Guys, any thoughts on the quality of roles, long-term career growth and salaries between the two?I am with ACN F&PM now (M1), relatively happy but slight bored due to lack of interesting projects.

I used to work at Acc and now work at PwC - A big difference is that PwC is a partnership, accenture is just a public company. You cannot become a partner as such at accenture and don't get the ownership benefits that go with this. In the short term though the salary at accenture is probably higher and they are quicker to respond to market conditions (sack people in a down turn and take them on in an upturn). But, PwC is expanding quickly even in this market, overall I understand Acc has been laying people off. The big 4 all have great expansion possibilities and this can only be a threat the Acc/IBM etc. For promotions you need to join an expanding firm. Besides, PwC is a much more enjoyable company to work for.

Really. I heard PWC was full of people wearing badly knotted novelty ties.Ho hum.

So a good approach would be move to PWC at senior manager? How big is the difference in pay for new partners at both firms? It's definately important to consider!

Depends if you're money driven at all - below engagement director grade PWC PIC pays substantially less than the competition, Accenture included. I was offered there 18 months ago at Senior Manager grade and was literally gobsmacked at how low they were trying to pitch. Reading around the forums and this is confirmed. Probably a nicer culture than Accenture F&PM all the same.

well, I am very much money-driven (isn't that the only certain thing about a job offer? ;-)I'll go thru the interviews, see how much they can offer and then decide.. btw..in what way is the culture at PWV 'nicer'?

Less cut-throat, less up and out - once you're in at PWC you're less likely to be shouldered out in a downturn, just a nicer culture to work in. I worked in PWC PIC for 2 years but left as the money became a serious issue - it felt like i was being paid a grade below market rate for no apparent reason i.e. company doing well, billing rates up there with the best of them.

If you're purely money-driven then why are you focusing on the worst payer in the market? Talk about a glutton for punishment. They're a reasonable brand, nothing special though and at the end of the day as noted earlier it's an accounting firm. If you're wanting more cash then look at Deloitte.

obviously cash now is important but the potential partnership is vital, you need to develop a strong internal as well as external network to get that, rolling stones and all. It might be better to chose an employer which has the best long term potential for you not just short term. And with PwC recruiting in the current market (compare to others) and stating very high ambitions (see the Times) there is a lot of room for promotion. Acn will provide you with a great opportunity to toughen yourself up mind... what doesn't kill you....

Hmmm....word on the street is that PWC are looking to fill with cheap resource. Many areas are top heavy so the focus is on using their brand to attract quality lower-level resource at below market rates - using the "brand" and poor market conditions to justify this. Obviously every firm expects its pound of flesh but these guys are trying to pull a fast one with this tactic.

In PwC PIC “finance effectiveness” is a core service line: in Accenture it will always be a side show. Therefore no contest from a career development and project POV. Accenture salaries aren't what they were but PwC aren't great either. The other problem you would have is that they call senior managers (ie grade below director) "Senior Consultant" which looks rubbish on your CV.

hi there, having moved from ACN to PWC I can only confirm that the culture is very different here. Although money is vital, you still have to spend 8-12h of your day there, so....from my time at both, PWC gives you more autonomy to do things your way, and is more flexible timewise (ie work from home etc)Titles for PIC should be realigned globally so the 'Senior Consultant' should disappear pretty soon...Can't confirm pay differences as I'm not UK, but from what I've seen they are willing to negotiate (not the standard 'but that's our grid')good luckprofblaumann