Untrustworthy company, be careful - Trainee Software Engineer Digital Futures Employee Review

1.0
Aug 23, 2022
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The training was of a good standard, and our exams were paid for.

Cons

They are a start-up company and have not set up enough work placements for the total number of trainee's. Despite being verbally promised a job within the 6 weeks after completing training, the majority of us were left without placements for months. I know some trainee's who are still waiting from last year. Because of the lack of placements, they would put us forward for interviews that we felt totally under-qualified for, and it seemed only those with previous tech experience were the ones getting jobs. We were asked to continue training ourselves after the 12-week training period, presumably because the training period was obviously not enough for us to secure placements. The worst thing was the companies lack of communication and their ignoring of emails and messages when our cohort were sat awaiting news on (promised) new placement opportunities. This happened over the period of a few months before I decided to leave. The final tipping point for me, was hearing people struggling with their mental health and finances due to a lack of work placements, despite being given the perception that they would have a job soon, and the companies overall lack of empathy towards these situations.

Explore other reviews about Digital Futures

5.0
Aug 5, 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

great salary, co workers, work-life balance, and benefits.

Cons

There wasn't very many cons

2.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The product and service offering at Digital Futures is strong, and the Consultants doing the actual work are talented. If the business were run well, HQ could be a great place to build a career in Recruitment/SaaS.

Cons

I joined to build the UK defence practice from scratch, which I did with no existing pipeline or relationships. Progress was solid and feedback from my direct manager was consistently positive throughout my tenure. Despite this, my probation was informally extended multiple times with no formal explanation. I later learned the CEO had decided unilaterally that no one would pass probation without completing a transaction. In enterprise defence sales, where procurement cycles routinely run to 12 months or more, this expectation is completely disconnected from how the market works. It was never communicated upfront. I would not have accepted this role if this criteria was clear from the start. Decision making flows poorly in both directions. Concerns raised by the CEO filter down through multiple layers before reaching the relevant person, and information travelling upward from employees goes through the same chain in reverse. Context and nuance are lost either way. By the time anything reaches the person who needs it, it has been shaped by whoever is in the middle. This creates an environment where people are managed on incomplete information and where the instinct becomes self-protection rather than collaboration. The CEO also has a rude habit of walking away mid-conversation, which is a small but telling detail about the culture of respect at the top of the organisation. The SLT dynamic compounds this. Accountability is inconsistent and there is a tendency for self-protection over honest problem solving. For anyone in a long-cycle or relationship-led role, be aware that results may not be measured in a way that reflects the reality of your market.

1
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All