Vantaggi
Please note that Accenture has two different and mostly separate career tracks. One is called 'Management Consulting' and the other 'Strategy Consulting'. The difference is that MC has a significantly lower base salary than SC but (at least in theory) you get overtime paid. For SC, on the other hand, overtime is included in the salary. I worked in MC, so I can only speak for MC. - Signalling effect: potential employers know that you don't mind working long hours - Accenture is well known, especially in North America. - Good start to change to a smaller firm or go to the client side after a few years - Depending on the client, you can sometimes get through with only as much as a 50 hour work week. - I have calculated my hourly wage with around 12.50 EUR, which is not at all bad for the Consulting industry in Germany.
Svantaggi
- Most and biggest projects have a strong focus on implementation. -> Outsourcing and body-shopping rather than actual consulting work. Not a place for smart people. - In some industries strong dependence on only a few clients. Employees are let go when 'diamond clients' go through a hard time financially. - In MC, you have a low base salary but get extra compensation for all overtime you put in. However, you are expected to work on internal projects (such as business development tasks) as well as non-client-related administrative tasks in your free time, meaning that you cannot charge those hours and therefore don't get the extra pay which totally defeats the point. - Accenture is very hierarchical and communication is mostly top-down. - Analysts are mostly used for data processing tasks or to work on ppt presentations. - People higher up are often times under high pressure and sleep deprived. They can become verbally abusive or threatening. - I've heard of multiple instances where new hires were let go after six months or less for no apparent reason.