Im tying to understand a bit more about Deloitte, specifically their Strategy practice - before I go meet them. Some people say that they are the closest to the strategy houses in terms of type of work and calibre of people. Thier strategy division closely competes with the likes of 3b's etc I would like to know how true this is? Are they significantly better than the other 4 ( counting Acn instead of D) ? Any inisght is really appreciated. Secondly, I have heard rumors that it is a nice company where to work at the senior levels but dangerous at junior levels as they tend to overwork thier analysts / consultants. Can anyone comment on this? I would especially appreciate it if Beng could drop in a line - Thanks

I've been to many pitch sessions (probably 40-50 in my career) with senior execs at FTSE 1000 companies, and I can assure you I have never competed against Deloitte with any of them. The usual competitors include McK, Bain, BCG, ATK (for Ops strategy type work), BAH, and some boutiques. I guess if Deloitte thinks they compete against the 3Bs, more power to them. I highly doubt that the 3Bs think they compete against Deloitte!! Now out of the Big 4, I agree that both ACN and Deloitte are probably the best two. Whether one is better than the other, you'll have to ask someone else. I'd consider them equivalent -- but I'm no Big 4 expert.Most MC firms are sweatshops at the lower levels. I think that McK/3Bs probably work their associates even harder than the Big 4. The question is wheter you're compensated adequately for the work, and whether there's light at the end of the tunnel -- in terms of promotion opportunities or exit strategy. That's a topic for a different thread.

Actually, I think we may have competed against Deloitte on a couple of occasions, so I shouldn't say "never".