After having spent 14 years in various IT roles for an Indian IT outsourcing company, I now have to make a difficult choice between an offer from KPMG advisory (assistant manager) and Barclays (assistant vice president). KPMG offer in London and Barclays in Knutsford. I understand KPMG is a consulting role, and will involve a fair amount of travel. The offer (pay) that I am getting from both companies is almost similar and I am really looking for some insights from people who have been in a similar situation or worked in either of these companies. Many thanks.

1. tell both you have a comparable offer elsewhere and are on the fence - see which one will break the deadlock2. IT in banking is a cost center. So cost center v profit center.3. AM feels a little low-balled from KPMG - push for M and see point 1.4. Banking IT - you have to move to improve. Don't expect progression in role or your comp to improve much. You'll have to move roles more frequently. That said, total comp likely to overtake consulting in the mid term (depending on what area of IT you are in).

Thanks marsday, appreciate the quick response.The Barclays role is in retail banking and will be up in Knutsford.I did feel a bit short changed with the KPMG AM offer as well , but having come from a significantly smaller organization this was a step-up. I have spoken to both on the package and have got stonewalled. KPMG claim that they can promote me in the next one year but i would reckon that comes with conditions applied.

Everyone claims you can go up in a year. Nearly nobody does.

HiI personally think you are looking at this the wrong way...You are in a great position to choose 2 life choices, rather than just 2 jobs with around the same package:1) Consulting in London. Fast paced, travel, potentially varied clients and work. If you are an "eat work for breakfast / lunch / dinner" and are very good at office politics, you are going to do very well here. But if none of the above are you, then you will be stuck in the nether regions of obscurity for years to come2) Banking in Knuttsford (note the town has a "double tt". If you are going to take either offer, your attention to detail needs to improve massively)Its a town North of England near ish the Lake District. Your money will go a lot further, an AVP salary in London can be a struggle... in a place like Knuttsford it will give you a very comfortable life. The pace is still fast and the work interesting, but it will not have the same "spice" as the KPMG work which will be varied and involve a number of locationsThe great thing is that you have 2 different life choices rather than roles. Would I choose one over the other because of a few hundred quid? Absolutely not!!! This is far more about what life YOU want to live, with each one giving you a different take of Tech life.Best of luck and enjoy whichever you choose, both have +ve and -ve to them.

[quote]HiI personally think you are looking at this the wrong way...You are in a great position to choose 2 life choices, rather than just 2 jobs with around the same package:1) Consulting in London. Fast paced, travel, potentially varied clients and work. If you are an "eat work for breakfast / lunch / dinner" and are very good at office politics, you are going to do very well here. But if none of the above are you, then you will be stuck in the nether regions of obscurity for years to come2) Banking in Knuttsford (note the town has a "double tt". If you are going to take either offer, your attention to detail needs to improve massively)Its a town North of England near ish the Lake District. Your money will go a lot further, an AVP salary in London can be a struggle... in a place like Knuttsford it will give you a very comfortable life. The pace is still fast and the work interesting, but it will not have the same "spice" as the KPMG work which will be varied and involve a number of locationsThe great thing is that you have 2 different life choices rather than roles. Would I choose one over the other because of a few hundred quid? Absolutely not!!! This is far more about what life YOU want to live, with each one giving you a different take of Tech life.Best of luck and enjoy whichever you choose, both have +ve and -ve to them.[/quote]That, Anon MCs, is spot on.

Haha Just reading Anon's comments on Knutsford.A very southern view if you were to ask me. Anon have you ever been past Watford Gap ? :-)Firstly, there is 1 T in Knutsford. Secondly, it is nowhere near the Lake district - unless the lakes you are referring to are the Ponds in Wayne Rooney's, Paul Pogba's or David Beckham's mansions (or any of the other Man City, Man U, Everton or Liverpool FC residents). It is faster to get to London than the Lake District.The list of residents I just quoted gives you a clue to the next point. It is not cheap. It sits in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK -yes in this small town average house prices are more than double the National average (its the go to place for footballers, TV stars and the wealthy) - but not quite Kensington and Chelsea prices - but other than Mars who can afford to live in K&C the vast majority of Consultants working in London are probably in the cheaper run down suburbs like Islington :-) However, nearby there are plenty of Cheshire Villages or even Manchester is a commute away where property / cost of living can be cheaper, personal choice where you end up Salford or Knutsford, but factor in the commute to your decision (London Underground there isn't) and cost of living in Knutsford and immediate surrounds (Alderley Edge, Wilmslow etc) is expensive.Other pluses for Knutsford; International Airport very near (Manchester), decent football teams to choose from, Manchester and Liverpool not far away and Snowdonia (haha is nearer than the Lakes) and with the sort of clientele listed above as residents if nice restaurants, boutiques, trendy bars and country walks are you thing this would suit you. Finally, with the above if you have or intend having a family excellent schools and air quality compared to the smoke. Plus you may even be featured on Cheshire Housewives.DC

Thank for the input guys.. really useful. I m not really after the money at this point and I m quite open to life in either London or Knutsford. The only decision that I need to make now is what either of these roles will provide me in terms of career growth, salary hikes , opportunities, experience etc. Would my CV look better with a KPMG or Barclays name on it?

Which 'looks better' on your CV will depend to a large extent on what you intend to move onto.My reservation about Barclays, or more specifically Knuttsford (two tts) aside of that it's north of the Watford Gap so effectively an international move, is what networks are you likely to build outside of Barclays? If you need/want to move on from that role, are you then going to have to move back South to secure your next FS role, without local networks and sponsors and with the hassle and cost of then trying to get into the local market. The flip side is that a move to KPMG will, probably, just be a delay on you joining...Barclays. With 14 years in IT outsourcing under your belt I would bet my last diamond encrusted cereal bowl that that you'll be looking at KPMG as an interim move within a year (as lets be blunt they'll have you doing much the same work) and wind up joining a client anyway. Though you'll come out with good networks if you a. play your cards right and b. dont get stuck in one protracted project somewhere north of the Watford Gap...

It's definitely 1 T ! - suppose I should say the K is silent too :-)However, thought i'd add having worked at Radbroke Hall (albeit many years ago) there was a definite food chain there.Basically there are about 3-5k people working there (well they did when I was there). Most of them are the big IT outsourcers - think Capita, Accenture (who had 1000+ at that time), Fujitsu, Some Dutch Telephony company I can't remember the name of and your usual consultancies doing small projects KPMG, PWC etc etcHowever, whilst many of the residual Barclays staff had been TUPED over to the outsourcers there was a core that remained as Barclays staff. They were up the food chain in the CTO/CIO domains. An Assistant VP here definitely feels up the food chain from asst manager at KPMG. At that level you are more likely to be shaping / hiring KPMG than playing to their tune. I just checked in linked for the asst VP I worked with. It appears he left Barclays to become a Partner at PWC. He may be an unusual example.DC

Great stuff thank you. Coming to the money part - 1)Does KPMG provide a daily allowance for working on client sites. Any indiactive numbers ? 2) Does it include travel?3) Are there separate policies for London based client sites.Something I missed out on asking during the interview process.

[quote]Haha Just reading Anon's comments on Knutsford.A very southern view if you were to ask me. Anon have you ever been past Watford Gap ? :-)Firstly, there is 1 T in Knutsford. Secondly, it is nowhere near the Lake district - unless the lakes you are referring to are the Ponds in Wayne Rooney's, Paul Pogba's or David Beckham's mansions (or any of the other Man City, Man U, Everton or Liverpool FC residents). It is faster to get to London than the Lake District.The list of residents I just quoted gives you a clue to the next point. It is not cheap. It sits in one of the wealthiest parts of the UK -yes in this small town average house prices are more than double the National average (its the go to place for footballers, TV stars and the wealthy) - but not quite Kensington and Chelsea prices - but other than Mars who can afford to live in K&C the vast majority of Consultants working in London are probably in the cheaper run down suburbs like Islington :-) However, nearby there are plenty of Cheshire Villages or even Manchester is a commute away where property / cost of living can be cheaper, personal choice where you end up Salford or Knutsford, but factor in the commute to your decision (London Underground there isn't) and cost of living in Knutsford and immediate surrounds (Alderley Edge, Wilmslow etc) is expensive.Other pluses for Knutsford; International Airport very near (Manchester), decent football teams to choose from, Manchester and Liverpool not far away and Snowdonia (haha is nearer than the Lakes) and with the sort of clientele listed above as residents if nice restaurants, boutiques, trendy bars and country walks are you thing this would suit you. Finally, with the above if you have or intend having a family excellent schools and air quality compared to the smoke. Plus you may even be featured on Cheshire Housewives.DC [/quote]Hi DC,I hear there is life up north outside the M25 ring... but not sure what it is. Dragons? Narnia? Do they have roads / electricity / etc? I hope so. A friend of mine ventured up there once but I haven't seen him since...Looking at Google maps, Knuttsford (yes yes notice the double tt) didn't look that far from the Lake District. I don't think a 60-90mins road trip is far but that's just me. It is certainly not easier to get to London than LD from Knutts. You must be thinking of a different Knuttsford if your geography is telling you this.Neither is it that expensive to live and rent, my father lived there when he was younger and has fond memories of the area. As you rightly pointed out, there will be nearby locations with very well priced rental property, unlike anything you can find anywhere in London. I really don't think that a 1 bed flat in Knuttsford is £2,000 a month to rent.Anyway, have a good weekend all

I went north once, well as far as Milton Keynes with a long range telescope. Took a flask and sarnies in the jalopy, made a morning of it. Love wildlife safaris.

[quote]Great stuff thank you. Coming to the money part - 1)Does KPMG provide a daily allowance for working on client sites. Any indiactive numbers ? 2) Does it include travel?3) Are there separate policies for London based client sites.Something I missed out on asking during the interview process.[/quote]1. You can expense lunch (4 pounds), dinner (20-something), however much you need to get there via taxi, a hotel including breakfast and a per-diem on dry-cleaning etc. Train journeys longer than two hours can be taken in first class. Expenses are reviewed by admin staff, subject to expense policy and obviously the person who owns the budget. 2. The above outlines expenses during a travelling engagement. 3. If your assigned office is in London, you can expense travel to the site over and above your usual travel cost into Canary Wharf. The lunch expense still applies, but obviously not the taxis, hotel etc.