At BDO we are passionate about creating opportunities for individuals to grow and flourish early in their career with an array of career paths available. Our Graduate, Undergraduate and Vacation programs provide an opportunity to invest in your future today!
Our programs
Graduate – full-time continuing role
Undergraduate – part-time work while you study
Vacation – full-time work placement during the uni holidays
We are looking for driven graduates who want to develop their careers in a nurturing and welcoming professional services environment. Being a graduate at BDO allows you to gain experience in an open-door culture, build relationships with clients and expand your network. You will get involved in real client work from the beginning of your career, supported by your Partners and team every step of the way.
Undergraduate
Our undergraduate program is open to students in their first to final year of study. This program allows you to work in a full-time or part-time capacity while completing your university degree.
Vacationer
As a Vacationer at BDO, you will gain real-world, paid work experience in your chosen service line – think of it like a ‘try before you buy’ career opportunity. You will be allocated a buddy for the duration of your placement and get the chance to engage in career development and networking activities throughout the program. There will be opportunities to work with professionals on current client work, while experiencing our culture first-hand.
Service Lines
Student opportunities are available across all our service lines dependent on location. Learn more below:
Advisory
Our professionals are drawn from a variety of multidisciplinary backgrounds.
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Audit & Assurance
Our team of audit specialists and technical experts focus on the bigger picture.
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Audit & Assurance
As a part of the BDO Audit team you will become an indispensable adviser to our clients whether they are listed on ASX200, a national not-for-profit organisation or a fast growing privately-owned business with overseas operations.
Working in Audit means building strong relationships with key individuals to better understand the company’s story before diving into analysing numbers, obtaining supporting evidence and reviewing their financial performance. Auditors must be able to understand the client’s business from all aspects, identifying potential risks and analyse information to provide the client and their investors a level of assurance on the financial statements.
Each day will be different, working with a variety of clients with much of your time spent at the client’s premises talking to the different functions to understand the business being audited.
Upon completion of your professional study, you may be given the opportunity to be involved in overseas secondments in our network of over 1,800 offices across our international network of 167 countries.
In Audit, we work directly with clients to review accounting records and express an opinion as to whether financial statements are presented fairly in accordance with the applicable accounting standards.
As a Graduate within Audit, you are given the opportunity to work with clients of all sizes across a variety of industries from day one. Working in Audit gives you the ability to look into all facets of a business, from payroll to sales to accruals – gaining an understanding on how each business is run, working closely with client finance teams. Audit gives you face-to-face client exposure on a daily basis which is vital in building relationships.
In Audit, no two weeks are the same as you are constantly out of the office working at the clients’ premises. Every day you are faced with new challenges that allow you to think critically and learn quickly. You learn skills from different managers and colleagues, and work on jobs that interest you. Audit is a division that gives you a great insight into each aspect of accounting, allowing you to work and understand all areas of the P&L and Balance Sheet.
William Bourke, Assistant Manager
Within the first few weeks of joining the Audit team, I was hitting the ground running at client sites working within a team. Each week – fortnight, you get to experience a new client and industry, take on new challenges and meet new people.
From large ASX listed clients to small non-profits, the constant exposure to different business environments and the constant learning that follows is unrivalled. There aren’t many jobs where, within a few weeks of starting, you’re sitting in a meeting with a CFO who is listening to you. The learning opportunities with the BDO Audit team are endless!
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Advisory
Not a single business line but a whole set of teams providing advice on a wide range of transactions or events. Our national Advisory teams deliver more than 15 distinct services between them, across a broad range of clients and markets.
As businesses grow, so do the challenges they face. BDO’s Advisory services help our clients to meet these challenges across the lifecycle of their business. Such key events may include expanding through acquiring a new business in order to extract profits as reward for their investment. A business might run into financial difficulties – we help there too, stepping in to stabilise and restructure the organisation. We have advisers who assist in resolving legal disputes with a financial dimension or in fighting fraud. A company may wish to expand internationally, float on a stock exchange, manage its risk or achieve specific long-term objectives – our Advisory teams provide expert support in all these areas and more.
While retaining their own unique identities, our Advisory teams work together to make the most of everyone’s talents and maximise the available opportunities. Our Advisory teams include Business Restructuring, Corporate Finance, Cyber Security, Forensic Services, IFRS Advisory, People Advisory, Risk Advisory Services and Technology Advisory.
With the fast-growing appetite among our clients for the Advisory services we offer, this is an area of real opportunity for distinguished Graduates to begin their career.
Scott McMurdo, Assistant Manager – Business Restructuring
I started off in the Business Restructuring team as a Graduate in 2019. Since joining the team, they have provided me a diverse range of work and each day can be different.
Our team provides restructuring solutions to companies in distress through various types of insolvency appointments and informal advisory engagements.
My day-to-day tasks really do vary. Some days I may be liaising with the various stakeholders in a liquidation, managing various aspects of a trading business in a receivership or voluntary administration. Other days can involve analysing and reporting a company’s financial position and providing advice to company officers and lenders.
My team is able to provide a wide range of solutions to companies in distress, which is an integral aspect of the advisory space and can assist both new and existing clients.
Business Services
What sets our Business Services specialists apart is the ability to provide exceptional personal service.
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Tax
Our tax professionals have deep experience in a wide range of sectors and industries.
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Business Services
Our Business Services professionals help clients navigate even the most challenging circumstances. The advice we provide is based on a deep understanding of all stages of the business lifecycle and is underpinned by rich experience across all industry sectors.
The success of every business depends on its ability to grow sustainably and consistently over time. Whether a company is looking to outsource a finance function or looking to understand how they can succeed in their chosen markets, our Business Services team provide a comprehensive range of services to support businesses with their respective needs. This may involve standard accounting functions such as bookkeeping, payroll or management reporting services; tax functions such income tax or fringe benefit tax preparation as well as advisory functions including cash flow analysis, budget setting and holistic business reviews.
Our Business Services team work in true partnership with each different engagement- whether it be in family business, international property management, wealth management or strategic planning- each individual stakeholder is in our heart of what we do.
What sets us apart is our appreciation of the needs of each individual within that business- resulting in the formation of meaningful and longstanding relationships built on trust.
Andrew Smirniotis, Assistant Manager – Business Services
As a Graduate in Business Services, you get the opportunity to work with clients from both around the country and around the world. We interact with clients based in Europe, North America, and Asia, to ensure the timely preparation and delivery of Income Tax Returns, Business Activity Statements, and Financial Statements.
We also work with our international clients in setting up subsidiaries in Australia and advising them on necessary information required to operate in Australia.
Business Services also serve as the outsourced finance function for many of our clients. This includes preparing payroll, AP and Management Accounts.
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Tax
BDO Tax teams advise a range of clients, including companies and high-net-worth individuals, on a variety of tax-related issues. On a daily basis our tax advisers are tasked with finding solutions to meet clients’ tax needs. This often involves guiding clients through the complex, ever-changing landscape of tax legislation.
Our tax professionals offer a full range of tax services and specialisations. This includes day-to-day compliance with the tax authorities, advice on employment taxation and international tax, transaction support for deals such as mergers and acquisitions, indirect tax services, expatriate tax advice and research, transfer pricing and research and development tax concessions.
Such a wide offering means we need a number of specific teams with diverse backgrounds and skill sets. We recruit specialists who can handle technically challenging and sector-specific issues, while balancing exceptional client relationships.
The Corporate and International Tax team works closely with clients to help them understand Australian Tax Law and the impact it has on their business.
As we have clients from all around the world, each day tends to be different and our work can be categorised as either compliance or advisory. Generally, our compliance work involves preparing complex Income Tax Returns, Business Activity Statements and assisting our clients with the tax disclosures in their financial statements. The advisory part of our work tends to be the most varied and can range from advising on the tax implications of a complex transaction, to the most tax effective way to finance a company’s Australian operations.
Due to the nature of our work, we often collaborate with other service lines, which allows us to benefit from the diverse range of people and industries that form part of the BDO network.”
Start dates may vary so always check the job advertisements or contact our team for more information.
Where can your degree take you?
You may be wondering which service line or team to apply for with the degree you have studied. Click on your degree below to understand your career options:
Accounting
Commerce
Economics
Finance
Law
IT
HR
Engineering
Science
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Accounting
Having studied accounting, you have many options of where to start your career at BDO. You can click to learn more about the teams under our Service Line section, but you may want to consider:
Audit
Business Services (Accounting)
Risk Advisory
Business Restructuring
People Advisory
Tax – corporate & international, Indirect, Transfer Pricing
Financial Management Consulting
Forensics
Private Wealth (Perth only)
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Commerce
We have many teams who look for someone with a Commerce background. Ideally, you will have an accounting, finance, or Economics major. You can click to learn more about the teams under our Service Line section, but you may want to consider:
Audit (preferred major in Accounting)
Business Services (preferred major in Accounting)
Corporate Finance (preferred major in Finance)
Business Restructuring (preferred major in Accounting or Finance)
Project & Infrastructure Advisory
Consulting
Tax
People Advisory
Mergers & Acquisitions (Perth only)
Private Wealth (Perth only)
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Economics
Having studied economics, you can click to learn more about the teams under our Service Line section, but you may want to consider:
Tax – Transfer Pricing
Project & Infrastructure Advisory
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Finance
BDO supports careers within finance. You may want to consider starting your career in one of our following teams:
Business Restructuring
Corporate Finance
Mergers & Acquisitions
Project & Infrastructure Advisory
Private Wealth (Perth only)
You can learn more about the teams under our Service Line section.
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Law
If you wish to use your law background, you may wish to consider joining the following teams:
Tax – Corporate & International, Indirect
People Advisory (Expatriate and Employment Taxes, Remuneration) (Melbourne only)
Mergers & Acquisitions (Perth only)
You can learn more about the teams under our Service Line section.
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IT, Data Analytics & Computer Science
Our Advisory Service Line includes teams that look for people with an IT background. Depending on your type of degree, and specialisation, you could consider the following teams:
Digital & Technology Advisory
Cyber
Risk Advisory
You can click to learn more about the teams under our Service Line section.
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HR & Psychology
We have limited Graduate roles for people studying a HR qualification. If you are based in Brisbane or Sydney, or open to moving to either, you may want to consider applying for the following team:
People Advisory
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Engineering
If you have studied Engineering, the following teams may be suitable for you:
Consulting
Project & Infrastructure Advisory
Research & Development (tax)
You can click to learn more about the teams under our Service Line section.
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Science
We are open to people with a science background to join the following teams:
Research & Development (tax)
Consulting
You can click to learn more about the teams under our Service Line section.
Please note: the team and degree pathway may vary by location.
Starting your career is a big step, but we are here to support you at every stage. If you need any additional support, you can contact our friendly student recruitment team at student.careers@bdo.com.au.
What to expect when you apply:
Filling out our online application form is quick and easy – we need to capture key information about you to start the process (such as academic background, work rights, etc.). We will also need a copy of your CV and latest academic transcript, so be sure to have these handy.
Next, you will be invited to a brief virtual interview to get to know you better. The whole interview should only take about 10 minutes but if you need extra time, just let us know!
After the video interview, shortlisted candidates will be invited to attend an in-person assessment day or face to face interview. Full details and what to expect will be sent to you with plenty of time to prepare. Our team make sure this is a fun and informative experience; providing an opportunity for you to get to know us and see if a career with BDO is right for you!
We will let you know the outcome of your interview or assessment day as soon as possible . You will first receive a verbal offer, followed by a written contract.
Start your new role at BDO – yay!
View eligibility criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
At BDO we are pleased to offer three student programs, including our graduate, undergraduate and vacation programs. Read more about these programs below to find out which is most suited to your current stage of study.
Graduate program
Open to students:
In their final year, or have completed a relevant undergraduate or postgraduate degree and within the past 24 months
You can commence full-time in January/February or June/July
You're willing to pursue related postgraduate study (CA, CPA, CFA).
Undergraduate program
Open to students:
From their first year of university onwards
Willing to work part- or full-time throughout their studies
Studying degree appropriate to service line (see job advertisements for detail).
Undergraduates at BDO are guaranteed a Graduate position upon completion of their degree.
Vacation program
Open to students:
From the end of their second year of study onwards
Available in the vacation program periods (January-February, June-July or November-December)
Studying a degree appropriate to service line (see job advertisements for detail).
International Students
BDO welcome applications from international students who:
currently reside in and have the right to work in Australia
have the intention and ability to maintain their right to work in Australia i.e., Temporary Graduate (Subclass 485)
BDO will not sponsor students for the purposes of permanent residency. Successful candidates with temporary working entitlements will be required to independently apply for and obtain permanent residency.
Benefits
While BDO is a global professional services firm, we pride ourselves on still having a ‘small-firm feel’ which means an awesome workplace culture, supportive environment, and great employee benefits. BDO supports your professional development and mental and physical wellbeing by providing opportunities to get involved in our community*.
Professional development
Buddy support
Ongoing training and development opportunities
Global firm secondment opportunities
Study support.
Health & Wellbeing
Wellness program including yearly flu vaccine, skin checks and more!
Flexible work arrangements
Free daily breakfast and healthy snacks
Dress for your day
Employee assistance program.
Social & Community
Social club events and Friday drinks
Team bonding days
Firm-wide celebrations
Workplace charity giving and events
Leave available for volunteering, cultural days and blood donor, etc.
To learn more about careers at BDO and hints and tips during the recruitment process visit our Student YouTube playlist.
"BDO supports me with paid study leave and provides financial assistance when needed."
Locations & Contacts
We have student career opportunities in each of our major offices and our friendly student talent team are here to assist you every step of the way! To contact the team, email student.careers@bdo.com.au.
Adelaide
Amy Ryan, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner
Brisbane
Nina Moore, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner
Brisbane
Charlie Cowell, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner
Cairns
Bonnie Mueller, People & Culture Manager
Darwin
Partner, Business Services
Hobart
Partner, Hobart Office Managing Partner
Melbourne
Jess Saunders, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner
Perth
Lynaire Eccles, Campus Recruiter
Sydney
Jade Baena, Senior Talent Acquisition Business Partner
BDO offices
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