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A day in the life of
Are you wondering what it is like to be part of BDO Kendalls? The following two timelines give you an example of what it is like to walk a day in the shoes of a BDO Kendalls staff member. Louise and Troy work in different areas of the firm and are at different levels in their career progression. Find out more about their day by clicking on the tabs below.
Louise Shaw, Supervisor - Audit & Assurance
07:25 | Head into work The beginning of the daystartson the train or bus and usually allows me time to relax and listen to my iPod or read a book. Sometimes I even give in and get a magazine to keep up with what's going on in Hollywood. |
08:45 | Arrive at client I meet my team at the client site and we use the next 20-30 minutes to catch up on the work we have already completed and what's left to finish off...oh, and of course we have a run down of what happened on Grey's Anatomy while we finish our first cup of coffee for the day. |
09:00 | Kick into work With the team working closely together we soon get focussed and down to business. As a supervisor, I have my own section fo t he audit to complete but I'm always available to answer any questions that the team may have. Part of my role is also to solve any problems that may come up. A problem could be a client not having the relevant documents ready for the team of .....? It is a challenging part of my role but one which I really enjoy. In some instances it is a chance for the team to come together and really work as a team. |
11:00 | Contact other sites As a supervisor, I have more than one job on the go at a time. Generally around this time I will give the other job sites I'm responsible for a call for a run down on what's been happening. I then report back to my partner or manager to update them on the progress of all jobs. This is a process of two-way communication and I also hear from these other jobs throughout the day, especially if questions need to be answered. So while I have the team on site with me, I'm also part of a virtual team. I enjoy the responsibility of reporting back to my manager or partner - I feel like a key part of the team. |
13.00 | Break for lunch Lunch is a good time to really catch-up with the team. To step away from the job and the client and get some perspective on the day. |
14:00 | The home stretch Following lunch the team and I continue on with client work. By the end of the day, I sit down with the client and go through an 'outstandings' list with them to make sure they are aware of any issues and schedules we are waiting for. On the supervisor side of things I also have some small things to look after that make a big impact on our client - making sure we keep our work area neat and tidy, handing client documents back when we have finished and ensuring our timesheets are detailed enough to provide the client with a clear overview of what we have been doing. |
17:00 | Home time! With the day complete, I pull out my iPod and head for home. During the audit busy season (listed companies only have three months to file their financial statements with the ASX) I may actually head back to the office to finish some work off. I guess in any other job this may seem like a massive ask but at BDO the camaraderie amongst the auditors means working back is like catching up with my extended family! It is a great time to hear what else is going on around the place and to bounce things off each other...and of course try and guess what is going to happen in the next episode of Grey's Anatomy! |
Troy Terzian, Senior 2 - Forensic services
08.15 | Leaves home, head into work It is pretty rare that I would need to go straight to a client's premises. If I did need to go to a client's I would normally come into the office to be briefed on a matter before heading out. I don't have a very long trip to work so I normally read or listen to some music for the journey in. |
08:45 | Arrives at office Typically, my mornings begin with a coffee while I check my email and voicemail messages. Everyone does things differently but I like to print off any emails that need to be actioned urgently. It helps me to prioritise my morning and the rest of my day. |
09:00 | Assigned a personal injury matter My manager hands me a file where we have been requested by a solicitor to prepare a personal injury economic loss report on a workplace injury. Firstly I review the file to become familiar with the case. Once I have done this I then draft an engagement letter where I disclose the tasks to be completed, explain what further information is required and the estimated time required to complete the report. Once the engagement has been agreed, the solicitor would provide me with the necessary background information. This information is used to calculate the change in the plaintiff's earning capacity and the resulting economic loss suffered up to the age of retirement as a result of the injury sustained. The plaintiff is the individual pursuing compensation due to the injury sustained. It can take up to three weeks to complete these assignments and forward our expert report to the plaintiff's solicitors. |
09.30 | Contact plaintiff for who we are preparing the personal injury economic loss report After I have been assigned to a particular matter it is important for me to contact the plaintiff to advise them of our appointment by their solicitor and provide them with a general brief of what we do and how we calculate their economic loss. |
09.45 | Prepare the economic loss calculation spreadsheet Provided I have all the information I need, I will then calculate the past and future economic loss suffered by the plaintiff from the date of the accident to the date of retirement. This involves comparing the plaintiff's actual income to that of a comparable person. It is time for a cup of coffee and a catchup with my team members. |
12.00 | Meeting with Doug Meredith, Partner I have a meeting with Doug about a matter we are undertaking involving an investigation into possible fraudulent activities by directors. The meeting involves an update on my progress into the investigation, any new issues that have arisen and additional work to be done. While this meeting was specifically about my progress on a particular investigation, partners provide feedback on an ongoing basis. This makes it really easy to gauge my progress not only on individual matters but on a professional basis - I know what areas I'm doing well in and I know what areas I need to focus on to improve. |
13.00 | Break for lunch What I do at lunch generally depends on how I'm feeling and what I want to eat. I may go for a walk to stretch my legs or if I have my lunch with me I may just eat at my desk and give my wife a call to have a chat. |
14.00 | Catch a taxi to Company X I have a meeting with the accountant of Company X where I review the files I need to take back to the office so I can continue my investigation. I attempt to catch a taxi back to the office with one too many boxes which proves to be extremely difficult. |
16.30 | Get back to the office I make it back to the office in one piece but have managed to drop the boxes a number of times much to the amusement of the general public. When I'm back at my desk I review the files and continue my investigation into the possible embezzlement of funds and detail my findings in a spreadsheet. |
17.15 | Catch the train to go home |
17.45 | Arrive home Chat with my wife, watch a little TV (preferably the Simpsons), eat dinner and talk about our day. |
19.30 | Study Study for the CA with a few breaks in between. |
