What does the PA 'on-boarding' course consist of?Where does it take place?Is it worthwhile or just a corporate initiation?

Pretty standard induction fare for these big firms (better than many who only do half-day induction in fact).It covers firm history, practices, leadership, initiatives, CSR, values, etc. A lot of it you'll know from research you did for your application so it's less about learning and more about networking with other new joiners.Some people would say that building those initial networks is valuable for the future. Others would say it's an unproductive waste of time.

As above, though there are also some introduction to consulting courses and practical case studies.Not useful to everyone, but treat it as a week of networking and socialising if none of it is new.

its a week long boozing session. its also for hr to show that they are useful.

Having joined firms with and without an induction week, I think it's worthwhile.It saves you wandering around introducing yourself at random and means you get a reasonable circle of acquaintances to start you off rather than having to wheedle your way into each existing clique separately.