Out of interest, in the past I always heard that as of senior manager level in consulting, bonuses in a Big 4 or Accenture started to become interesting and more than just a bit of loose change. And yet, looking at my friends in consulting and the industry, I've got the impression that consulting bonuses at this level are perhaps not as high as people are led to believe.However there's always a big difference between the golden years when the economy is booming, company results are great and it's relatively easy to reel in big deals with clients as opposed to average years where targets are only partially met.What are realistic bonus percentages in any of those companies at senior manager level, say in nowadays economy? Is it the same as for the lower level jobs where big promises are made but reality ends up being a few percent of your annual salary at best - or double digit % numbers?

In the firm I work for it could be anywhere between 20-30% of annual salary for a Senior Manager. The lower being an average performer, the higher being a strong performer..

Thanks, much appreciated!

pretty impressive figures being banded about here! not bad at all

Not impossible but wouldn't say it was the norm and could be expected to be that much each year.

would be nice if it was though hehehe

Frankly I would have expected it to be at least this, considering how much bonus people in "the industry" rake in at that level with on average less of the long hours, work/life balance, working abroad, etc.

[quote]Frankly I would have expected it to be at least this, considering how much bonus people in "the industry" rake in at that level with on average less of the long hours, work/life balance, working abroad, etc.[/quote]Exactly - I've gone from spending all my time away for 5% max bonus to being at home for 40%...(with a 10% cut in base)

Not bad at all!

hmm maybe industry is the way forward!Any regrets presidentbartlet, or is the grass genuinely greener?

[quote]hmm maybe industry is the way forward!Any regrets presidentbartlet, or is the grass genuinely greener? [/quote]No regrets so far, just come back from a big kids party in the office which my little ones loved - getting good exposure at work doing interesting things so all green so far...but not had to cope with the 10% base cut yet as still getting holiday pay from the ex employer.

Sounds tempting and I'd take the 40% bonus even with 10% pay cut. Right, back to packing for tomorrow's client trip :)

[quote]hmm maybe industry is the way forward!Any regrets presidentbartlet, or is the grass genuinely greener? [/quote]Probably, judging by the limited number of ex-consultants in the industry that return to consulting, at least in my experience. Quite a few may complain about less interesting, more repetitive work but I don't see them moving back.Makes one wonder at which point consulting starts to pay off if one doesn't move to the industry - if it pays off at all. Obviously excluding the true strat houses...

Consulting is hard work. The pay is great but not exceptional. It is ideal for clever people who are prepared to work 50% harder than they would in industry, for an extra 10-15% pay compared to the job they could actually get in industry. It's also ideal for people who like taking it dry up the rear end, but that sort are a special bunch who typically thrive in the middle management layers of consulting.The problem is, in these hard-pressed economic times where a 3-bed house in north London costs about £2 million, every extra fiver you can find helps - so it's no wonder some people will kill themselves in consulting for a tiny bit more money that they can give to their family.

#4. I don't see any numbers. I don't even know what senior manager means in this thread. The percentages don't mean anything without mentioning the base salary. In any case, the importance in consulting is only money and only at the partner/director level. I personally have never worked on bonuses and don't even believe is the right way to pay for beautiful but hard, very hard work. There's the client and it's there Firm. Clients are much more manageable than the Firm's game.

I literally have no idea what you are on about

+1

I don't understand it either, but it might be the best consultant speak I've heard this year. If this was said in an exec meeting I reckon people would stay quiet just in case.

Lol+2

Nice one :)