Company: EY
Date: 2008-09-30
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former

If you consider yourself to be BRIGHT and Creative and are Ambitious, and Enterprising do not work for a BIG 4 firm.
Pros: E&Y gives 3 weeks vacation, and since all employees have laptops, the ability to work remotely exists, though flexible schedules vary by team; and is not supported by most Partners and executive directors. It's a great job to have on one's resume; this can open doors at other firms when one decides to leave.
Cons: The no.1 reason people on the auditing AND tax side leave is: burdensome workload (1 person doing the job of 3 people), and lack of promotion/bonus. Really bright people (especially males) leave after a year or two for opportunities where they are given real leadership, new business knowledge and MUCH larger compensation packages. Working on "Global teams" means working with India where the slug work is farmed out, and not done to anyone's satisfaction because the turnover rate is VERY high there. Frustration levels are the highest in corporate America outside of the legal profession. Long hours, lots and lots of mind-numbing grunt work for all but the Partners. Compensation is VERY uneven. There are admins who make more than managers. Not common, but there are examples of this. VERY HIGH turnover of managers and seniors. Most leave because they are expected to balance more and more clients with little support for $10k more a year if promoted after a few years of toiling at their level. The respect factor is very low for subordinates at all levels. Managers are treated like children' not to mention those below that title. Promotions are given to those who are basically "server" types who can manage the work with little complaint. NOT A PLACE FOR BRIGHT people seeking to make creative contributions to teams. In other words, the opposite of the GOOGLE workplace. If you do as your told despite how inefficient the process may be, and you'll get along just fine. Contrary to outside belief, Ivy League graduates are far and few between at this firm. There is not enough to attract them to work there.