Company: PwC
Date: 2010-04-22
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: current

Lack of most things one would want to find from a consulting practice (i.e. talent, structure, comp, meritocracy, etc.)
Pros: WORK/LIFE BALANCE (though the very comparably small salaries shouldn't command even the 50-70 hour weeks worked) 

NICE OFFICES, GLOBAL LOCATIONS
Cons: LACK OF COMPENSATION / LACK OF MERITOCRACY / LACK OF TRANSPARENCY re: PROMOTION, COMP (A high rating is achievable two ways: one can do some really extraordinary things, like sell a multi-million dollar client project as a senior associate or receive some sort of congressional medal or one can achieve a solid rating the old fashioned way – schmoozing and being a boys club member. To make matters worse, only those with a rating of 1 or 2 (of 4) will even receive a meager bonus and salary increase barely extending beyond inflation. Compensation is all over the place - managers, who are only below directors and partners, can make anywhere from a measly 80K to a not too impressive 160K, though one should expect something in the low 100s.)

LACK OF TALENT (PwC recruits its Advisory talent from the same pool as it does its Audit practice; and while their Audit practice is just fine, you're not going to find the talent that you'll find from top firms, like McKinsey or Bain. Think more along the lines of frat kids in button-downs.)

TOO MUCH ADMIN WORK (Think your regular 50-70 hours of client work and then tack on an additional 10 hours [if we spread out the hours over the year] that you will need to spend on "training," invoicing, project budgeting, continuing education credits, and other admin work. Since PwC is such a large company, our back-office functions are slow to respond, disorganized, and absolutely unhelpful.)

RESTRICTIONS BECAUSE PWC IS PRIMARILY AN AUDIT FIRM (Once promoted to a manager, you'll have to sell off any stock you and your family directory manage if the invested company is a restricted entity; and since PwC audits the majority of the companies you'd want to invest in, chances are, you won't be able to invest in much. The audit aspect of PwC's practice makes investing really cumbersome.)