Company: PwC
Date: 2008-06-11
Overall rating: 4/5
Employment status: current

Great for professional development, not so good for work/life balance.
Pros: PwC is a fantastic place to work for learning, professional development and international opportunities.  The senior staff are experts in their field and they are always willing to help.  There are also numerous structured learning opportunities, such as the annual Advisory University, run for professional advisory staff across the country, serving as both a technical training and networking event.  The technical networks are very well established and serve as an excellent foundation for finding the best (and right) answer quickly and efficiently.  On numerous occasions, having such a solid network enables the efficient completion of core client deliverables and allows more time to pursue the true 'added value' tasks that differentiate working for a large firm to others.
Cons: The work/life balance as discussed a great deal at PwC, but in practice is rarely given any real chance at coming into existence.  Long hours are not uncommon, and it is standard practice to expect staff to travel long distances in their own time (4am Monday to 11pm Friday is not an uncommon week).  The most hardworking staff are adequately compensated from a pay perspective, but this doesn't take into account the loss of family time, lost interaction with friends and the inability to plan a social life and take advantage of the entertainment options that New York has to offer.