I have noticed nothing but pure negativity on this forum when it comes to EY BAS, which may or may not be warranted - I really don't know.I been invited to interview with them and was wondering if I should bother at all - can anyone give any positive feedback about BAS or should I believe the hype and stay well clear? Perhaps I could use it as a mock interview?

I'd be very interested in people's reponses as well - I've been offered a position in BAS but don't know if I should accept.

Its very very bad. They have had many failings, all documented ad nauseum below. My advice: dont join a sinking ship - even if the 15% over market pay seems attractive at first! Just look at the post below - even thier bap's are leaving!

This forum makes me laugh sometimes but there's only so far you can let stuff go unchallenged. I'd like to know what actual evidence he's basing his comments on other than comments made on an unattributable web forum.What I read about BAS on this site is a long long way from my experience at the firm in the last six months. I like the people I work with and as far as I can see everyone is busy building a practice we can be proud of.Go to the interview, meet the people, make up your own mind but don't be put off by unsubstantiated comments on a web forum.

I agree with the above. EY BAS is just as good as everywhere else - if the culture fits it's a winner for you. If it doesn't then why did you join? Seems to me that a lot of people have joined a developing, growing business where they have a chance to shape it and make a contribution only to moan and belittle the lack of structure and process. Isn't it these people who are fools for not understanding what they are joining, why they are joining and generally whinging about it rather than doing something. These very few people easily stand out in BAS and not for the right reasons. Of course, it is also a matter of the firms losing people to BAS nad deliberately posting to put others off.Discuss

Indeed, I would agree with the last couple of postings. I'm about to join EY BAS at a senior level - I have worked for 2 consulting firms, 1 SI, 1 niche strats firm. No, I dont have a first from oxbridge, I have a first in engineering from a redbrick (before the comments start on my intellectual ability).A few things drove my decision to join EY. It's a new practice, and that will have pitfalls, but actually the opportunities to be involved in building a practice and influencing how things are done outweigh the downsides for me. Steve Varley (the ex ACN partner now responsible for BAS at the European level) - despite the anti-ACN talk on here - is a very smart guy. Very driven and will succeed, that I would stake a good deal of money on.Yes, every new firm is going to have teething problems, but for heavens sake guys give BAS a break. If you like the people and are up for a challenge, give it a shot. What do you have to lose.One thing that really amuses me is that message boards like this seem to attract a huge amount of negative comments to certain firms on a cyclical basis, and party driven by 'snobbery' from the MBBB league or wannabes. It seems to be the turn of Accenture and EY at the moment. But if you talk to people who really know what it is like, they will paint a very different picture - but they are the silent majority. ACN is still, and will continue to be a very good firm that will stand you well from an experience perspective and is highly regarded on your CV. If you dont believe me speak to a recruitment consultant. EY BAS offers great opportunities.Don't take what you read on here too literally. Use it as a guideline, but accept that some of the postings will have been made by individuals who are either bandwaggoners, or who have had a standalone bad experience and are vocal about painting that as the whole picture.Good luck in your decision.

Well, thanks for your comments - I really appreciate it. I will go for the interview and make up my own mind - it may be right for me or it may not. I think one has to take everything on this forum with a pinch of salt. Nobody has an objective standpoint - hence the word 'opinion'.

In the past, I have been happy to sit on the sidelines and watch people bad-mouth BAS, but now that there’s finally the opportunity to put the record straight, I figure I should add my 2 cents. I joined BAS about six months ago and have been very, very happy there. I respect the leadership team, who seem genuinely interested in the welfare and career development of their people. They are setting out to build an industry-leading operational consultancy and they’re doing a great job of it. I also respect my colleagues – they are, almost without exception, well above average. There isn’t one person on my team I wouldn’t be happy to have on one of my projects, and that’s something I have never said working for any other consultancy.We are doing work for a variety of big clients, and everyone in BAS is very busy on client work right now. The workload has changed from methodology development and practice-building in the early days and is now much more like any other established consultancy, with a focus on selling and delivering work. The clients are all FTSE-250 (and many are FTSE-100).I don’t understand why BAS gets so much bad press on this board, because in my experience everyone I work with is very happy at BAS and shares similar thoughts to my own about the calibre of their colleagues, the calibre of their clients, and the exciting challenge about building and shaping a new practice. Reading this board, you’d think that everyone in BAS was totally de-motivated and ready to commit suicide, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.A couple of other myths that it’s probably worth setting straight, once and for all:1. The partners are all ex-IBM guys only interested in flogging public sector work.Couldn’t be further from the truth. Surprisingly little work comes from the public sector, and those who are working in those clients are there because they’ve chosen to specialise in the public sector. Our projects are generally shorter duration (usually < 3 months, almost always <6 months) and our reasonably high fee rates discourage body-shopping.2. People are leaving BAS in droves.False. Unmanaged attrition is certainly under 10%, which is in-line with industry norms. Not sure what the managed attrition number is, but I certainly haven&apos;t witnessed too many people being pushed.3. BAS are so desperate for people, they’ll hire any old IBM or ACN reject.Good luck. About 1 in 5 candidates receive an offer in the end. Our selection process is tough – technical interview followed by a full-day assessment centre. Far more are rejected than get through. If you think you can waltz in and guarantee a job offer, you are mistaken.Perhaps that’s where all these sour grapes come from – candidates who have been rejected!4. BAS are desperate for clients and have no work.Uh, no. Plenty of clients and plenty of work.5. BAS is a sinking ship.I love the fact that this one gets bandied about all the time. How a business with strong, talented leadership, an established brand name, a solid pipeline of work with good-quality clients, good utilisation and fee rates can be considered a sinking ship is a mystery to me.Is BAS perfect? No, of course not. We are a new business and we are learning as we go. Not everything is finalised, and people need to appreciate that they are in a changing environment and that they need to remain flexible.Should you join BAS? My advice: come and have an interview. See if you’re impressed by the people you meet. See if they are genuinely enthusiastic about what they do and who they work for. Decide if BAS is the right culture for you, and if you think you would enjoy working here.But for goodness sake, don’t place much value in the one-line throw-away comments like “Don’t go to BAS – it’s rubbish and you’ll ruin your career forever!” It doesn’t take much common sense to separate the sensible posts from the unsubstantiated drivel.

Whew. Feels better to get that off my chest!

Glad to hear a positive story on here for once. All I seem to read is people bad-mouthing Accenture (who I work for) and various other places such as BAS. Best of luck.

Because EY BAS is new and dynamic it&apos;s an easy target for the stone throwers. The fact is that it&apos;s a great place to work. If you have an offer, then join - you really will enjoy working with great people at BAS.

Thanks Pro BAS - once again I appreciate the advice, especially at such length. I&apos;m now really looking forward to the interview. (& thanks to the other contributions as well)

Glad you found the post helpful, and good luck on your interview. While it&apos;s on my mind, I thought I would settle one more myth -- that it takes ages to get a decision from BAS or that HR will leave you hanging.The recruitment process is now very polished. First interviews are scheduled around candidate availability, and our assessment centres are run every two weeks. Decisions are made on-the-spot, and you will know on the day of the assessment centre whether you have been successful or not. If you are not successful, you will be provided with constructive criticism and feedback about your assessment centre performance and the reason for our decision as well.Feedback from assessment centre participants (both successful and unsuccessful) is that it&apos;s a challenging day, but a fair one that really helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses as a candidate. It does the same for us, and helps us identify the right candidates for BAS.Again, good luck on your interview!

How pathetic. BAS is the only group that I have seen collectively come on this forum and pitch HR answers to get their way out of a bad reputation with constructed propaganda. The answers couldn&apos;t be more textbook. There are so many points I don&apos;t even know where to start!&apos;Plenty of Clients - plenty of work&apos;Right. Then why have you not been able to build a website to illustrate youre great wins?? Youve been operative almost 2 years now! Or is it just too complicated to make a website..... come on!"BAS are so desperate for people, they’ll hire any old IBM or ACN reject."Recruiters have confirmed that 80% of the candidates that they send your way come collectiveley from Cap, Acn and IBM. This already speaks volumes."How a business with strong, talented leadership, an established brand name, a solid pipeline of work with good-quality clients, good utilisation and fee rates can be considered a sinking ship is a mystery to me. "What evidence do you have to show for this? nothing. If I can give you some advice:1) Stop sending your HR team to post on this forum. You can sniff the answers a mile away.2) Don&apos;t constantly self-label yourself as dynamic, growing, booming, new etc etc. Your 2nd year birthday is coming up. 2 years is a LONG time - you aint that new anymore kid. My point is: what do you have to show for it now?What have you accomplished / won ? WHat TLAs have you been most proud of? WHat are some key projects you are willing to talk about? What clients will vouch for your quality and innovative work?Dont turn 45 and still say your having teething problems - take your finger out and take it on the chin.

What evidence have you got to back up your claims?? It&apos;s a forum you idiot!!and here: http://www.ey.com/global/content.nsf/UK/Business_Advisory_ServicesGoogle a bit hard to work was it??

Good luck to you ProBAS and thanks for staying &apos;on question&apos;.

Pro honesty - what a load of drivel. BAS has not been "operative" for 2 years - much of that was start-up and they have only been operative (i.e. able to take work to clients) for a few months now. Building a practice takes time, especially when starting from a blank slate and with restrictive non-compete agreements on most of the partners doing the building.Secondly, 80% of the applicants may well be from Accenture / IBM / CAP - all that tells you is that these companies have a high attrition rate. The proportion that get through the assessment centre may be completely different.You criticise ProBAS for not providing any evidence - on what basis have you formed your opinion? I don&apos;t see any meaningful evidence in your post. You also dismiss any positive BAS points as "HR propaganda" - no, it&apos;s just a well constructed response from someone who actually has experience of BAS.Nona - I&apos;d suggest you go along to the interview - if you have concerns over points that people have raised on this forum, challenge your interviewer on them and see if they can offer a credible response. As you say, worst case it&apos;s good interview practice.

Pro Honesty,What a complete idiot you have shown you are!And No, I don&apos;t work for BAS, i work for Cap so I am not saying this to promote BAS.You start by claiming you have so many points you don&apos;t know where to start. So naturally, I prepared myself for you to open your can of facts only for you to come with complete unsubstantiated drivel, which made me wonder what firm hired you as an MC (i.e. if you are even one).For your first point (about website), you showed that you were too ignorant and stupid to do your research before posting here. And not having a website is not prove that a company does not have plenty of work. For your second point (about Acn, IBM and Cap), how does your lame point show that the staff from this firm that make up 80% of application to BAS are the rejects? What makes you think they might not be the big shots looking for more money or new challenge.Go home (if you are not currently at home jobless), get in front of your mirror and say the following words:"I am a fool!"

Pro-Honesty? - I don&apos;t think so! Pathetic for people to set the record straight? - I don&apos;t think so!Get a life!!!!!!

Who is this "Pro-honesty" person? Sounds a tad bitter & twisted to me. Have they had a bad day?

How much are BAS paying to get attract folk from other companies?A friend said about 20-30% over normal rates. What&apos;s a c1 coming in at?

Consultant pay (i.e. 2 years experience, C1 at Accenture) starts at around £42k.

Hi, Pro BAS i am currently applying to BAS&apos;s graduate scheme, and would be very grateful if u could give some sources on information about BAS up-to-date. I figured u need alot more inside information about the service to stand a chance in interview.Help are very appreciated, thank you.

Glad to see some E&Y staff coming out and defending their corner, I thought some of the comments of late on here must have been a bit one-sided.A word of caution to those researching firms on this forum (or indeed any other). People are many times more likely to tell friends about a bad experience than about a good experience (be that an experience at a hotel, restaurant, web vendor, etc). The same applies with any forum...Someone who has had a lousy experience at a firm and feels bitter about the direction their career has taken is far more likely to post a comment than someone who is quietly contented where they are.Of course businesses like E&Y are particularly prone to this, since during the start-up phase any consulting business is likely to be in a constant state of flux. New senior people are likely to be being brought in continuously, so of course the makeup of the firm and its culture and client wins are also likely to change quite dramatically in just a matter of months. That will suit some - and not others. Hence there&apos;s always scope for some carping.Thanks to those that set the record straight in any caseTony Restell (Top-Consultant.com)

wannajoiney, there are plenty of articles about EY BAS out there -- just do a Google search (try searching for &apos;Steve Varley&apos; if you want to read about the BAS philosophy and what we&apos;ve set out to do).You don&apos;t need deep knowledge about EY to be successful on the BAP programme. You need to understand the consulting arena in general, and you need to be able to demonstrate the sort of skills that we look for in BAPs - it&apos;s much more about development potential than about experience and knowledge. We&apos;re looking for those that show initiative, are high achievers, are brighter than average, work well in teams but show leadership capability, are good communicators, etc. Basically, we&apos;re looking for those that can turn into successful consultants with 18 months of training and experience.And a friendly word of advice. U r nt 16 ne more. So get used to using proper English and writing in complete sentences.

For anyone interested in E&Y BAS, there is a video available of their presentation at last October&apos;s Top-Consultant/MCA Consulting Careers Fair:http://www.top-consultant.com/career_fair2006/EY2.aspSteve Varley and others talk about the practice and recruitment.

I think the link might be dead - can anyone else get this video to work?

You sometimes have to wait a couple of minutes for the video to buffer.

I&apos;ve tried the link for the video, but i think it&apos;s been already removed. Does anyone know any other source for the video? And any report about BAS&apos;s performance & strategy?Thanks.

According to Top-Consultant.com&apos;s "Fastest Growing Firms 2007" report, EY BAS revenues grew 72% 2005-6 and they are aiming for 128% revenue growth 2006-7.Biggest area for BAS (as opposed to the Financial Services practices) is government. The target markets initially advertised were much wider - I get the impression the government focus is out of necessity rather than choice.

Can anyone tell me a bit about their BAP financial services practice specifically or point me where to find some info?i.e. stuff beyond the webpage, future directions, strengths, weaknesses etc.....

thanks, renDo you know where i can get that material about their initial target market?I was more interested in their marketing/growth strategy of ICG, both initial and next year.I got the feeling ICG still rely heavly on their accounting & intergration, understandably for start-up. but was there any other new or potentially strong area other than gov? What&apos;s their next move? Anyone have anything about this?(Don&apos;t mean anything negative, just curious as an outsider tend to garthahering info.)Related link for this info are greatly appreciated.

The careers fair presentation videos are now live again, was just a bit of maintenance going on on that server. The Ernst & Young video can be viewed at:<a href=http://www.top-consultant.com/career_fair2006/EY2.asp>http://www.top-consultant.com/career_fair2006/EY2.asp</a>... and the master contents page listing all the presentation videos can be found at:<a href=http://www.top-consultant.com/career_fair2006/contents.asp>http://www.top-consultant.com/career_fair2006/contents.asp</a>Hope that helps,Tony Restell (Top-Consultant.com)

Hi dina,I was wondering if you (or anyone else) would be able to tell me about the interview process. Specifically, did you get a case study or psychometric tests in the 1st round?Thanks in advance

You can certainly expect a case study. Psychometric testing is used for applicants to the BAP programme, but not for experienced hires.

Thanks for that - are these both in the 1st round?

Does anyone know....?Thanks

Case study at first interview. I think the psychometric testing is done by internet before you attend the interview.

With all the bad press that BAS gets on here, why would you bother?

<<< bangs head against wall >>><<< points to lengthy discussion at the beginning of this thread differentiating unsubstantiated comments from informed opinion of current BAS employees >>><<< walks away, realising this is a lost cause >>>

Hi Guys, I too have an interview with BAS soon and have found the comments here helpful. I&apos;m just wondering: Is there much travel involved within the BAS programme? I&apos;m not so sure how much of it is &apos;pure&apos; consultancy work at the client site or if there is occasional travel with the majority of time spent in office? Could an E-Yer please elaborate? And if so, what proportion is spent in/out of the country? Thank you!!

The amount of travel really depends on your client work and, to a certain extent, your desire to travel.The vast majority of our clients are based in the UK, so if you have to travel it isn&apos;t likely to be too far. We are working on a number of projects in Europe, so there are a handful of people travelling back-and-forth to Europe weekly, and there are a couple who are flying back-and-forth between the US and UK on a regular basis to help build a global practice (although this is mostly the senior team).