Pros
Strong Learning Curve: CIL gives new analysts significant responsibility from the start. The learning curve is steep, and within two years, you’ll become a strong, load-bearing contributor with valuable hands-on experience. It’s an intense, fast-track environment that will transform your skillset, especially in client-facing roles. Talented Team: The company has a knack for hiring bright, driven individuals, and you’ll work alongside some of the most talented peers. This creates a great opportunity to form strong professional relationships and even lifelong friendships. Career Launchpad: CIL can be a great first job if you’re looking to build a solid foundation early in your career. After 2-3 years, you’ll have a strong network and be well-positioned to transition to an MBA programme or industry role. Annual Travel Opportunities: Employees enjoy annual travel perks, including a domestic winter trip to destinations like Charleston, Park City, and New Orleans, as well as a summer trip to the annual company party held at an estate outside of London. These trips can be a great way to bond with colleagues and experience new places.
Cons
Workload Creep: While the company promises a 50-hour billable cap with no weekend work, the reality is different. It’s common for hours to climb upwards of 60 per week, often spilling into weekends, especially during high-intensity projects. Internally, CIL has become synonymous with "Consulting Is Life" due to the unrelenting workload. The company doesn’t enforce its own policies on work-life balance. Toxic Leadership and Culture: Leadership, particularly at the partner level, is marked by a lack of emotional intelligence. I once overheard a partner bragging about ignoring feedback on their performance. The organisation is deeply political, and even top performers aren’t safe from favouritism and bias in post-project reviews, which are manipulated to slow down promotions. Inconsistent Feedback: Post-project reviews are not only riddled with favouritism but also suffer from inconsistency. One project manager might grade you as "exceeding expectations," while another may mark the same quality of work as an "area for improvement." There’s no standardisation in how feedback is given, leading to confusion and frustration among employees and an overall experience that can vary greatly by the luck of which manager you get placed with. UK-Controlled US Office: The Chicago office is heavily influenced by UK transplants who dominate decision-making. US-based employees are often sidelined, with their ideas undervalued. The leadership style is rigid and micromanaging, leaving little room for creative input from US contributors. Misrepresented Benefits: CIL misrepresented the 401k match in its offer letters. Many of us were promised a 5% match, only to discover it was reduced to 4.5% after joining. Additionally, employees used to receive a day of Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) for any hours worked over 50, which could be taken at their convenience. Now, TOIL is granted at the project leader's discretion and is certainly not guaranteed; employees can only use it based on their manager’s approval, and TOIL days are often chosen for you rather than allowing for personal flexibility. When these discrepancies were raised with HR, they were indifferent, raising concerns about transparency and trust. Harassment Issues: Sexual harassment is not uncommon, and reports of such incidents are mishandled or ignored, creating a hostile work environment where employees don’t feel supported by HR or leadership. Below-Market Pay and Benefits: CIL markets itself to clients by delivering MBB-quality work at T2 prices, or T2-quality work at T3 prices. To achieve this, they underpay high performers compared to the market, and benefits like the 401k match are subpar. The company attracts talent with promises of a great culture and capped hours, but the reality is long hours for lower pay. 30% Staff Churn: The company’s claims about its supportive culture and sustainable work-life balance are undermined by the fact that the Chicago office has seen 30% of its client-facing staff churn this year, far exceeding the target of 5%. This high turnover reflects the harsh reality of low pay, intense hours, and a deteriorating company culture. Disregard for MBAs: CIL does not value MBAs or prior experience. They believe there’s nothing that can prepare you for CDD and the "CIL way". Recently, the company began actively recruiting MBAs from top US schools like Kellogg and Booth, but they pay so dismally compared to other firms that the effort is largely a waste—and frankly, embarrassing.