First Derivatives Employee Reviews about "client site"

Pros

Good grad package with an opportunity to work with an excellent portfolio of clients International experience Fast growing company

Cons

Lack of support on client site due to company growth

Pros

Can't think of any, unless you like to be left completely to your own devices with no intereaction.

Cons

Where to start! This is not a consulting firm but rather an agency/recruitment firm. FD dump you into the first project they can find, regardless if the project suits your skills. From there on out expect minimal to no interaction from FD. You're essentially any other contractor in the client site now. Good luck if you think you have any say on what project you will go onto next! Absolutely no structure or thought given to your self-development or progression. Which makes it hilarious at the end of year HR meeting when this is asked of you. Very one sided to expect everything from the employee when the employer is not willing to make any effort to begin with. Sick to think of the daily rate (€450) they earn from each consultant being based on client site while paying out in pennies a fraction of this to us!

Pros

Travel opportunities Responsibility when on client site

Cons

HR a nightmare to deal with Uncertainty

Pros

Young workforce Good benefits (unless you are in Newry)

Cons

Managers will literally lie to you about almost everything. I was misled about client site, end of project timelines (I know many projects get extended but mine was extended 5 times), what the work entailed, no training provided and we were also lied to about bonus's

Pros

The technology owned by this company is fun to work with, and you get the opportunity to work with global banks and financial institutions. The expenses package when on client site is pretty decent. Accommodation, food and transport are covered (within reason). You get the opportunity to travel if you're interested (tho you get 0 say in where you are sent to).

Cons

Extremely poor communication with management. You will be left in the dark about what projects you'll be working on. Emails will go a long time without being answered, you may be sitting doing nothing for weeks while the project is delayed. This is not fun. The company has grown quickly but has not increased the size of it's HR department proportionally to the number of consultants. Don't expect any good communication. Expect to hear about things last minute.

Pros

Great package - the package really is excellent once you are on client site, huge tax savings too. Easy travel - you can move city often and FD will arrange your flights, visas, landlords, etc all on your behalf. Colleagues/networking - the company is young and social (most employees are only 1-3 years our of uni) and you meet a lot of employees at prestigious clients.

Cons

Travel opportunities are mis-sold - the fact is you could spent most or even all your time in Newry where your compensation is cut by about half. Also for UK contracts in Financial Engineering about 90% of the work is in Newry/Belfast/Dublin/London. Poor support - after month 1 you are essentially left on your own with no manager, a mentor who you wont see (and only a couple years more experienced than you), and essentially no connection with FD. Poor career prospects - a lot of the projects require low skill and offer worthless experience (e.g. data labelling) and FD doesnt really have any internal ladder to climb.

Pros

You'll gain exposure to top tier financial institutions and the junior employees are great.

Cons

Can be a truly toxic place to work. I've experienced instances of direct lying from more the recruiters, HR and senior managers. Constant avoidance regarding issues raised. The treatment of employees has close to no consistency, favoritism and nepotism are clear within a few months of working here. There zero transparency from management. Your projects are not clearly defined and you'll find yourself transitioned from roles with zero communication. Your career interests are never taken into account. There is an astounding lack of support while on client site. There is a belief in the company that these are all offset by the pro's listed above.

Pros

Maybe you might get lucky?

Cons

Bleary eye’d you emerge from the cheapest flight bookable to your destination. You arrive in an unfamiliar country. You check to see if the accommodation team has emailed you? No. Where am I staying? You google the client’s name – which of their offices should I arrive at? This is only the start. Once they book you into the cheapest last minute AirBnb, you’re faced with the prospect of arriving to the client site with little more direction that “It’s a tech project”. SOWs and LOEs are guidance. Scope Creep is a natural product of a sales team with little knowledge or interest in the actual engagement. You are a number. The days you spend forgotten about in whatever shared services centre you’re left in is their profit. Legal background but got put on data warehouse project? Pity – it’s a “learning opportunity”. Single bed in a room little bigger than a coffin in Brixton? Good luck getting a response to your email. A common refrain is that the travel experience and paid expenses make it worthwhile. Firstly, you have to travel to avail of those expenses – if you’re not lucky, you’ll be asking your housemate if he can drop you to work with his car as you’ve been ‘accommodated’ on the outskirts of Newry for the months. If you do get to travel, you could find yourself anywhere. Naturally, FD highlights NY, Singapore etc. What isn’t highlighted is Glasgow, Belfast, and other backwaters that you will be far more likely to call home. This is a drinking problem with a body-shopping firm. You exchange any personal or professional autonomy for paid bunk beds and food delivery. Try a respectable company.