Hi there, I'm in my mid-30s with a baby under 1 year ago. Recently I've been offered a job with a Big5 in CRM strategy, which is a dream job for me as I have been wanting to work in that field for a long time, but the timng is a bit of concern obviously. They have told me there won't be any travelling, except around London. It sounds very tempting however realistically, I wonder how much commitment I would need to make to the job and developing a career there. Would there be lots of late nights in the office/client site? Last minute travel request? Cut-throat culture with anxiety and jealousy, etc?I'd really appreciate any experienced consultants (esp. female consultants) to shed some light on the MC career life for me. Many thanks in advance!

What sector will you be working in? If it's banks/insurance companies etc. (financial services) then there's a good chance you won't have to travel too much out of London. Some other industries are a bit more randomly located.

Hi, I'll be in Com&High Tech sector. I've told by the partner that for the time being, I don't have to go further than Newbury. But not sure whether this can change quickly and if I do get a project there, I wonder whether I need to stay onsite for a long day or if they allow me to work most of the time offsite (except for meetings of course). Any insight? Thanks!

If you do go to that well known mobile operator, you'll likely be there forever, so there's little chance that you will be going anywhere else. If it's ACN that you're joining, then i think I know the partner you're referring to, given it' VOD and he is a top guy. You'll have nothing to worry about.

Thanks a lot for the advice. I feel more positive now. So as an ACN, do you find a better work/life balance where you are compared to ACN?

I don't work as many hours as i used to do, that's for sure. Then again, when I joined ACN, or Andersen Consulting as it was in those days, I was a grad and at the bottom of the food chain. So long hours were the norm, and i probably averaged about 60 hrs a week in the 3 years I was there. But, back then we got OT and I have to admit, it was a lot of fun. I made a lot of life-long friends there. A lot of people moan about the place, myself included when I was there, but it was a great place to learn the trade. What I learned in my time, has stood me in good stead. I'm now a Director in an I-Bank, and I must admit w/o ACN, I probably wouldn't be where I am today. Like most places, there are pros and cons, and given the large numbers that ACN employs today in the UK, it's not surprising that there is a lot of negative comments here and people wanting to leave. But for every negative comment, there are probably 10 positive comment, although you won't hear such comments, since these people are too busy to echo such comments. Well, that's my two cents, but then again, I may be wrong, and maybe the place has changed, since my days, and let's be fair, the operating model that is now in place is completley unrecogniseable from that which I was used to. And let's not forget, that it is now a Public Company and accountable to Shareholders.

Hi ex-ACN, thanks so much for your honest sharing of experience. I think I'm very positive about ACN from what I gathered and my experience in interviewing. There's no perfect place to work. Like everything else, life is what you make of. I will keep you posted on my experience there..