I have been offered a job in PWC in the consulting area. They offer me exactly the same money as I currently earn and I am not sure whether it is the right move or not. I work as a consultant in a Teleco company.

Congrats on getting the offer. PWC generally have pretty high standards. They are a good company to work for - regrouping on the consulting side since the IBM deal. If the package is not negotiable (have you checked?), you obviously need to decide how important that is. Plus there are a host of other questions to consider: Did you like the people you met? Do you really understand the type of work you'll be doing? What current projects are they working on? What is the career progression process? Where does this fit in with your longer term plans? Why did you apply in the first place? Why leave your current employer? And most importantly, what is your gut reaction to the offer? That's always a good indicator...

RecruitGal in your humble opinion, what are the best three consulting firms for a fresh graduate to start their consulting career based upon remuneration, training and career prospects. Cheers

Well, that's tricky to say. Most of the big firms are much of a muchness when it comes to the three things you've mentioned. It really depends on what sort of culture you are likely to thrive in. There is a world of difference in working for Accenture and working for PA, for example. You should also consider some of the smaller niche consultancies where the brand might not be as strong, but where you could potentially get early responsibility beyond that offered to a standard grad scheme entrant at the Big 6. Remember that some of the firms don't extend their grad scheme to their consulting business. Try looking at the Times Best Graduate Employers report. The big consultancy firms are usually in there...

The culture is really great. Hard to believe it for a consulting company. For example, flexible hours, work location etc There is no way to negotiate a better deal. They only increased their offer by 1k which makes it a few hundred pounds more than my current salary. Progression can be fairly fast (depending on performance) and the opportunities are there. What I want to do is consulting and I need the exposure to a wider customer base, thing that I do not get in my current company. It is just disappointing that the package is not that good. I will also have to move to London (or commute) so my net salary will be lower. The question is: Having PWC on my CV will it help me have a better career progress in the medium to longer run? Thanks

The issues on the package are unfortunate, but PWC looks good on a CV, regardless of which your specialism is. And while your official base will be London, I imagine that you will be out and about with clients most of the time, which could take you anywhere! Good luck...

I wouldn't worry too much about the employer's brand name. Plenty of people have stayed in appalling positions at IBM, Accenture, and EDS just because it supposedly looks good on a CV. What is much more important is the type of work you are doing, and what your own personal contribution has been to the success of the project. Don't be seduced by the brand name.

Tend to agree. The culture looks great and the job quite interesting. I am failry unhappy with my job at the moment and I really think I need a change. I have been working with my company for 3 and a bit years. Isn't this a good time to move on? I also have other interviews plans mainly with other technology companies. The money is very good but what what I am thinking is that variery of clients and type of work is a priority and only a consulting firm can offer this to me.

If you want to work for a consulting firm John, why not go for the higher paying "purer consulting" firms such as PA or Arthur D Little?

This opporunity came up before anything else. Besides the culture in PWC is really great. I failed to get a job in Accenture, the culture in IBM is a big NO and I have not tried PA yet. PA does not have offices in my home country so no prospects for me moving there in the future. What do you think?

I am mystified why, if the culture of PwC appeals so much, you even went knocking on Accenture's door. It sounds like the environment in which you are already in would only be worsened by working at a technology oriented sweatshop like ACN. The culture of PwC is great, and make no mistake about it, PwC Consulting (under whatever guise it is operating in your country - PI Consulting etc)is a serious player in the consulting market. If the money isn't that great for you - be reassured that this company is rewarding is so many other ways. I used to work for another Big 4, but will never make that mistake again. Give yourself a break for a couple of years - join PwC and consult at the top table whilst still having a lifestyle that suits you. But don't tell everybody, PwC PI Consulting is a serious secret, and we wouldn't want everybody trying to join, because then we'd become like all the others that went down the tubes, DC, Atos, IBM etc.

I have been offered a place in PI Consulting in London. Is it worth joining even if this results in less money for me? If i reject an offer now can I still knock on PWCs door in let's say 6-12 months down the line?

Depends how much you value hard cash. But, time spent in London is not great - PwC always go out of their way to resource engagements with people who live closest to the client site. With the official work from home policy, the location of your base office is almost irrelevent - other than for social engagements of course (of which there are more than at most consultancies)! Flexible benefits allowances tend to be more generous than competitors too. So look at the package and a whole and come to your decision. I cannot say what the reaction would be to rejection followed by another approach in 12 months' time however. Like most outfits they may be averse to spending time on you again if they perceive a higher than average chance of rejection. What I do know is that promotion within PIC can be very swift - so in 12 months you could be back to your current salary anyway, but with a better lifestyle. Ah, the agony of choice. Bon chance!

Hi John,Here's my 2cents...PwC has a great culture and is a great place to work at, it's a lot of fun and their social functions are always well organised. It's great to party with a whole bunch of people e.g. christmas parties! Work/life balance is great etcThe pay is not exactly top of the market if u compare with other consulting firms out there but if u want a work/life balance then PwC would be a good place to work at.Whilst saying that, I think you should seriously consider what your priorities in life are. Are you career-ambitious? or do you prefer living a stable life?I think PwC is good in terms of some consulting work, from what I've seen before, PI work is not really 'pure' consulting as some posters have mentioned. It's more advisory work which is review & reporting. They're not doing the implementation work yet nor are they doing pure strategy type of work (they might in the future but not now that's for sure) It's good in terms of obtaining core consulting skills but it depends what you want to do in the future.Another thing I always find is that PwC (and the other big 4) is best known as an accounting firm. At the end of the day, my personal experience tells me that there's always a stigma attached to it and people think of you as an 'accountant' no matter what you say you do. Not everyone thinks that of course but PwC is much more well known as that. It's the same thing as working for Accenture or IBM..people will most likely think IT Consulting...So it really depends what you want to do in terms of consulting..is it implementation you're interested in? Is it advisory? Is it strategy? etc etc...from then on, I think you can target where you should go.Whilst thinking about all that, it should also be noted that PwC would be a great place to start off to gain the core skills. I sure did that when I was working there. My opinion is take the offer (since you don't like what you do now anyways) then work a couple of years, then move on to something else (if you want). PwC is a good name to have on your CV but it is not the best. As mentioned, it really depends on what you want to achieve in your career! Good Luck!Sorry if offended anyone on the post..just my personal opinion!

All,Thanks for your responses. Today things became even more complicated. My company is offering me a £10k pay rise! £5k in July and another £5k in September. If i move to PWC I will be receiving £9k less. The question is: Is it worth moving now or shall I stick around and look for something with better money? I am interested in consulting and I don't mind hard work but I would not go for silly hours even if the money was great. Do you happen to know what % pay rise one should expect when moving from Executive to Manager level? I am interesting in the advisory/strategy aspect of consulting not implementation. Is PWC the only consultancy company out there with a good work life balance?I need to get back to them by tomorrow!!!!!!!

Pay rises at PwC depend on your end of year appraisal rating. Do well - get promoted to manager and you'd be looking at 15% or so, plus a huge increase in benefits allowance. Do mediocre, 7%. Getting promoted @ PwC is currently not a problem. If you want to consult - make the move - you will be back to where you would have been next year.

I would go against the previous posters recommendation. Why move for less money ? What happens in 6 months if it doesn't work out? You'll be back in the market again with a lower base salary. This is a point of principle for me. Don't be bullied into responding by today by PwC. Lay your cards on the table to them, and ask for more time most likely until September. They are professional businessmen, and will understand it. If they offer you a take it or leave it approach, well then that's probably not the sort of place that I'd want to work for. As for other places with decent WBL, look at E&Y, KPMG, or PA. Never move for less money, and a promise of jam tomorrow though

What salary can I realistically aim for with 3.5 years of experience. In my current company I will be on £45k salary + £5k car allowance by September. I also have a 10-15% bonus. This is serious money! My starting salary in PWC will be 41k (no car allowance). According to the PWCer if I join PWC it is very likely that I will get there by next July (when they pay reviews take place)?How likely is that i get this or more money in other consulting companies with a good work-life balance?I am disapointed that PWC offered me this position and this money. Feel like I have been underestimated.

Sounds to me like you're being well underpaid. By rights you should be coming into consultancy with your sort of background at some where between 40 and 50. They've definitely low balled you there. As I say, put your cards on the table, and ask them to defer your offer. PwC won't go down the tubes because one employee is putting off a start date. In the meantime, collect your bonus from your current employer and talk to E&Y, KPMG, and PA. Don't fall for that long term commitment baloney. When the market cools, PwC have a reputation for dropping their staff like a stone.

I tend to agree. I cannot believe they cannot match the minimum of my salary. It seems they have underestimated me to some extend. Culture still great though.

So what did you do in the end John ? What did PwC say ?

I finally joined them. They offered me slightly more but not much. I had to make a call based on culture, name, prospects. I will tell you whether it was the right move or not in a few months.

So...how did it work out? I'm interviewing with PwC, read your thread with interest and would love to hear how things panned out.

You're asking for a response to a thread thats 18 months old!

Hi it's me John, yeah, worked out fine.Have jacked it in to become a truffle hunter in the hills of France though, got a loan from Theo Fajhita off Dragon's Den to set up a business I've called the Truffle Shuffle.The work is better, I'm outside all day and work in beautiful surroundings, though most nights I have to spend a couple of hours picking dirt from my nose.TTFN!

John, It is interesting in reading this thread. I am in a very simliar position as you a year ago - got an offer from PWC and puzzled about whether to move or not.How do you like the work in PWC after a year? have it met you expectation?Thanks to share some experiences