Pros
I've worked at Berkeley for more than 5 years and it's delivered on the promises made during the hiring process: - I've had a real variety of roles across industries and content areas (one of the reasons I left Big 4 was that I was becoming increasingly 'boxed in' to a particular area) - High challenge/ high support environment: I've been given the opportunity to do some really big roles that were out of my comfort zone but with a level of support that enabled me to excel - Personal feel: with just under 100 people in the company, you get to work alongside some very talented people who you actually get to know ! There's less of the big company bureaucracy and far more opportunity to have a sensible conversation on anything that comes up...I've also been pleasantly surprised at their support for taking a sabbatical and for flexible working (not something I expected when I joined) - People are pleasant, open minded and fun to work with
Cons
- There are no sales targets for partners or consultants and therefore no bonus structure so if those are important to you then Berkeley is probably not for you.. on the other hand, I've really appreciated the freedom this gives to just do what's right for the client (whether that's finish off a role or bring in someone else) - As it's a smaller company, if you like working for an employer who everyone recognises/ wants titles and status then that might be a challenge... on the other hand, the fact clients can trust Berkeley not to 'bring in an army' (because there's just not that many people in the company !) means you generally end up working directly at the most senior levels in clients in a trusted relationship - As with most consultancies, there are more men than women in the company although the ratio is much better than at the Big 4. It does mean there is a certain amount of bloke humour/banter around the office but it is generally within acceptable bounds ... and while it does help to have some interest in the Six Nations and other sport, if you don’t then that’s also fine