience of working in a professional environment will certainly be useful in anything I choose to do in the future. I received a lot of information about the firm and the professional services industry in general, and this has helped me make a more informed career choice.

The placement was very well structured. It was evident that the student recruitment team/other organisers had spent a lot of time and effort into making this a rewarding experience for us. The placement started and finished with days out of the office, together with summer school students from around the country, where we received employment guidance, were given a team task to do and were taken out to lunch and to a museum.

The atmosphere within the office was something I really liked, it was a good balance between professionalism and friendliness.

On the first day we were given advice and a workshop on personal training and development. Throughout the placement at the firm I was introduced to new software, CCH, and in this way the firm had invested in me. They trusted me with a lot of work and treated me like another member of the team.

I was able to speak to many staff in the firm who were happy to talk about their personal experience working at BDO, and found that many of them valued the good work/life balance that BDO offered. Doing real work also helped me to understand what it would be like to have a job there.

As I was put onto the mailing list for my team, I was sent many emails regarding opportunities where staff could go out together and complete many different types of activities, and this showed me just how important team building was in the company culture. Compared to my other placement at another financial services firm, I could clearly see that BDO had a much more friendly and open culture. I could also see just how much emphasis BDO put on 'exceptional client service'.

As I was completing real work, I could see exactly what a future career in tax would be like.

Was not expecting any payment, and to be honest this was such a good experience that the payment didn't really affect my feelings towards it!

Yes, I was invited to lunch a few times with staff in the firm. The friendly atmosphere also meant that I could go and talk to any of the team members, and they were happy to have a chat.

On the first and last day all the summer school students were together, and we went out for lunch and to a museum together. These two days were organised very well and we all enjoyed them.

I did not attend any or hear about any from the members of my team as such, but I have heard from other summer school students in other divisions that the activities they did such as visiting a school/dragon boat racing were really good.

Absolutely - even if you don't make it to the actual placement, the process beforehand of multiple online tests and the interview is certainly a good experience to have in itself.