FDM Group

2.0

16 Apr 2016

Recommend

CEO approval

Business outlook

Pros

Some excellent clients. The people working at the client generally understand what FDM is (an outsourced grad scheme) and give really good support. If you have no IT experience they will get you into a company where you can get the experience. Great stepping stone. All other consultants are in the same boat, great sense of camaraderie. You will realise what red flags are and why you need to pay attention to them

Cons

The training is very outdated and gives very little preparation for life on site. The computer equipment is diabolical, 2GB of Ram in development machines when I was training. No real retention rates after the two years so very few experienced consultants to talk to. Not many internet providers run 3 or 4 month contracts, FDM contracts can run that short so you are expected to suck it an and pay 6 months yourself or not have internet. No ongoing training unless the client does it themselves. If the workers at the client do not understand how much of a rookie you are prepare to feel like a burden. No real choice in what you end up doing. Very low pay especially compared to other "consulting" companies (Deloitte, Cap Gemini Accenture etc.). No sick pay. Bank holidays basically replace a paid holiday day so you end up with 8 unpaid holiday days, 8 bank holiday days, 9 paid holiday days and 3 compulsory holiday days over christmas. Stupid rules when training such as no headphones when coding alone, tie worn at all times etc. The rules that apply to trainees don't apply to other people in the office. This creates an us and them mentality. The trainers often have no experience in industry. The system to access payslips only works on internet explorer, a technology that even Microsoft are moving away from with edge. Again with the payslip system, it doesn't work on Macbooks, if your client doesn't allow use of the internet for non approved sites you can't access your payslips. Even though the clients are the ones putting all the effort into training etc. FDM still try bleed them dry if they wish to keep you post contract. You can be fired during training for being late or ill and will be charged £20,000. If account managers treat you like crap and you argue back you can be fired and.... charged £20,000

FDM Group Response

10y

I appreciate you taking the time to voice your opinion about FDM Group and we will be sure to take all of your criticisms into consideration as we continuously try to improve the company for everyone. - You mention the great clients we have, so I would like to emphasize that these very clients are the ones who dictate how we train our Consultants. We are always in conversation with them to find out what skills are most important for Consultants joining them on site, and we train to their specifications make sure you are as prepared as possible to handle the placement. - While many Consultants do stay with FDM after the two year contract comes to an end, you’re right – many of them are given a full time role with the client which is something we fully encourage. This is key for our clients and key for our consultants. We are in the business of starting careers, and we’re incredibly proud that many of our former Consultants are now in senior roles with our clients around the world. - One last thing – Never at FDM has someone been fired simply for occasional lateness or illness. Like any role, at any level, with any company in the world, there are certain standards to which employees are held to for being responsible and punctual, but we certainly understand getting caught on the tube or coming down with the flu. As you would find with any business though, if there is a pattern of showing up late every day and we do not see improvement after a formal warning, that of course could be cause for concern. I see that you are a current employee so please feel free to come and talk to me directly. We strive to provide the best work environment for everyone in the company, and if changing the payslip system or improving the hardware will help (things we try to do regularly), we want to know! Please email me directly at Jonathan.Young@fdmgroup.com Jonathan Young - CIO

Treat it as last chance saloon - IT Consultant FDM Group Employee Review

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