Company: PwC
Date: 2009-10-28
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: former

PwC Transaction Services...an ok place to spend 4 years
Pros: Working at a Big 4 based consulting group (e.g., Transaction Services aka TS) will help you develop a 'jack of all trades' skill set. Generally speaking most people learn & develop the following after ~5 years: a team-based attitude, strong accounting skills, sharp financial analysis skills, above average writing skills, and public speaking/presentation abilities. If one wants to make it to Sr Mgr/Director or Partner than being able to accumulate friends at that Partner level is paramount. At some point politics/bureaucratic tendencies become just as important as the other required skills.
Cons: Generally speaking working at a Big Four consulting group like PwC TS can pigeonhole you should you want to transition into the more sophisticated areas of finance that include banking, trading, private equity and/or equity research. Additionally the more junior you are the less fair your pay will be; partially this is offset by robust amounts of vacation you will receive. Do not expect a good bonus; it can happen but the bonus mentality in Big Four firms barely rewards the younger staff in proportion to the effort they contribute. Lastly due to nature of client service the requirement to work long hours is typically inevitable at some point...be prepared to put your time in as you work your way up.