One thing i've noticed at my owrk is that the partners work a hell of a lot, i dont know how long but i was wondering what sort of lifetyle a partner would expect to have?Is it all work and no play? Is it worth it? Is it a 7days a week kind of thing or mon-fri as consulting tends to be further down the ladder?

Our partners work very hard. After all, it takes a lot of time to count those big piles of money.

I guess depending on how you look at it, it can be all work or all play. Partners live and breathe all the deals and it's not like they can just take a 2-week vacation and completely forget about what their job is. But that being said, I believe the hours depend on the nature of the business and whether there are certain cycles of busy seasons. I've received e-mails from partners at 6AM and at other times they show up at 10:30AM and leave at 4.

All kidding aside, partners do work hard -- particularly those who are new to the partnership. But that makes sense, as it is THEIR business and they get out what they put in. The way they are incentivised and rewarded drives the behaviour: bottom-line improvement goes straight into their pocket.As it's often said: attaining partnership is like winning a pie-eating contest where the prize is more pie. It's not all golf and spa days.

Thanks,I was just a bit concerned that when i see them i'm not sure it's something i aspire to. They look terrible, are all divorced, work all the hours of the day and night and generally dont have a life outside of work. If that's the pinnacle of consulting, I think i'm in the wrong game!

If they are only divorced once, they must be new to it. Consulting firms are maintained by the economic drive of the partners who need to ensure that their 8 children and 3 ex wives are supported