Pros
- Exposure to mid to high level investment banking management (but mainly limited to phone and email, with the rare face to face meeting) - Technically a part of BCG (but this has no real effect apart from looking good on the CV) - Most colleagues are approachable when it comes to asking questions, provided you don't ask the same one twice - Opportunities to get involved with many different projects from other parts of the business - Great place for a junior person to start their career as it provides all the basic training someone needs when starting an office job, i.e. email and phone etiquette, especially when communicating with clients - Skills in Excel, SQL and Powerpoint will be rapidly improved at this company due to the nature of the work
Cons
- Members of mid level management (many of whom have been there for years) don't always treat others, namely subordinates, with proper respect and courtesy. I would go so far as to say there have been occasions of plain rude outbursts in the middle of the office. - Some mid level managers are incredibly good when it comes to the analytical side of their jobs, but their people and managerial skills leave something to be desired - Efficiency tends to take a back seat since work is repeated over and over again, often needlessly, due to disagreements between senior management - The pay is not competitive as the company states on job adverts, as other companies (not just competitors) will pay a significant premium compared to Expand - An all around gossipy environment to work in - The London office is very small and unimpressive with the meeting rooms having paper thin walls (which provides very little privacy when discussing sensitive matters) - The retention rate is ridiculously high, so much so that you will find that half of the people you met on your first day will be gone within your first year - 6 months is the maximum time you need to work here to master all the skills the company has to offer