Company: Deloitte
Date: 2014-05-07
Overall rating: 3/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Good place to get experience, but not a fun or engaging place to work
Pros: Compensation is good compared to other accounting firms (but poor compared to pure strategy/mgmt. consulting firms).  At junior levels (A to SC) you are compensated well compared to peers with similar years experience in industry, but M and above you can make just as much if not more in industry.  IMO the culture of pushing all work down actually benefits junior folks in some ways because they get to lead projects, interact with executives, etc.  But, with the 'extras' you don't have much of a life outside work.  The firm does attached a lot of good people, so you are likely to make some good, life long connections.
Cons: IMO the motto (Value to Client and Value to People) is a joke.  This is true, but only after Value to Partners.  If your, or heaven forbit, your clients needs get in the way of a Partner...the Partner wins.  This taks the form of being told to take projects you don't want, being sign-up for internal projects you don't want or have time to do, being extended when you don't want, etc...all to make sure the Partner can make their numbers.  There is no such thing as work-life balance.  At Deloitte there is a saying among Partners/Directors called "nights and weekends".  This is when "staff" are asked to do all the extras they have to do to get higher performance ratings, higher bonuses, and promotions.  If you want to get ahead/get paid you will do the work.  Deloitte seems to have a retention issue between 3-5 years.  They lose a lot of people at this time frame because they burn out.  After 5 years, people are generally hooked or stuck.