Pros
I felt like I was unlikely to lose my job. My colleagues were mostly fun and good to work with.
Cons
The workload was very high - an expectation that caseworkers would bill four or five times their salary, without an assistant. The industry standard in other companies is a target of billing three times your salary with an assistant. This was the main reason I left. Travel time was often unpaid. I don't live in Manchester, but was often required to attend events there. I had to travel there the night before on a Thursday evening and complete a full day's work, then travel back home arriving around 10:00pm on the Friday. Trains and hotel were paid for, but for over 24 hours for the company, I was paid the same as if I had been in the office 9:00-5:00 on a normal day. I once saw that the company was advertising a position identical to mine, in order to grow the team. The salary offered was £5,000 more than mine. I met the person specification in all areas, and exceeded it in many areas. I asked my manager about a raise, and was fobbed off. I felt uneasy about the amount that clients were asked to pay. I felt that the fees that the company charged were unethically high, and vulnerable, desperate or confused clients ended up paying the company more than they could afford, because they didn't know that they could get a better price elsewhere. Pressure was kept up on caseworkers to encourage clients to pay the company high fees. Sick pay was the statutory minimum. Holiday allowance was the statutory minimum. Grim. A mean approach to workers.
