Hello, I wsa hoping someone could share some constructive information on IBM's Strategy & Change Practice. I am particularly interested at the different levels and pay grades (including bonuses) for these positions. I have 4 years experience in a Big 4 and am currently on 45k. Please, do not make fun of the firm or the practice, I am actually after some valuable advice. Thank you for helping.Susan

I'm a grade 7 and my basic is £60k. Bonus was shlt, £2k. Band 8 pay goes up to £70k-ish

Sounds about right for grade 7 and 8 salaries. Note that bonuses in IBM are small and very hard to achieve.Without trying to make fun of it - be very clear as to what you are getting into here. It is an IT consultancy not a strategy consultancy. Also they do not treat their staff well. I hated my time there.

Sorry, can you please expand on what a grade 7 / 8 is?And if you have some further insight into how "they treat staff badly" - I would be interested to know, very much appreciated. S

I left as a PRG7 on 2004, and was on £52k then !! I can't believe that salaries have risen so little since then

Um, an 8k rise from 52k to 60k is an increase of 15.4%. Either four of five annual increases have passed. Over a 4 or 5 year period, the scale of nominal payrise is level-pegging with typical personal inflation rates (compound annual increase of 2.90%-3.65%). Assuming all else is equal between the two individuals at this grade (same job, same performance, etc.), what else do you expect?

I said "they do not treat their staff well" rather than "they treat staff badly" i.e. very little support rather than actual torture.Mostly it is small irritants but there are many of them. Staff are treated as a cost.....Examples: no bonuses; no training; complex bureaucracy around everything; rigid expenses policy; lack of availability of stationnery; lack of availability of office space; having to pay for hot water in the vending machines.

Please - what is a 7 or 8? Can you quantify either in years experience or to other grades?ThanksPedro

Pedro,To put things in context - in relation to other grades as requested......a grade 7 is 1 higher than a grade 6. A grade 8 is 2 higher than a grade 6 but 1 less than a grade 9. Crucially it is also 3 higher than a grade 5 which is something and 4 higher that a grade 4 which is something else! Then again when you consider that it is 7 higher than a grade 1 that is simply awesome. Grade 7 is also 1 grade lower than grade 8 and, although impressive, 6 higher than grade 1 which is just not quite as good as the simply awesome grade 8 being 7 grades higher than grade 1.I hope that helps clarify the issue...

Thats the problem wit this forum. Clowns like the one above can post nonesense annonymously, and at very little consequence. A pity indeed.I too would like to know what extent of experience this grading is refferring to, and the specific firms this promotional structure is exclusive to.B4C

A rough guide: in ibm typically a graduate would enter at 6, an MBA at 7, an experienced hire at 8.A 9 is project managing large projects; An 8 is project manager for small/medium projects or a workstream on larger projects; a 7 is consultant grade so lots of powerpoint; a 6 takes the notes at meetings.

How much would be grade 10 salary? I got a call from a headhunter yesterday and the role is a band 10.

That's director level.£120 - 150, plus £10k bonusAll the sales pressure of being a partner, with well under half the pay

Where do you get your bandings fromGo to glassdoor.comBand 7 is where you should be 2 years post graduation, average is £33k, avaerage age is 24/26 This is irrespective of Degree/ Honours/MBA/PHD You get paid overtime at £24 - £36 per hour at band 7Band 8 is where you will be 2 years hence (your 4th year), the highest margin for IBM is at band 8, salary £42k to £60k, you DONT get overtime at band 8, IBM missed a trick here.Band 9 is £50k to about £85k, you move here once your above the pack of band 8's your measured against. This is a stressful band.Band 10 is £70k to about £100k, you get here by knowing the right people, after all qualifications dont make money, people do. Downside is that your at the mercy of the political system.Then you have the Executive bands A-D, I dont yet know how you get here, this seems shrouded in mystery. They dont leave they just 'excercise options'IBM bonus is 25% for all at Band 10 and aboveIBM bonus is 12% for all at band 9 and belowLast year was IBM's best year, and I work there, my bonus (And I am a top performer PBC1) was half of the available bonus therefore IBM in its best year and me at the top of my game = 50% of target.IBM is a reasonable place to work, the money is ok, the hours are short (37 per week), and your judged wholly on utilisation, which when you only need 37 hours to make target is fine.Your job is safe, as long as you dont work in Project Management, Back Office or Service Management which are all due for a chop and shift to the ends of the earth any day now, as thats where the smart IT people are.And yes Strategy , or IT Strategy is viable, as lets face it how many other IT outfits are doing as well......Anyway, back to my shiny new job........I work in Finance ....You may have guessed that by now...

When I was there you might work 50 or 60 hours on a project. However you could only book 37 hours. So bizarrly you could work enough hours to hit utilization target but it was not recognised!

In what way is that bizarre?Utliisation is supposed to measure chargeability, not busy-ness.Like most other things it all comes down to revenue. It doesn't matter whether you are busy or not, only if you are chargeable.Fairly obvious point about consulting that you should have realised by now.

In IBM partners tend to quote based on days worked and assume that you will be working a 10-12 hour day. The extra hours (above 7 per day) don't count towards targets but they are effectively part of the project delivery.In addition you are frequently expected to contribute to project proposals off-time sheet i.e. with no credit.

Could you expand on that please? 60 hours a week sounds a lot for IBM.... and 37 surprisingly little? is it that it is so big that everyone's experience may vary?Also, what are they like on benefits, travel expenses and holidays?I really appreciate your help, its invaluablePedro

I would also like to know this pleaseMike

Me too pleaseJuan

I can only comment on my personal experience at IBM. I did not meet anyone who worked only 37 hours a week during a project.Of course it is a big company so there may be different experiences in some areas?

i am a senior consultant (band 7) in GBS and work mon - thurs on client site. typically arrive about 10 on monday & leave about 5 on thurs. i then work @ home or in the head office on fri. whilst on client site i work from about 8.00 - 19.00 each day. and on friday work about 6/7 hours. my basic is £50-55k . i got a 'good' bonus rating this year & my bonus was 6%. i get a car allowance along with other nominal benefits. i get 25 days p/a.

Thank you for your reply. Why do they say you can have up to 35 days holidays? And also can you quantify your car allowance?Thanks I appreciate your help very much!S

you can buy up to an additional 10 days a year - therefore 35 days. can't remember what my car allowance is but its not huge - about £350 a month.

How does on get car allowance? Does it just kick in at level 7?

I was just made an offer for strategy and change - level 8, 60k and usual trimmings. Im worried about the hours - I come from a more pressurised environment where I was working 60+ hours a week and definetely dont want to return to that. Is there anyone else that can contribute to the 37 vs. 60 hours a week debate?Thank youJim

Bumped ! score!

As mentioned above I'm a PRG 7 on £60k basic. I work generally 45 hours each week whilst on client site.There is the odd day where I do a 12 hour day, but its rare.

Here’s my contribution to the working hours discussion…I work for IBM and I’m currently on a big project in London. When I joined the project I was told that the working hours would be 9-5, but that’s not what the reality is. The expectation (from both client and IBM) is that you occasionally work late and also (volunteer to) do some weekend work. If you are not working late, at least you need to be seen to do so, if you want to make a good impression. Needless to say there are a lot of people surfing the web late afternoon…According to my experience it pretty much depends on the project and the project manager what kind of hours you end up doing. They do like you to put in extra time on client site to demonstrate commitment and loyalty and unless you do this, it is difficult to get noticed and promoted. In that sense, I don't think IBM is different from any other consultancy.In addition to the work on client site, everyone is also expected to do internal work (i.e. giveback) to IBM. This could be assisting HR with recruitment activities, helping out with running training courses etc. Ideally this should be done in your own time.

I would like to know if anybody knows what are the bands and salaries in Brasil for Project Management.Is there a standard salary range ?Thanks,Andre A

In the BRIC countries IBM is rapidly seeking Project Managers and Service Managers together with back office staff, as a process is a process.I would think that you will get a good rate, I cannot comment on what it is as the bands in BRIC are from 4-8 (Highest band is a 9 and its not in Brasil)

hi,Does anyone have any information about whether IBM are hiring or not? I'm thinking about IT strategy consulting. Nothing much on the careers website. Anyone recomend any good recruitment agencies that have had sucess in placing people with IBM? I have 5 years experience in IT in finanical services.Thanks,A

if you want a good salary from IBM, you have to goto the bric countries. Only exception to that is usa.