Company: Deloitte
Date: 2021-05-06
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current
Experience level: Junior

Consultant
Pros: Work with the best

The Big 4 only hire the best and brightest, so you will be working with some of the most talented and motivated individuals in the industry every day. You will also collaborate with individuals from different departments throughout the business, both locally and internationally, meaning you will be exposed to a lot of new areas fast and will learn something new every day. This makes sometimes very long workdays (we’ll get to that later) much more enjoyable.

 

 Amazing Clients

In your first year as an Associate/Assistant, you will be exposed to processes and controls with some of the largest and most prestigious businesses in the world. The simple breadth and quality of the clients at a Big 4 is unrivalled, so no matter where you go your experience will be completely unique.

 

 Flexibility

Outside of busy season and when you are not engaged with a client, you will have a large amount of flexibility to work where and when you want. This means outside commitments, like family responsibilities, can be met much of the year. It also means those who like to work at home or at their local coffee shop will be quite happy much of the year. The most important thing is that when there is work to do, it gets done and to a high degree of quality.

 

 Responsibility

As early as your second year, you will become directly responsible for overseeing junior staff, meaning that every day you will have one (or more) people that you are managing to a degree. This will involve managing and supervising their workload, helping them with their career development and reporting to your Manager on their progress. Very few careers offer direct managerial experience this early, and you will be able to take this experience into your next role, whether you remain with the firm or move on.

 

 Growth Opportunities
Cons: Long Hours

Ah yes, the dreaded busy season. It’s no exaggeration to say that you can work very long hours during this time to ensure that a deadline is met. This can mean working up to 11hrs every day, and occasionally at weekends. It’s rare to do this more than a few weeks out of the whole year, but it can (and does) happen.

 

 Pressure

Working for a Big 4 means that you are servicing some of the biggest corporate entities every day. This often means that client demands are bigger, and expectations are higher than you would find at mid-tier or independent accounting firms. Sometimes this means that you’ll have to work extremely hard to deliver the high quality of work expected.

 

 Travel

Outside of the current pandemic, you will normally spend a lot time out of the office visiting clients that can be a long way from home. This can often mean significant commutes or days and nights away from home. This can be exhausting after a certain amount of time.

 

 Promotion Policies

Within Big 4 firms, organisational structure is very hierarchical and promotion policies are rigid. In a lot of cases, you can’t stay at one level and moving up is not a career choice, whereas on the other hand, if the business is currently top heavy and there are many people vying for a position as well as yourself, you can find your career stifled.

 

 Lack of Variety

It’s entirely possible that you will spend the vast majority of your time on a single client, especially when they are very large and high-profile. This can limit the amount of industry experience you gain but can mean excellent career progression. Many people find this tedious after a few years. You can also sometimes find that the role you are performing is extremely niche, and this can limit where you can take your experience if you do decide to move on.