Pros
For context, I was a trainee in the Audit Assurance department for almost 2 years. The staff were extremely nice and easy to get on with. Managers and senior staff were very understanding and helpful whenever possible. Many of the issues raised below were a result of poor project planning or understaffing or issues which affect firms of this nature. In my time there I did not have or hear of any major issues between staff barre one. Exam support was a priority for the firm and courses/grinds were provided to all. Study leave was also generous. From what I can gather these experiences are par-the-course for any training contract in any large accounting firm and provide excellent experience. Mazars was particularly good for providing a varied work experience also which meant working on vastly different types of businesses and on different sections of each.
Cons
Salary was very poor when compared to other firms and also did not scale well throughout the training contract. Positions beyond trainee were also poorly paid even when compared to much smaller firms I had previously worked in. There was no overtime awarded either unless you were required to work on national holidays. In lieu of this study leave was awarded in advance but many believed they would have earned this time and then some if the arrangement would have been a more traditional one (as typically firms expect you to earn study leave via overtime). Work hours were extremely long and stressful and this was not disclosed up front. Individuals were regularly given excessive work which they could not complete in regular time and were expected to work late/early or on weekends. What was quite unsettling about the situation was that these issues were never addressed explicitly and it was just seen as an 'unwritten rule' of the department. In the experience of my piers and I this was due to constant understaffing. Some line managers had issues with boundaries with regards to contacting hours, workloads and time frames. Training was very poor and ineffective both in terms of tool utilisation and basic work management. Tools like Excel were underutilised and new entrants would only receive the most basic of functions to use in theory day-to-day. When this issue or more advanced questions were brought to senior members of staff individuals would be instructed to do tasks in a laborious manner because no one would know how to use macros or more advance formula combinations. Induction training would be done in large week or two week blocks and would nearly every time result in trainees retaining no practical knowledge.