Pros
If you find yourself not being able to or if you are way to lazy to find a job FDM can be your last solution Yay You get a fairly pointless free training (shortest is 4 weeks, longest 10 months I believe) Great right! I warn that FDM is really only for people wanting career in IT - thats a pro for IT guys, but con for others who hope to just gain some skills here Possibility to work abroad - UK if you are ok with that you might be sent to work somewhere in the middle of nowhere, Switzerland if you are lucky and you press it because secretly UK senior management doesn't want people to leave UK, Germany if you speak German otherwise fairly impossible, Hong Kong & Singapore if you really really want as the pay is bad and you don't get much help. You will be surrounded by people like you - just got out of unemployment, sad, young, hoping for more, fools .. most of you will very soon after first two weeks (thats when you reach ''no going back'' stage) also share the common hatred for FDM whilst pretending to love it in front of account managers, who you will succumb to so they get you a job you might like instead of trying to shove you in a position no one wants. While you are still training, you can spend your breaks playing pool, table tennis or table football if you get the chance Oh and also, you get a free water and horrendous coffee
Cons
Training It is NOT for FREE it costs up to £20000. You wont however have to pay it if you follow up on the agreement you have with FDM. This means that you cant leave them before the end of 2 years. Unless of course you get yourself fired by them. This is the most common way of getting rid of them and it is practiced often by many. Tbh no one cares of FDM when you are looking for a job outside only the clients you worked for. Also, the training is bad. You are expected to learn each subject in one week which you will not! For example they say that you had training in Excel/VBA.. really it is just Excel. VBA takes only half a day or less and you will take nothing from there. Seriously, not only that one week is nothing you will soon forget lot of stuff as you move from one subject to another. Clients and job opportunities FDM has some connections with very good clients and banks thats true, however what matters is The Job you get also! You might as I was be silly enough to think that landing a job in a great bank will sort you out. That is simply not true. I have been lucky enough to be offered jobs in cities I wanted (apart of two exceptions) and all in banks (because thats what I wanted). However you really dont have the luxury to choose anything at all. The client or the job. You might try to pressure them a bit and decline or underperform during interviews, but this can be severely punished. Depends on the account managers and current mood of senior management. Salary Low, below national average of any country, bad... UK salary: £21000 first year, £24000 second year, £24000 < if you stay over two years Singapore & Hong Kong: Dont remember, but its terrible if you dont have a family there or somewhere to stay Switzerland: the best probably first year 60000CHF, second year 66000 CHF, 95000 - 105000 CHF over two years Germany & US: Dont know Communication The worst I have ever seen in my life! Theres a poor communication between the HR department (I wonder why people are not getting fired from there) and the rest of the FDMers. Also the sales team sitting the opposite side of the office pretend to be your friends when they think they are getting you placed otherwise you are a lowlife to them. Some wont remember your name even after speaking to them several times (exceptions apply of course). They keep trying to tell you that you are all on the same boat and dont be shy to talk to them, but the reality will prove quite different. The Contract READ the contract properly before signing and if you can have it checked by a lawyer too! There are so many holes in there and you will find that there isnt much on your side. FDM is really interested in taking as much as possible from wherever they can no matter what the cost to you. Gossip Oh yes! Gossip! Sales floor's favourite activity. Gossip and going around with each other. Talking badly behind other peoples backs is unprofessional and quite frankly childish. Senior management on the sale side seem to be quite active in this. The things some people say and the way they say it is horrifying. Also, they use the term 'business decision' as an excuse to do whatever they like. Unfortunately this is probably because only few are really running things. Friends and family.. Cheap professional labor! Thats what their motto should be