I've been offered a total package (incl signing bonus) of £34k to join PA this October. Should I push for more, or is this a decent pay rate for a new graduate?

This is a decent pay rate for a fresh grad. It's on par with Deloitte and better than many others (including some of the chic strategy names). And, to put it in context, it's about 10k better than Ernst & Young advisory services.

salmon, are you really gullible enough to believe that EY bas pay 24k to thier grads? You must be a student still at school, because any graduate seriously interested in consulting, or an experienced proffessional would instantly recognize the wind-up... get back to your books!

Thanks Salmon. Thats put my mind at rest. I would ignore the cheap jibes from the E&Y employee. From what I hear, its a very disorganised and low morale environment there - hene the bitterness.How does my offer compare to other PA offers?

Thinker - it's the standard grad package that ALL grads get on entering PA. In other words it's no better or worse than any of your (hopefully) soon to be colleagues. Congratulations on your offer. Which practice are you joining?

Don't be greedy! £34,000 is a good salary that most people will sadly never earn. As such while it won't get you much in London in terms of buying a flat, for example, it is not bad at all for starters - about £10k more than the average graduate job. It's not as much as some banks but then your life will be a lot more tolerable. What price one's youth? Your 20s in London should be the best time of your life - I trust that for you does not mean working on spreadsheets until late every night.

As a graduate the highest salaries are in Banking and then Consulting and then the BIG 4 and Industry. Now whilst some banks start all their graduates at 35K, MANY only offer such sums to their investment bankers and traders and not to middle and back office functions. Usually such roles are offered 30K. Investment bankers and traders have higher starting salaries and get bonuses. Anyone in IT,OPS,Credit and the rest of the middle/back might start high but there isn't much increase nor much bonus.Apparently the Bonus at PA is quite a bit ? And another thing to take into account is that a consultants career lasts longer than investment bankers and traders. Sure they make alot of money but howlong do they really last is something to ponder over.You have a great package, you'll be based in great city, you'll be working at a good company and you an enviable chance to gain substantial exposure. More importantly If you don't like it you'll also be well placed to make a switch or go to b-skewl. Now don't screw it up by even thinking or asking for more. Its silly enough that you ask. Noone asks for a higher package at grad level.

... and don't forget the extremely long hours that comes with the PA package. One of my close friends that works there is more often than not working from 7am till 10pm, including weekends. I'd rather be on a lower salary knowing I can have a work life balance and then look back at my twenties and not regret it!Good luck though....

Hmm interesting post OB. It seems to show that PA has alot of clients and business. Grads should work hard - its the only way they'll learn. Personally the most disorganized and crappy firms have th least amount of work and relaxed hrs.

It's also rubbish - your friend must be the only person in PA working those hours. On the whole PA's work-life balance is great.

I know we've been putting a lot of emphasis on work-life balance recently, but I'm the first to admit that we still have some way to go. Most clients rightly demand their pound of flesh for their money, and you will be expected to get stuck into sales and thought leadership very early on. PA really tries to turn you into a well rounded consultant from the start, so you will find that your learning curve and experience will be far superior to many of our competitors. Our culture is very collegiate, which is likely a function of our unique employee ownership scheme, and this supportive atmosphere really helps when times are pressured.We pay more for our grads than many of our competitors, our bonus scheme ensures that high performers are rewarded well, and while we wont send you to glamorous locations for training, our training is, IMHO amongst the best in the industry. If you decide to join PA, you won't regret it.

Cheggers,Could you pls find out from PA's HR when do their graduates start. I signed an offer more than 2 months ago however they have yet to giveme my start date. thanks

Sorry to hear that. Can you please drop me an e-mail to leamhcan@hotmail.com with your details, and the group you're joining, and I'll look into it for you !

I also am surprised at the posting by OB. I have not heard of anyone at PA working these hours. I joined 6 months ago and have been incredibly impressed by genuine efforts to support diversity and work/life balance.

It happensI've just come back from a long term job, where we worked 12 - 14 hour days and most weekends, plus you were expected to travel in your own time, so you ended up getting home after mid-night on Friday, and leaving again on Sunday afternoons. All new joiners in PA sign up to a waiver of their rights under the WTD, and PA will expect you to put the hours in. Plus you can only charge a standard day - I've never come across a job in PA where you could book your true hours.What I found insulting though was the BOP love-in that took place in the Spring, where everyone had to hug a partner. Rather than forced displays of affection like that, we would be better advised to look at the root causes of PA's long hours culture, and address those issues.

Cheggars - care to comment on this as you seem to be in the know at PA

Depends on the practice really. I think we could do a lot more in this regard.I tend to work long hours alright, but I do think you get a much better range of experience than at other consultancies, in terms of getting stuck into training, business development, and thought leadership, as well as client work.

Cheggers - Could you be a little more specific about which pratcices? BOP, SMP? IT (all or which)?

Thomas - You sound hard done by and on an undersold job. However, PA does not have a long hours culture in general. We've all worked assignments where long hours are required but the number of weeks I've worked >50hrs can be counted on one hand.

Vault publishes a list of top consulting firms. Unfortunately it doesn't distinguish between boutiques, strat firms, fullservice and outsourcing specialists. Yet its insights are worth a read. Whilst I would debate the rankings as it has IBM and Accenture up there, however it is afterall a heavily based US evaluation. Anyhow PA consulting rates as one of the best firms in terms of work/life balance. So for those who say it makes grads work like a dog - theres some positive in that the firm must have alot of work and clients and thus it is making some good bucks which means higher bonuses.For those who are on work life balance - it has been published that PA does infact have one of the better work life balance cultures out there.Over all verdict : atleast PA doesn't pay peanuts to its grads - unlike many other firms which I do not need to name as they are very well known.