EY BAS seems to be an interesting place given the level of advertisement both negative and positive that it has got. I'm curious why can't the BAS recruiters or partners that visit this site ever give out graduate salary figures or sums. I am interested in consulting, perhaps EY BAS yet without figures and given such advertisement, how can they expect me to even want to apply ? Nearly all the other consultancies, most of whom are their competitors graduate salaries are well known.

The fact tht they are being so evasive should tell you something ...

EY BAS mentioned to me that they're recruiting from the top down, meaning they may not have finalised details of the graduate pay scheme. In terms of publishing those figures, I'm not sure that's always a good idea. As long as the pay is competitive, I'd much rather find candidates who were interested in my organisation and had a good cultural fit than those who were after the biggest paycheque they could find.My experience was this: any extra money you can get in your first year as a graduate is quickly overshadowed by the time you reach your second year. In your second year, you tend to attract an "appropriate" salary (e.g. one that reflects your unique skills and contributions). Your career development prospects at your chosen firm are much more important than the starting salary.So if I were you, I'd go along to EY BAS and have a chat. If you like their story, their philosophy, and their vision, and think it's a place that you could thrive, you should probably join them regardless of the salary they offer (assuming it's reasonably competitive). If you think they're all a bunch of crooks out to create another public sector bodyshop, you should walk a mile, even if they offer you significantly more than anyone else.Money, particularly at the start of your career, isn't everything. Just something to bear in mind...

The above post is spot on. To satisfy the money hungry grads out there, the salary is between 30-35k plus benefits.

Totally agree with Anon - in most firms there is a sizeable range of salaries that will be paid at any given level of seniority. So a couple of thousand here or there when joining at entry-level will be meaningless even 12 months down the line. Once your first annual reviews come round then the really talented will see their pay rise quite a lot faster than the also-rans.The morale of which is therefore to focus on finding a firm where you will really fit in, rather than being driven by a misguided view of what you could be earning at each firmTony

Hello! I started at EY BAS a few months ago after I came back from travelling. There are only a few of us grads, all on the same start salary of £23.5k It isn't as much as some other places but Im hoping itss going up as we get more work. You also get your own laptop to use and other extras which are worth a dew bob.

few bob, sorry

Wow ! £23.5k ?? That’s £5 - £10k behind the pace. Is there a bonus scheme ?I’m always wary of the “jam tomorrow” message from the top, having worked for IBM for years until I lost patience with the “no pay rise – no promotion – no training this year” mantra. The Finance consulting lead was a firm believer in telling the troops that next year things would be a whole lot betterAnd where is he, and his front line, now ?? You’ve guessed it folks, he’s the new head of finance consulting in BAS !! And guess what ?? Pay rates are obviously well below industry norms, with the promise of jam tomorrow once things pick upBAS is an unproven entity, so they should be paying more, rather than less than more established market players. Don’t undersell yourself in this business. You’re worth more than that.

I'm so glad we got the figure out in the open. The negative advertisement of EY BAS that has become such a regular feature of this forum holds true to some regard. Research has proven that quality firms from bottoms up pay the most competitive salaries on the market. Is it no coincidence that the top consultancies and investment banks are the ones that start graduates of at the highest salaries ? Salaries at every level especially the graduate level where they are more transparent are reflective of an organization. Indeed BAS newly hired partners would want to build a practise by offering a lucrative package to graduates. I'm sorry but 23.5 K or anything less than 30K is pathethically low, even less than accountancy where ones books and training is paid for. It may also be said that it is an indication of the type of people and organization they want to build!!

Whoever is immature enough to go on this site and say that graduates at BAS get paid 23.5k is a very sad individual who has probably got rejected. If you really care on finding out, the salary is between 30-35K. If this STILL causes concerns, please call HR to enquire directly.

Oh no ! The BAS lot are at each others’ throats now, and not just those with the temerity to critique it. Sounds like a little bit of heaven has landed in E&Y, and its called BAS.

“Temerity” – full marks!Bear in mind that this is an anonymous forum – those who are purporting to be from BAS may or may not be…I take everything I read here with a large pinch of salt.

Final graduate salaries have not been confirmed yet, but I have signed a contract starting in October on the BAS Grad scheme and it will be 'at least 30k'. Despite the obsession of new graduates with starting salaries, I agree with Anon; in a year or two your starting salary will be of no consequence compared to your performance. It is strange that there are so many fallacious posts here, but I guess that it is in the nature of such forum.

Bit weird to have a contract that doesn't state (exactly) your pay. In basic legal terms there is no contract without "consideration" - i.e. something has to change hands. But if your contract says "at least £30k" then they're only obliged to pay you £30,000.01 I suppose. Very odd that they haven't organised themselves to decide how much they are going to pay yet, though. Really this should happen before recruiting people! Would probably be better to say "£30k" and if they change their minds later give people a nice surprise later in the form of a small pay rise. Good points about salary from earlier posters but one just hopes that the lack of clarity is not characteristic. Also, low starting pay may be indicative of remuneration all the way through the company and it is by no means a given that good performers will magically draw the right reward within any organisation.

Don’t want to get stuck in the middle of the usual BAS pantomime here, but I’ve just checked with our own recruitment people in my own employers and our 2006 consultants are starting on £34k, plus bonus. (I work for a major competitor who, incidentally, gets a lot of bad press for pay rates too !!)Grad salary levels are pretty indicative of the base for the rest of the organisation, so I’d be concerned with figures in the 23 – 30 mark. Other organisations, such as IBM, Deloitte, and PA, are very open about their new joiner pay rates. It’s a pity that BAS are so opaque and confused about it. Time will tell whether they ever get their market position or people strategy sorted out properly.

Look its apparent that whoevers been posting under the name ANON has some connection to BAS and that he tries to skillfully defend the organization. I do not work for BAS, neither do I work at a competitor. I am infact a graduate. I just simply inquired about the salaries as most graduates would. Surprisingly to all you people out there, many graduates make desicions based on the wage. However at the same time, the best orgs pay the best HENCE we do not incur the dilema of deciding between the two.Also reputations are gained through performance, results and hardwork. There is a reason if a certain organization or place has so much negative energy towards it. Many people might be bitter about the partners at EY BAS. All they are doing is shedding some light based upon their own perspective. It is a mere opinion. Are the same people rubbishing Mcckinsey, Bain, Monitor or even for that matter Deloitte? No they aren't and even if they did, they would not be taken seriously. I'm sorry but instead of just labelling the criticism as being unwarranted and by a bunch of fakesters out to destroy BAS, it'd be better to think for a second. Why would someone waste their time? Why would someone only target BAS? Why does BAS attract so so much attention? And most importantly why are BAS recruiters and people so frequently on this forum? This above view is completely nonbias and independent. And just for those conscious BAS personell, the forum has not made me think otherwise about BAS. Indeed I shall apply like other graduates have and I shall base my opinion on my own experience. Lastly I would like to express my own opinion - if an organization is revamping itself and wanting to become a big player, it'd be best to offer salaries that are quite above their competitors. Thats simply the best way to attract the best talent out there. Its not the time to be stingy and penny wise. Imagine if BAS offered its graduates 40K. Even those going to the top strat firms would think twice. And 40K is only 10K more than 30K(apparently the normal grad salary for BAS). How much would 10K really hurt EY even if they hire 20-25 grads?A small sacrifice for world class performers!

The offer I got frm BAS was £23.5k starting in October. It might be less than others are paying, but I think that it will be worth it to be part of a start up, where I honestly believe that I can get promoted much faster than elsewhere

£23,400-odd was also on the offer letter I received and the salary was one reason I turned it down. I did call HR to ask if there was any flexibility or if they could match my PA Consulting offer Someone was going to look into it but I never heard back so I guess not.Will - I think we were at the same centre. Hope you sorted things out with the hotel expenses in the end and the move to London went okay!

What did PA offer you Nick ? Which practice are you joining?

The PA offer is exactly as per the handout they gave me at the uni careers presentation. I was very impressed that they were so open about proactively giving out the information!Base salary: £27,000One-off new joiners' bonus: £2,000One-off signing bonus: £1,000Transport allowance: up to £3,000Then there is "£1,000-worth" that goes towards pension/health cover/life assurance and all the boring stuff you won't need unless you've got a family

Oh yes, and I am joining the Energy practice

A bit part of the compensation is supposed to be the bonus, so I hear. How much of a bonus can you expect as a new grad in year 1 with PA ?

I think you have to complete the full bonus year (Jan-Dec) to be eligible, but it's around 10% of base salary - so £2700 I guess?

To put your mind at rest, PA will pro-rata your time in the firm over the calendar year, so if you joined on July 1st, for example, you would get half a years bonus in the spring bonus round. I don't think this applies to people who join after October.

Nick, Do you mind if I ask what your background is in and how you found the recruitment process and especially the type of work they have said you might be doing?

Hi everyone, happy Friday. I've just taken a call from the head of the E&Y BAS recruitment team - her team have been watching this string with interest and alarm. The long and short is that there's been a fair deal of inaccurate information posted on the subject. The head of recruitment is off on holiday from tonight but I'm hoping I can post a colleague's telephone number on this string over the next few days. That will at least let you get your questions answered straight from the horse's mouth...

Hmm... interesting to see that BAS cant be arsed to respond. Oh well!!

Why would those who couldn't make the grade at ACN/IBM/CG be bothered with what the outside world thinks of them?Take your £24k and be happy

BAS will you bother to respond ? The World awaits your response .....

Are you all muppets? If you're really bloody interested, get on the phone and call HR. Why would you expect that an internet forum would be the chosen communications medium for E&Y's HR and remuneration policy?

Hear Hear!

I'm a psychiatrist by profession and work as a career coach to blue chip executives. I've noticed the frustration expressed by Anon who clearly appears to be an EY BAS employee. I think I may have much to offer the BAS division in terms of assiting them with self esteem and motivation. Even if you are paid 24 K as stated by previous threads, there is no reason to be frustrated. I think I can turn all the negative energy into positive energy at BAS.

Do you do massage as well?

Given BAS salaries, I'd be surprised if any of them could even afford a massage!

Dear All, I have just been in touch with the HR Graudate Recruitment Director at EY BAS. She has confirmed that the starting graduate salary is £34,000 plus benefits. I hope this helps, Jim

I would be likely to believe it if EY put it on their own site. By the way, anyone can put (Top-consultant.com) at the end of their name - perhaps the forum designers should build something in to limit abuse of this.

Wow !! £34k plus bens and bonus ??? Yikes !! I've been 5 years in IBM, and I don't make that !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen .... Boys and Gals ... Children of all ages send in your application to the prestigious BAS division of Ernst and Young. Led by ex Acc partners, BAS is paying its graduates 34K with Benefits and Bonus. Watch out Deloitte ! Stay away PA ! Bye Bye ACC ! And good riddens Capgem .... BAS means business !

Hmm - this sounds interesting, but what kind of bonuses can you get, is there a cap? How much bonus can a grad really earn in the first few years knowing that the business is a start up and therefore there might not be alot of business for w while?What would you wise heads advise a grad like me with 9 months at deloitte so far.Plus will EY actually be doing strategy work?seems that for a grad it looks promising and an opportunity for fast career progression etc

deloitte analyst - do u really think ey bas are paying that much? why do so many people swear that they are giving 24k.

I'm just going along with what Jim Bachman (the first one) has stated. Lets say they were paying 34k what would your advise be?

Look I would think real long and hard. It seems as if the 34 K is tempting u. I'm not sure if this is the real wage, however lets say it is. (Negative)Now think if really that 2-3k a year is worth going to a less established outfit that has recieved negative response not only on this forum but in the hallways, coffee shops and lunch rooms of many consultancies. (Positive)Personally if your an adventurous person, giveit a shot, its worth speaking to them atleast and getting to know what they are all about. I'm sure they should atleast give you an interview as you have deloitte on ure resume. Its always exciting to be at a place which is similar to a startup. And they seem to have attracted some real talent from the likes of accenture and capgem.Alternatives: If you want a move from deloitte - consider trying for some of the top strat houses. Try smaller firms like ZS associates and Kaiser and Mars. Maybe even go for PA?

Thanks for this anon. What are your views about PA if I may ask?

The fact that they are so much smaller than the other firms yet always come up in discussion and in forums does require some thought. They seem to be very public sector focused, but then again BAH does alot of work with govs esp the US. It seems like the people there know what they're doing and enjoy themselves. I'm not too sure howver how big their name is outside of the inner consulting circle. I would personally like to know more abt them. I mite want to apply post mba if i cant get into the strategy firms. Sorry can't expand anymore. Just been given a load of work by the boss.

<<< Sigh >>>This board is getting me down. I&apos;d like to think that it&apos;s because all the fresh-faced young graduates here are part of the Google generation. They expect to find the answer to all of their questions on the web. They expect details of graduate salaries on every website, and don&apos;t believe it until they read it in print.But then I read stupid question after stupid question on this forum (not just this thread) which reveal that people are too lazy to do their own research before asking a question.Seriously, if this is the next generation of consultants, I&apos;m frankly worried. I hope I don&apos;t get any of you working on my team, because you&apos;ll be in for a real shock. If this is the level of performance I would receive, you&apos;d be lucky to get £24k out of me.Whatever happened to going straight to the source? Seriously? If you want to know their graduate salary, call up their HR department. I&apos;m sure they&apos;d be happy to confirm it. If you want to know whether they do strategy consulting, have a look at their website. Still can&apos;t find your answer? Call HR, tell them that you&apos;re trying to learn more about them, ask if they can send some information about their strategy offering, if they have one.It&apos;s not f*cking rocket science, is it?

"I hope I don&apos;t get any of you working on my team, because you&apos;ll be in for a real shock. "Actually I pity anybody working on your team VI. You are bitter and objectionable. If you do not like some of the posts you see, then ignore them. It&apos;s not difficult, really.

Newbie, you can rest assured I value my team highly and treat them like the professionals that they are.I can also assure you that they wouldn&apos;t send 46 e-mails to try to discover the answer to a simple question which could be answered with a quick phonecall.My bitterness is reserved for the lazy.

Hi everyone,I&apos;m thinking of applying to BAS. Could someone please give me a precise breakdown of their sectors, career paths, compensation, interview format (at all three rounds, naturally, including quantitative, linguistic and case study answers), not forgetting what I should write in my cover letter, and whether I should wear my brown or black shoes on the first day.

I have called EY a few times to ask about salary (and other, more important questions about the application process, dates, etc.). They never call me back though. The staff at the careers fair said they never give out salary information ahead of making an offer for any of the service lines.This isn&apos;t meant to be a dig at EY (I have found the same with other recruiters), although it is quiet annoying when they never return phone calls or emails.

Pondlife -- wear trainers.

I&apos;m pretty confident EY BAS aren&apos;t even recruiting at the moment so this thread is pretty irrelevant as far I can see...either you&apos;ve got an offer and you know the package or you&apos;ll have to wait til the next recruiting round by which time the package may have changed anyway......

I work for another big 4 and I can confirm that our graduates get 25K salary as a start. There is no bonus scheme unless you become a manager.

Starting salary in audit this year is £25k, with no bonus. I don&apos;t know what BAS pay though

VI,Fair enough. I take it all back. Well, most of it.

Did we ever get a straight answer from E&Y on this ??From what I hear, they&apos;ve missed their recruitment targets by a long shot

<<< BANGS HEAD AGAINST WALL >>>&apos;Other view&apos;, do you not own a telephone?

Just thought i&apos;d add something positive that happened to me last week - our results came out last week and Mark Otty has now given every one in the firm extra holiday as a thank you. How good is that?

Had some fantastic news last week - our results were really good and Mark Otty has given us all an extra 4 days off gratis! Thought i&apos;d share the good news with you all

Village Idiot - I have tried calling them, but they won&apos;t divulge this information. Is a straight answer from someone in the know too much to ask ??

Can we end this one...if you&apos;re good enough you&apos;ll be paid well and doors will open for you without you even knocking. If you&apos;re not, you&apos;ll probably spend all of your time asking how much other people get paid and slagging off different firms because you didn&apos;t quite make the grade.

I spoke with an HR person and I was told it is approx £32k inclusive of all benefits, although nothing has been set in concrete!! etc

Pity that no-one in BAS will go on the record about this. The lack of openness and honesty with new joiners would be concerning for me if I was looking for a job.Still, the joint is run by a load of ex-IBM and Accenture partners, so I could only imagine that staff management focus wouldn’t be high on their agendaGoes some way to explaining why BAS are failing to meet their growth targets

They were very open and honest with me about salary. It&apos;s right there on the first page of their job offer.

If that&apos;s the case, why won&apos;t they come clean and publicise their remuneration levels ?Are they so low, that they&apos;ve got to hide them ?

BAS have exceed growth and revenue targets this year because they are recruiting people who get out there and do it not whinge on forums about lack of info. Stay at Accenture.

>If that&apos;s the case, why won&apos;t they come clean >and publicise their remuneration levels ? Maybe because, except for graduates, they offer different packages to different candidates, based on experience, market conditions, salary history, and other factors. >Are they so low, that they&apos;ve got to hide them ?I can&apos;t speak for everyone, but my offer was extremely competitive.Curious, if you&apos;re so interested in E&Y BAS, why don&apos;t you make an application? Should you reach offer stage, I&apos;m sure they&apos;ll be more than happy to discuss salary with you.

Salaries aren&apos;t given out across the board due to company policy but suggest if you have any specific queries you ring through to reception and ask to speak to the Head of BAS recruitment.

"Salaries aren&apos;t given out across the board due to company policy "Oh ! That&apos;s Ok then ....."..if you have any specific queries you ring through to reception and ask to speak to the Head of BAS recruitment. "Who won&apos;t take your calls. No one in HR in BAS ever responds.No wonder they can&apos;t get people

what ever happened to this? A friend of mine said he applied but got an automated reply saying they had closed??!??