I have received an offer for a graduate position with a strategy firm. In addition to the base, they are offering me a £5k sign on bonus. One of my friends who was offered a job with a similar consultancy about 1.5 years ago received a £10k sign-on. I am not sure if there have been any changes because of the market, but the £5k sounds quite low. Does anyone know what other firms are offering??

Graduate,18 months ago was just after the height of the market and we are now near its nadir, so the fact that starting bonuses offered are lower is not unreasonable IMHO.EC

If you're any good, in five years time, you'll drop £5K getting into a taxi and not stop to pick it up.Take the job. Work like a dog. Be the genius you think you are. Laugh at the time you were worried you were getting short changed.

Let me get this straight. You think that a company might not be giving you enough money to accept the offer of a job, a job for which they will be paying you? Get real. You're lucky to be even getting offered a job, let alone get a bonus for being so kind as to actually accept it. Wake up and smell the consultancy hit market coffee. Take the job, take 5 k, and stop comparing yourself to your mates.

You're being short-changed. I got £25k sign-on for my internship this summer, and that was at a Tier-2 firm.

I get £65 every week for signing on

Post of the week

Grad - a couple of years ago consultants would still have been expecting to receive a 20% bonus at year end; this year most will be lucky to receive a fraction of this. As another poster has remarked, times have moved on and what your friend secured in years gone by has no relevance to what you can secure today.Feel good about the fact that you've secured a strategy role - they're in short supply right now - and don't harm your career prospects by having a bust-up before you've even started work in the firm.Good luckTony RestellTop-Consultant.com

Tony is right - sign on bonuses are now pretty rare anyway, so 5k is better than nothing.Win - am with you on real world's post !

Ruth - are you hot? If so can I take you out for dinner?

Stud- I could make luch to begin with. If that goes well, then dinner! Can you give me your number; I will give you a call. As for being hot, you'd make the judgement!Ruth

Aaaugh my persona has been hijacked!I'm happily coupled up thanks, but do let me know how your date with my wannabe goes.....

TWO Ruths?! Whooo hoooo lucky me!When ya both free lay-deeeees.....?

Fake stud, stay away from my ladies. Stop hijacking my groundwork.The real Ruth...there is nothing wrong with a harmless drink between consultants...

Mate,I had three offers (two in strategy) two years ago. One gave a £10k sign-on, one a £5k. The thing is that you can't compare these: both companies had different comp structures (e.g. one was bonus driven, the other paid a higher base). Anyway, as long as it is a firm you are happy with see it as a BONUS and don't worry about what other people get. In my case, the £5k was the better opportunity...

Graduate - it is easy to be lured in by the sign on bonus but ... it is important to look at the overall package. Unless they have limitless cash like the Goldman Sachs of the world the bigger sign on bonus will be funded from somewhere and that is likely to be your ongoing salary!