Do the majority of firms provide pension plans for their employees? Are there any notable ones that don't?

Sorry to say but pension plans are going they way of the dinosaur. Companies are trying to manage cost and closing down pension plans and adding 401k plans instead. If you can find a company that offers a pension plan an plans to keep funding it in the future, consider it a big plus.

Under UK law, all companies with more than 5 employees must provide a pension plan.Are you referring to final salary pension schemes? If so, I don't know of any consultancy that are providing these to new joiners. Indeed, most have closed schemes with active members still contributing and just transferred them to defined contribution schemes.

Well I was hoping for a plan that would involve the company contributing something, ie matching a proportion of what I invest.I am just looking at a contract I have been offered, no sign-on bonus (that seems to just be for milkround offers) and nothing about pension, so perhaps the offer doesn't seem as much as I had first thought.

Most companies do have some sort of matching mechanism whereby they would match the first 5-10% of pension contibutions that you make, so that seems a little unusual.As for no sign on bonus, that's not true at all. Most will pay out a sign on bonus of 10-15% if pushed

I too thought most had sign on bonuses, but apparently not this firm, I was clearly told that they were just for the milkround...I will ask about pension contributions...

Do any UK consulting firms have non-contributory pension schemes? i.e. they pay 10% of your basic (over and above your basic) into a pension, and might also match up to a further 10% of AVC's.This is common in IB....Thanks.

I know that at least two of the top 3 strat consultancies do

Towers Perrin pays 10% on top your salary into a stakeholder fund at all career levels. You don't have to put anything else in unless you want to. Senior consultants are eligible for the defined benefit scheme.Serco pay 8% non-contributory to a stakeholder fund or cash in lieu.