You are never good enough to work here - Consultant Thurn Partners Employee Review

2.0
26 Jul 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Initial training was fantastic, however the person responsible for creating the training left before our training finished. Other grads hired were fantastic and friendly. Some of the existing staff were kind and wanted to help you find footing, others however looked down on you and told you to just figure things out. Owners were friendly and kind hearted, but I don't think they were being kept in the loop about what was going on with our cohort or why certain people left/ were let go. (if they were and were still okay with it then yikes)

Cons

Misogynistic, sexist, and ableist behaviour that was reported to HR and had no outcome. Grads left to figure things out after head of training left before the end, thrown straight into active client roles and expected to somehow source perfect candidates and book in interviews in the first two months. (oh and if you can't achieve this recruitment just isn't for you, its not that we lack training it's that you're not the kind of worker suited to this role) Fired/ forced out half the graduates in the first 6 months of our programme, never had any intention of keeping us all. Did provide feedback but then gave you no time to act on it or actual advice on how to do better, just do better. Senior management constantly comparing you to other workers metrics, personality, and enthusiasm for the role.

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Thurn Partners Response
10mo
Thank you for your feedback. It’s disappointing that your experience didn’t reflect the standards we set for our graduate programme. On the serious point first: allegations of misogynistic, sexist, or ableist behaviour are never brushed aside here. We have a zero-tolerance policy and investigate. There was an instance and the individual was removed from the business. On training - you’re right that in one past cohort, the trainer leaving mid-programme for personal reasons caused disruption. That wasn’t ideal but the business came together to deliver a programme that has produced some excellent consultants. The reality is that executive search is a tough, high-performance career where you’re expected to learn quickly, adapt and apply yourself from the outset. It isn’t for everyone, and as with the wider industry, not everyone stays beyond their first year, which is why it’s a challenge to retain all graduates. We’re upfront about the realities of the job before we extend offers and do ask people to think through why they want to work in this industry. That said, our Learning & Development is now a real strength - structured, ongoing, and delivering results we’re proud of. Our consultants today are proof that the system works. We’ll always take feedback on board and keep improving. If you’d like to discuss your experience further, please reach out to anna.bethell@thurnpartners.com for a confidential conversation.

Explore other reviews about Thurn Partners

2.0
26 Jun 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Strong Market mapping and intelligence. Had a positive experience here overall, naturally members of certain teams have completely different experiences. Upon joining you’ll quickly realise the most favourable team to be in.

Cons

Average client base and relationships. Still a relatively new business, still trying to find its feet. T2 search firm, still a great place to establish yourself as a grad.

3.0
11 Jun 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The team is really nice and friendly, including the director and CEO. They give you the path to succeed and doing it could definitely be rewarding, as evidenced by other employees who make it through The interview process and transparency is amazing, they really made it comfortable and made sure my needs were met when it comes to availability and comfort; the CEO and HR were also very kind and allowed for a good conversation over the course of the interview 10/10.

Cons

The Learning and development programme collapsed midway through and left a lot of us to learn on the job which was handled very badly and incoherently. They are hypocrites when it comes to the timelines to succeed. Current employees suggest it took them quite long to succeed, but the company reprimanded me for not succeeding within my first few months They can be a bit rigid when it comes to ways to do things and say they want your feedback, but then criticise you for that specific feedback (largely victim blaming) Lastly, they need to get some structure. Teams are too unevenly distributed, and the distribution impedes more work than it improves. Managers quit left right and centre, and I had 3 different people doing my probation meetings within a couple of weeks; it felt like starting over every time and any progress seemed alienated to the new manager.

3
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Thurn Partners Response
11mo
Thanks for your feedback. We're glad you had a positive interview experience and found the team welcoming - we work hard to maintain that throughout the business. As a commercial sales environment, we operate with clear performance expectations and a high-performance culture. This pace and structure aren’t for everyone, but they are key to our success and the growth of our people. Our learning and development programme is now a core strength of the business, providing structured, high-quality training across all teams. While we acknowledge challenges in the past, we’re proud of the progress made and the results it’s delivering today. We’re always working to improve and if you’d like to discuss your experience further, please reach out to anna.bethell@thurnpartners.com for a confidential conversation.
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