Pros
had fun at the training academy
Cons
UNPAID Training is basic - not relevant to the job they put me in (which was actually not much to do with what I trained in). Also you teach yourself a lot of the stuff (definitely not worth £20k). You are trapped for two whole years - if you get a placement you do not enjoy/do not get trained in, you cannot ask for help because 1. they will not reply and 2. they could send you to some other random place in the UK. You have to take the placement you get offered, you get absolutely no choice in the matter. Seen someone try to refuse to go down to London and take a job offer he received in Edinburgh/Glasgow - flung out of the academy and I am sure he has to pay back 20k of training. (I have absolutely no idea where they get that figure from lol). False advertising - they go on and on and on about how you will get paid double your salary or at least 35k once you are kept on site - not even close in my case, yaay a waste of two years!!! They do not care about you AT ALL once you are on site. 20 month review - what 20 month review?? E-mailed HR several times to try and get my 20 month review and never once received a reply, despite being named as a 'mental health first aider' - as an anxious person this is an actual joke. They say that they have "equal pay" etc but ex forces get paid more than graduates. I do the exact same job and get paid less, makes you feel pretty worthless. Pay isn't good, especially compared to other people who have my degree. I honestly feel like they prey on people who are anxious/nervous about starting out and going to interviews etc and just use them for two years to line their own pockets. I really wish I never got the job with them as it has completely wasted the first two years of my career - thank you FDM.