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      FDM Group

      Engaged Employer

      FDM Group Java Developer reviews

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      2.4

      0% would recommend to a friend

      (41 total reviews)
      avatar

      Rod Flavell

      45% approve of CEO

      1% positive business outlook

      Ratings by category

      4.2

      Diversity & inclusion

      2.7

      Work/Life balance

      2.7

      Senior management

      2.7

      Career opportunities

      2.0

      Compensation and benefits

      1.7

      Culture & values

      Java Developer employees have rated FDM Group with 2.4 out of 5 stars, based on 41 company reviews on Glassdoor. This indicates that most Java Developer professionals have an average working experience there. FDM Group is rated 38% below average by Java Developer professionals compared to other employers within the Tecnologías de la información industry (3.9 stars).

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Reviews by job title

      41 reviews
      1.0
      Aug 14, 2017

      Be VERY careful

      Java developer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - Training is useful for someone wanting to enter the IT industry without a background in technology. To someone with a background in technology, this is a waste of time and money as the training covers nothing more than your Computer Science degree did. - Training environment is great, the teachers are attentive and do what they can to help you through the process. - By far the biggest benefit, and the main reason most people choose FDM - their client list is second to none for a graduate recruiter.

      Cons

      I'm not going to labor the usual cons. They've been dealt with thoroughly in other reviews and are all valid, my issues with FDM are much more serious. - Training Contract / Employment Contract. When you start the training, you sign the 'Training Contract'. As has been stated by the COO & CIO in response to other reviews, there is a clause in this contract that gives you a 2 week cooling off period to trial the training to see if it's suitable for you. The Training Contract states that you agree to pay the full cost of the course, which they cap at £20k, at the end of the course, or sign the Employment Contract. The Employment Contract states you have to work for FDM for 2 years. All of these details so far, FDM are open about. What they aren't open about is the contents of the Employment Contract, which does NOT match the promises that they make during the assessment day and the training. When you get to the end of the training and are presented with a choice, sign an Employment Contract, or pay £20k, the average graduate doesn't have an option but to sign it, even after reading the contract for the first time and finding the little surprises hidden therein. Here's a couple: FDM Claim: Throughout the assessment day and training, you're continuously told a statistic - "X% of employees once they finish their 2 year period are employed by the Blue Chip company they are on placement with" Reality: The Employment Contract contains a clause that states that if you terminate your contract, you can not work for any of the clients you have been on placement with. HR claim that this will be waived once the two years are completed, yet there is no clause in the Employment Contract for this. FDM Claim: "A salary of £21,500 1st year, £25,000 second year". Reality: This is nonsense. The Employment Contract states your salary is £18,000 per year, for both the first and the second year. This is the figure that matters. This is the figure that's counted on credit card applications, or mortgage applications. FDM gets to the figure of £21.5k and £25k by adding in their 'daily bonus'. The daily bonus is added to your salary for every day you work on a clients site, and it's paid the month following the work. What they fail to mention is that this daily bonus is 100% optional for them to pay, they have no contractual obligation to follow through on their claim, your actual secured and contracted salary is only £18,000 for each of the two years. The benefits to joining FDM are big, access to clients that are very hard to enter through the front door can give your career a great start. Just make sure you are fully aware of what you're signing up to. You are a product to FDM, not an employee, and they treat you that way. If I had a choice knowing what I know now, I wouldn't have joined FDM.

      avatar
      FDM Group Response
      8y
      Thank you for your very detailed feedback. I would like to address some of your concerns regarding the contract. Both the training agreement and the employment contract are available to review at any stage of the recruitment or training process. Both contracts are very similar, the difference being that one is an agreement during training and the latter being a contract between the employee and employer once placed. The main points of these are addressed at the welcome presentation and before consultants go onsite. We make every effort to ensure transparency as we want our employees to be happy. It is not in our interests for employees to be unhappy. Once the two year bond is completed with FDM, you are free to work with whomever you choose including the client you were working with through FDM. This is in fact a huge benefit to many of our clients as they get to keep a skilled and experienced resource and many of our consultants go on to do this. The restriction clause you are referring to is only enforced during the first two years’ of employment. This protects FDM against those who may drop out prior to fulfilling the two-year agreement. It does concern me that you feel you were treated as a product and not a real person as that is absolutely not how FDM views our people. If you believe that anyone has sent you patronising/arrogant responses please bring these to my attention. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss your feedback further. Please come and see me or email me at Andy.Brown@fdmgroup.com
      1.0
      Jul 6, 2017

      With the benefit of hindsight I would not have joined

      Java developer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      An introduction to a working type environment for recent graduates and a reintroduction to civvy st for ex forces staff. A real sense of camaraderie with fellow trainees. I made some good friends in the academy that I will keep in touch with. Good interview training. Initial training is of high quality (Common weeks Pro skills, SQL, Excel) though it is very much over valued by FDM. So much so that I felt after these weeks I knew the subjects well enough to instruct them myself Could be a good introduction to IT for non stem grads but if you aren't enjoying it by the end of week 2 leave. A corporate subscription to pluralsight for upskilling

      Cons

      A very poor (possibly unenforceable) contract that hangs over you for 2 years. I don't believe that FDM fulfilled the terms of its training agreement with me and had they attempted to recoup their overvalued "investment" I would have fought them in court and according to my solicitor I would have won, my advice to any prospective hire is that they note every interaction with HR and management in any way and if called into a meeting ask for minutes to be taken and a witness to sit in. The sense of camaraderie is driven by a sense of us vs them in the way there would be camaraderie amongst prisoners vs their guards No money Little to no communication with the account managers who are supposed to be finding consultants roles. After the initial well structured training the development training is not of the same calibre and to be honest a Udemy or pluralsight course would teach you just as much. No certification for the development courses. Though there is for some of the other streams.

      avatar
      FDM Group Response
      8y
      I’m glad you enjoyed the initial training and the people you met at FDM. I’m sorry that you wouldn’t recommend joining us though. We appreciate that the programme may not suit everyone, which is why we spend time upfront going through the model and all the terms and conditions, during the assessment process. We present the whole programme including the two-year bond which is a commitment by FDM and you. There is a 2 week ‘cooling off’ period after starting for you to really work out if FDM is the right career move for you. The training is fully funded by FDM and, like any business, FDM needs to realise a return, this is why the two-year bond is in place – allowing the fees to be paid back only on the rare occasion that the contract isn’t fulfilled. However, the vast majority of FDM consultants do progress to enjoy successful and rewarding careers. I’m really sorry that it didn’t work out for you though. We always encourage people to post an honest review on Glassdoor in regards to their experience – which may be positive or negative (we do not ask anyone to change ratings). I would welcome the opportunity to discuss your feedback further if you’re up for it. Please feel free to email me directly, my email address is andy.brown@fdmgroup.com Andy Brown – Group Commercial Director
      4.0
      Jun 22, 2017

      A good start for new graduates

      Java developer
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Friendly mentors who strengthened my programming skills, interview skills, and taught me

      Cons

      The training was tough, you had to

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