Be VERY careful - Java Developer FDM Group Employee Review

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.