Pros and cons off starting a consulting career with PAs SDS group?
Moving from industry with 3 years experience doing project and internal strategy work
Thanks
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PA used to be one of the most talked about firms on the site. However, they had a higher reliance on public sector contracts than most firms and so I understand were particularly hard hit when the economy was put into austerity mode. As a consequence I believe headcount fell quite considerably - and certainly we've seen very little hiring activity taking place there over the last years.
So I wouldn't read too much into the radio silence, I just suspect there aren't that many people who've recently made the leap from industry into PA - and therefore not much response likely to such a question.
Tony Restell
Founder, http://www.Top-Consultant.com and http://www.Social-Hire.com
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PA is a great co to work for. very experienced partners, some of them ex-CEOs of small-mid size companies, salary at par with big 4s, decent cash bonus and on top of it share options, high quality work particularly in SDS practice, opportunity to work across Europe with blue chip clients...to list a few benefits. join without hesitation
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I left PA c.2 years ago and It really wasn't a pleasant place to work at the time, plenty of miserable people, thing may have changed but the culture was really pretty awful at the time!
That said, I got some good experience out of them and my role now is great - so depends upon your situation. Also, practices vary considerably in terms of prospects and culture.
Lastly, Tony is absolutely right PA has been very hard hit by the down turn in public spending, they did earn c. 50% of their revenue from the state, not sure what it is now but have a look at the financials on their site - suspect they are not showing healthy growth!
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Platinum award winners at the 2012 Management Consultancy Awards. Great place to work. Great people, entrepreneurial spirit, freedom of action, fantastic clients.
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Platinum award winners at the 2012 Management Consultancy Awards. Great place to work. Great people, entrepreneurial spirit, freedom of action, fantastic clients.
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And this is coming straight from the HR department!
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Gisbornius I suspect to be a "management" droid, and deluded.
PA consulting is not a nice company in which to work.
Their behaviour towards staff is disgraceful, using their sneaky "PIP" process to "manage out" anyone they wish to get rid of thus avoiding payment of redundancy and tribunals, avoiding proper transparent and ethical HR standards. - ask anyone who has been on the wrong end of it.
Terrible reputation amongst ex-employees - just read the numerous past posts.
In my opinion, management are just a self obsessive sycophantic boys club, peddlars of 80's trite "hoorray to us" powerpoint-based sound bites" and naff "internal staff chivvying" claptrap.
imo, you will learn little of any outside value.
AVOID.
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Nonsense! PA is better than MBB.
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As a de-toilet consultant the only thing I can say on this matter is has anyone noticed that an anagram of PA Consulting is "Lunatics Pong" might be some toilet problem there- maybe I should give them a call :-)
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Ianke the best thing that could ever happen to PA now is for it to be acquired and quietly broken up, merged into other business lines, so that eventually people will look back on PA in their glory days.
As much as I hate to put the knife in, as a firm they aren't even an serious option anymore.
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Are you kidding me? PA is the best outfit there is - no one else comes close. They get a big portion of UK public projects. You can only get these projects if you are great. So, PA is great.
Great Scott! LOL!
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They get a lot of a little. And that's a lot. Of not a lot.
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Sounds like lyrics from a Carly Ray Jefferson song ;)
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Maybe they play Seasick Steve in the offices...
'I started out with nothing and still have most of it left'
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Where have all my friends gone - (couldn't find lost in a datastick anywhere !)
The Jayhawks -"Blue" sounds relevant
They've all disappeared
Turned around maybe one day
You're all that was there
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Maybe the Manic Street Preachers will pen 'Management Consulting Emptiness' for them, or 'You (Don't) Love Us'.
Or maybe just 'From Despair to Where?'
Guess gotta be Manics fan (I am)
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SDS is PAs strategy and analytics practice. PA doesn't really do strategy work. Analytics skills are hot, so if you have that you should be able to find a better position at another consultancy
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If you are happy to work in obscure parts of the public sector, then PA is for you.
Do they still have cameras over every consultants desk? They are paranoid about monitoring staff.
Not a nice place to work.
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Corporate office environments usually have controllable Cameras, installed for "your security",
"corporate screen savers" could be configured to monitor staff and RECORD time, date and the duration each time you are "away from your desk"..sending back data to "CENTRAL CONTROL".
I'm would think if staff are fully made totally aware and accept its use and of the information kept/data protection, and accept that then no issue.
of course, some companies have had a few "minor" problems in publically losing a shed load of personal and confidential data in the past which they have been entrusted with.
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- very quiet on here. no happy PA consulting staff left eh?
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PA consulting in the US is quite different from PA in the UK. It is quite unknown publicly in the US however has better projects and also much fewer projects in the public sector.
The culture in the US offices is more laid back and collegial and better comp package
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Usa usa usa
Pa also allow sub machine guns if you are senior consultant or above and you are allowed to shoot anyone with a wandering usb dongle !
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and their office is in famous chrysler building.
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and nukes to partners in the US
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PA is the best. And no, I am not joking.
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