Whirlpool

PWC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY.
Which one of them is the best to work at and why?

What is best? Money? Reputation? Culture?

Too many factors.

The overall factor as a whole.

I know some people who worked for PWC, KPMG and EY. The PWC one said it was not too bad. KPMG one resigned because of the stressful workload. EY one is still working there as a tax senior. My vague impression is that EY is nicer to work for.

But you should count your lucky stars that you get into any of them.

The one that fits you best.

Edit: Arn't you already at Accenture?

I know some of my friends are trying to get into EY and Deloitte, they are working for PWC and KPMG, I reckon that means something.

my friend works at EY, she loves it. Very young and social company.

I think you also need to take into account that some divisions / lines of services / x are 'better' than others within the firms themselves, and I guess this would vary again depending on location and the projects/managers you get assigned to.

My friends @ PWC seem to be worked very hard compared to other friends at the other 3 companies.

Salarywise, I'd assume they pay about the same, but EY seems to have a more relaxed working environment from what I hear. I also hear good things about Deloitte too, but that's from a more senior person. They got to do a bit of travelling and use of the corporate expense card a lot.

My guess from the way Deloitte conducts their recruitment process their culture must be pretty good too. I went for an interview with Deloitte for vac work about 3 years ago and the first round was a cocktail party where they gave you business cards and you have to sell yourself to the Deloitte managers.

If I was a graduate accountant, I wouldn't mind working at either of the big 4.

When I went for my graduate interviews earlier this year, I found both EY and Deloitte to have a very relaxed culture, whereas KPMG were more professional. This was all from an initial perspective though. My friends who work at PwC and EY love it there.

i would take a job offer with any of the big 4.

Iv had interviews for cadetships with a few, but got knocked back.
Hoping to score the Achiever Work Exp with any firm these holidays.

I've worked at both KPMG and Deloitte and have friends at both EY and PwC, they do seem to differ. KPMG's structure is very rigid and there seems to be alot of 'jocks', I guess it depends on your division and office but it's not as fun as the other firms (apart from the giant Christmas party :-D). I have some friends at EY who love it and some who hate it, apparently there are alot of 'jocks' in certain divisions too. These firms do not seem to have as efficient work practices as Deloitte and PwC either which can get really annoying if you know there is a faster and better way of completing a task using another firms programs. Ofcourse ignorance is bliss.

I haven't heard of too many bad things about PwC actually, except that the Melbourne office is too far away from the rest of the city hehe. One thing about the above 3 firms is that they all run co-op or cadet programs. This might be cheap labour for them and all but for people who are going into a graduate position with a 5 or more year degree you can actually feel a bit old when you really should still be feeling young. I've also found it changes the dynamic and culture a little more and makes it a little more immature, i.e. more people seem to be planning or have moved out of home at Deloitte (who don't run such programs) than at the other firms. Deloitte is great and despite it being smaller in Australia and having less high profile clients they still do have a great clientbase across all divisions. Another thing going for it is that their employees are titled Analyst not Accountant ;-)

The weird thing is everyone that I know that wants to get into a big 4 want to go to KPMG or PwC, but the people that I actually know who love their work at a big 4 work at EY and Deloitte. So figure that one out.

However all the guys I know that have anything to do with these places are business/accounting grads.

A mate of mine has said for IT, PwC would be the place to go as they are going to bring back PwCC.

Pick which logo you like better.

Getting individual stories from 'mates of mates' or even first hand accounts won't apply to you unless you're going to be working the same job with the same manager and same place/time.

serp writes...

A mate of mine has said for IT, PwC would be the place to go as they are going to bring back PwCC.

I haven't heard of PwC bringing back consulting at all? Even Deloitte's consulting service line is not very big in IT anymore. However, their massive growth in internal audits brings with it the need for IT professionals.

Also I do believe that stories from people are a good indication of a firm when talking about culture and structure. Almost all the stories I had heard about the firms I have worked for turned out to be true and to my suprise across most of the service lines too. Stories about working people too hard and things like that... well take them with a grain of salt because that does very well depend on your manager/client/location etc. At the end of the day they will all work you hard so I find it is the other little things that makes one place more bareable or sometimes even fun to work at.

Spatio writes...

I haven't heard of PwC bringing back consulting at all?

Ok rephrase, not bringing it back as such but working towards launching something similar in the company in the future, supposedly when they sold it the contract wasn't as tight as the purchasing party thought.

I cant say much for the others but Deloitte (consulting) was very cruisey to work for. You had to do the work and put in the time, but if you did it was very relaxed most of the time. This seemed to come directly from the partners.
A couple of the guys that did work for the accounting arm said it was a little more serious and very professional but they didnt seem to think there was a great deal of cultural difference in reality.

Anyone know what the work/life balance is like at these companies, in particular deloitte?

personxy writes...

Anyone know what the work/life balance is like at these companies, in particular deloitte?

Are you doing summer vacation/new grad? be prepared to put in a lot of hours so you can become productive ASAP.

It depends on yourself really, and how fast your want those promotions :).

personxy writes...

Anyone know what the work/life balance is like at these companies, in particular deloitte?

Which service line are you thinking of?

No matter what division you are thinking of though it will be better than other high profile places such as Macquarie Bank, McKinsey or even Mallesons.

Shindou writes...

PWC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY.
Which one of them is the best to work at and why?

regardless of which one you choose:

youll be allocated some kind of rank.. usually a letter. this will signify your salary range and void you of any individuality. youll work your arse off climbing that ladder.. under the false impression that there is some kind sanctity further up the rankings. youll find yourself chasing the only single hot co-worker in the building... only, she will never sleep with you because you no longer have a personality, you have a rank and she knows she can screw someone further up the chain. the only respite you have is getting smashed on friday night at the corner pub and reflecting on the bollocks politics that ruined you week.

if you actually do have some intelligence and vitality.... then you will climb the corporate ladder quite quickly. politics wont stand in your way. youll end up with a trophy wife that you met at the corner bar on one friday evening.. she thinks you are the ugliest richest man in the world. you buy her a bmw convertible and a credit card. youll be jetsetting around the place frequenting every strip joint possible and writing it off as a "business expense". the next few years will be a blur. one day youll wake up from your daze to find a dead hooker in your hotel room. not wanting to tarnish their own reputation, whatever firm will offer you a generous severance package and youll drink the rest of your pathetic days away until your liver gives up and you die.

ahhh... the big 4. living the dream :) what stage are you at?

Well i work in IT at one of these firms and i can say they don't really pay the best but they don't pay the worst either.

They so far are good on IT Training though since they just sent most permanent staff members including myself on ITIL training and they are going to pay for some other tech certs for me too. Best part about the job though is the people, like i can go out drinking with most of the people i work with which is awesome.

sel writes...

regardless of which one you choose:

youll be allocated some kind of rank.. ....blah blah blah...... you a generous severance package and youll drink the rest of your pathetic days away until your liver gives up and you die

Am I the only one who is strangely attracted to this?

hehe I just scored myself work experience with Deloitte. Will be starting in a few weeks time for the Corporate Re-organisation Division.

A lot of people do burn out if it's not their line of work. There's a lot of bs'ing that happens, sometimes, people can't hack it. It's a tough industry, but rewarding! :)
Time will tell. Usually once you get work experience, the chances of being offered a contract is high, but we'll see.

I'll get back with my results after my work experience :)

Just to update you guys, I finally got an offer of employment when I graduate from uni (in 1.5 years time). Funny, I don't even do accounting as a major. It's been great fun, and it certainly will be a good training ground for other avenues.

The recruitment was extremely competitive nevertheless!

Of the people I know and/or worked with, Deloittes & EY seem to hire and retain the more rounded and useful people, but the big 4 all have their ups and downs.

MoT|oN FX writes...

Just to update you guys, I finally got an offer of employment when I graduate from uni (in 1.5 years time). Funny, I don't even do accounting as a major. It's been great fun, and it certainly will be a good training ground for other avenues.

The recruitment was extremely competitive nevertheless!

What are you majoring in? Do they take any finance graduates?

imposta. writes...

I think you also need to take into account that some divisions / lines of services / x are 'better' than others within the firms themselves,

Very good advice.

I worked at EY and the department I was in...well, I quit at the end of last year after 7 months and no one in the department is happy because of a number of factors. Management, pay, workload.

Forget work/life balance. Any big 4 you go to, you'll be overworked. Especially if you go for your CA.

Phfat Jøhn writes...

I worked at EY and the department I was in...well, I quit at the end of last year after 7 months

May I ask where did you go after that? Did you go for another CA firm or into a commercial company?

Shindou writes...

Did you go for another CA firm

Yeop. Cept going mid tier. Something with more all-round accounting experience. At EY (and I would say at any big 4) I was doing very specialised work. For better opportunities in the future, I thought I'd get more all-round experience early on (last year was my first year outta uni)

Not trying to put EY down, but the department I was in wasn;t very good. Buildings great. Kitchens are great. The people on my level (1st years and 2nd years) were cool people.

Shindou writes...

a commercial company?

Better chances of going into a commercial company with higher pay comes after you get your CA. That's generally what happens. People fresh outta uni will slog it out in a CA firm, get their CA and then either leave commerce altogether, or go to a commercial company.

What are you looking at doing?

Assuming you mean in the IT department; I did some work @ E&Y (@ Sydney CBD Office) - absolutely awesome place to be working at! I'm 18, I did a week of experience - then called back for some paid work for a month... so my opinion might not really reflect of how it might actually be.

Good working conditions - tick
Good work environment - tick
Free cookies, biscuits, sultanas, fruits (hah, on Mondays), coffee; DID I MENTION COOKIES!? - tick
Easy to get to from Town Hall station - tick
Close to food and such - tick

E&Y is a great place to work at, they're very flexible and not too strict - it's all about convenience and love @ E&Y.

When I had a tough day, I'd often take a lengthy lunch break.

However, E&Y are notorious for underpaying their employees.

I'm a bit biased, haven't worked at the other 3 before though.

sel writes...

youll be allocated some kind of rank.. usually a letter. this will signify your salary range and void you of any individuality. youll work your arse off climbing that ladder. the only respite you have is getting smashed on friday night at the corner pub and reflecting on the bollocks politics that ruined you week.

I thought this thread was about Big 4 Accounting firms, not Big 4 Banks. That said, I can see the similarities ...

sel writes...

ahhh... the big 4. living the dream :) what stage are you at?

HEY , thats where i work as well.
And i dont work for this so called big 4!!

Yes, I am a finance major at Curtin. It really depends on your attitude as well as your knowledge. The reason why they overlooked my lack of accounting major was because I actively invest, well read, keep up with the news, and just enjoy anything to do with financial services. Also gotta think quick on your feet to communicate well in this sort of industry. Some people like it, some don't. Corporate life is not for everyone.

I do want to get into an investment house or merchant bank, however I believe big 4 training or experience is crucial to my foundation. A lot of those who have moved on from my department are now CFO's or middle to senior management. Sometimes it's really worth the sacrifice in pay in the short run for long term gain. Everyone has to start somewhere! :)

MoT|oN FX writes...

A lot of those who have moved on from my department are now CFO's or middle to senior management. Sometimes it's really worth the sacrifice in pay in the short run for long term gain. Everyone has to start somewhere! :)

And this has everything to do with IT and telco.

Anyway goodluck becoming a CFO as opposed to a CIO. I hope you are not one of these guys who enriches themselves while screwing the people who make the company rich.

mobydisc writes...

And this has everything to do with IT and telco.

Anyway goodluck becoming a CFO as opposed to a CIO. I hope you are not one of these guys who enriches themselves while screwing the people who make the company rich.

IT and finance are always related in some ways. Especially big 4 accounting firms do a lof IT related assurance and advisory works.
If you look at most big IT consulting firms these days, Accenture, Capgemini, BearingPoint and Deloitte Consulting, they are or were part of big 4 accounting firms not long ago.

Shindou writes...

Which one of them is the best to work at and why?

The one that I would choose to work at :P

If you look at most big IT consulting firms these days, Accenture, Capgemini, BearingPoint and Deloitte Consulting, they are or were part of big 4 accounting firms not long ago.

AS far as I knew, I thought Capgemini have always been their own company?

serp writes...

AS far as I knew, I thought Capgemini have always been their own company?

It was part of Ernst & Young, and it was sold to Atos Origin a French IT consulting company. However the Australia arm of Atos Origin was merged with Fujitsu.

unfortunately that seems to be the trend hasn't it? have a look at Alinta - they're trying to do a managed buyout! I guess they felt they needed a chunk of the riches they helped build + their salaries and bonuses.

I know from speaking to many people in senior management that it is a really cut-throat industry. It's sad, they all say that people will try climb over you just to take $1 dollar out of your pocket. After a while it does make one very cynical - especially to those who perhaps mean well. So it certainly ain't the job of choice for many. Either you hack it, suck it up and survive or naturally they find another job :/

PWC is known as the Last Vestige of Slavery.. So take that as you wish.

KernelPanic writes...

PWC is known as the Last Vestige of Slavery.. So take that as you wish.

Yeah,

My wife works at Citibank in the Sydney CBD. She knows a few people working for Price Waterhouse. Their life is consumed by the company. Its effectively a vampire sucking the lifeforce out of its victims.

If you are in Brisbane, don't work for KPMG - they only have one coffee machine! They get on the Riparian lift, mug in hand, go one or two floors then get off. The number of times that has happened........

So to answer your question, any of the other three, i'm sure they have more than one machine!

GotNoNet writes...

If you are in Brisbane, don't work for KPMG - they only have one coffee machine! They get on the Riparian lift, mug in hand, go one or two floors then get off. The number of times that has happened........

So to answer your question, any of the other three, i'm sure they have more than one machine!

Because, you've got to remember the reason we all work is for the coffee!!!

mobydisc writes...

Yeah,

My wife works at Citibank in the Sydney CBD. She knows a few people working for Price Waterhouse. Their life is consumed by the company. Its effectively a vampire sucking the lifeforce out of its victims.

lol asif citigroup doesnt work its staff uber hard.

i am thinking of applying for deloitte for their mid year intake grad program. what are your thoughts about that? any one know how hard they make us work ? lol

dreamer24 writes...

i am thinking of applying for deloitte for their mid year intake grad program. what are your thoughts about that? any one know how hard they make us work ? lol

You gotta work hard to get places!

dreamer24 writes...

any one know how hard they make us work ? lol

Well if you are using "lol" to randomly end sentences in your application I hardly think they'll take you on.

Why do people do that?

Moore Stephens? lol

serp writes...

Well if you are using "lol" to randomly end sentences in your application I hardly think they'll take you on.

Why do people do that?

it wasn't exactly "random". it adds cheekiness, sarcasm, or a lack of seriousness to his question. lol.

I am a Law graduate and was called for an interview with PWC....Do they actually have anything lawyers can do over there??? Unsure whether I applied for the right job!!
Cheers,
Logan

Good working conditions - tick
Good work environment - tick
Free cookies, biscuits, sultanas, fruits (hah, on Mondays), coffee; DID I MENTION COOKIES!? - tick
Easy to get to from Town Hall station - tick
Close to food and such - tick

E&Y is a great place to work at

I agree, the offices have a vibrant atmosphere, shame about having to share desks:P Although that's probably the same as all big4.

However, E&Y are notorious for underpaying their employees.

In Perth PwC grads start on around 5-6k more than EY across the board. Im sure you can buy your own cookies and fruit with the extra cash :) That said salary is only one part of a job, opportunity for growth and culture are important too.

Do they actually have anything lawyers can do over there???

You answered your own question. See below

I am a Law graduate and was called for an interview with PWC.

They wouldn't be interviewing you for a laugh

They wouldn't be interviewing you for a laugh

You are right!! I probably am a little too worried ...never mind. It sounds like a great place for starting your career.....
I am quite happy with the interview. I will let you guys know how this is going!!

I currently work for PwC in their IT team and I think its a great place for any IT grad to start.

Even though I am in the advisory group, my role is mainly around I.T. Auditing.
PwC give u great training and I.T. auditing is pretty good coming straight from Uni.

One thing I will say is that PwC does not do I.T. consulting... Well not what i would call IT consulting.

The consulting work we do is very high level, and alot of fluff (i.e. Management Speak)
all documented in pretty documents and visio diagrams. However this type of work is given to seniors and managers.

I.T. Auduiting will get dry after a while, how long? It depends on you, but eventually it will. A word of warning.

But all in all, I can vouch for PwC for its people, training, and perks. IT Auditng teaches you alot of good skills, esp. the soft skills. PwC also looks good on CV. I am however leaving PwC soon for bigger things, but my time here was invaluable for my career.

Hope this helps!

Having worked PWC before , I can tell you that the culture is fantastic- the people are professional and very helpful. It truly is a 'high performing culture' and knowledge from seniors is shared with juniors- everyone helps each other out at this firm- if you don't know something someone will always guide you- if you're in audit you have a coach for every client you go to to help you develop your skills and gain on the job experience.

However I have seen first hand how hardworking the people at the firm are- in my division people rarely if ever leave before 6( apparently this happens only at busy times and i was there jan/feb which is busy time) and even i as a vaccie stayed till 8pm at a clients doing work! Managers work till really later hours and once i received an email from a manager at 1am!

I think to work at PWC you really need to be a people person-someone ready for a challenge and willing to learn new things- You also need to have drive and ambition to succeed. You DEFINATELY need to be a team player and one who is willing to help others because I have noticed the culture is based a lot on helping and sharing knowledge. It is a high performing culture but if you're smart, willing to learn and develop. ambitious and team player you will fit right in at pwc

THISISFAKE writes...

It truly is a 'high performing culture

You also need to have drive and ambition to succeed.

You DEFINATELY need to be a team player

It is a high performing culture but if you're smart, willing to learn and develop. ambitious and team player you will fit right in at pwc

do you work in HR?

you speak HR-Language :)

If put this through the bullshitofilter...

THISISFAKE writes...

It truly is a 'high performing culture

Working long hours for a horrid client.

You also need to have drive and ambition to succeed.

A 'yes man' to your senior manager.

You DEFINATELY need to be a team player

You must be able to drink excessively with the other senior staff. Sucking up is part of your performance profile.

It is a high performing culture but if you're smart, willing to learn and develop. ambitious and team player you will fit right in at pwc

We'll burn you right down to the core, and you won't get renumerated for it.

P. Burgess writes...

If put this through the bullshitofilter...

Working long hours for a horrid client.

A 'yes man' to your senior manager.

You must be able to drink excessively with the other senior staff. Sucking up is part of your performance profile.

We'll burn you right down to the core, and you won't get renumerated for it.

Honestly, I don't even know why you bother to post in these threads. You provide no useful information apart from an insipid diatribe about how worthless Big 4 accounting firms are.

Most of the people in this thread are over 21, they're old enough to know what is expected of graduates; how they will be worked hard, with less than ideal pay. They will also know that they will learn a lot about their field and also about how to succeed within it. They are aware that even though the Big4 will be using them, they can also use the Big4 to get further qualifications/certifications and industry experience. I'm sure that they know that having a Big4 accounting firm on their CV will look good to future employers.

P.S. A friend of mine who is at a Big4 firm speculated that the graduate salaries are so low because middle-upper management know that the vast majority of graduates are using the firms to get their CA.

Edit: Spelling

misterpms writes...

A friend of mine who is at a Big4 firm speculated that the graduate salaries are so low because middle-upper management know that the vast majority of graduates are using the firms to get their CA.

When you think about it, that's a valid point. Just think about how posts you see in this forum advising grads to join, get their CA, and leave with a Big 4 name on their resume.

Absolutely, I think this is the case because Gen Y rarely stay in one firm for long - not that there's anything wrong with that, but naturally firms will have to cover the cost of turnover by lowering wages. This is also why they have such stringent recruitment processes. That way they find out who is "most likely" to stay with a firm long term.

This is not happening with just the Big 4 accounting firms. One only has to look across the board - places like investment banks in which the cost of turnover is a lot greater, typically now employs psychometric assesments in their recruitment to determine candidates who are most "suitable" for their workplace culture.

Many of us, including me who will be starting at Deloitte when I graduate will need to understand the changing dynamics of different generations (Gen X, Gen Y etc.) and will need to come to accept today's culture and expectations of graduates.

Sort of begs the question - what are firms doing in terms of providing incentives for grads to stay on? Or are they resigned to the fact that the majority will piss off after the 3 years of CA? I know a friend who's been at EY for 5 years but is itching to go overseas.

Shindou writes...

PWC, KPMG, Deloitte and EY.
Which one of them is the best to work at and why?

whichever is qucker to get to / from work & home. dont lose sleep deciding where to sell ur soul to. pick one and live with the consequences.

(disclaimer: former deloittes employee).

I disagree with the talk about the CA turnover making the wages lower. KPMG for example force you to stay for 12 months after any paid expenses (eg: education), so they get 12 months of certified work out of you otherwise you need to pay them back the cost of the certificate/degree etc

CA program = :(

Theravadin writes...

Sort of begs the question - what are firms doing in terms of providing incentives for grads to stay on? Or are they resigned to the fact that the majority will piss off after the 3 years of CA? I know a friend who's been at EY for 5 years but is itching to go overseas.

i went to a deloitte info session. the employees/managers/partners i spoke to there said there was a lot of opportunities to go on secondment, especially to london. and you usually can only go on secondment after you get ur CA. so that is one way the company is trying to keep ppl in the company, by buying a plane ticket and setting u up on a pad overseas :)

d00shie writes...

so that is one way the company is trying to keep ppl in the company

Clause in your contract that you have to stay x amount of months/years after you complete your CA otherwise you have to pay them back for all the fees etc they paid for you.

But most people get a far higher paying job after the ca and just say, screw it, ill pay em back and earn more money

I lasted 1 week at Deloitte. When they tried to shove some "7 signals" rubbish down my throat, I told them where to go.

Best move I ever made ;-)

bambbbam writes...

Best move I ever made ;-)

Where'd you move to?

I got an offer at Deloitte for vac work but had to turn it down. EY seemed better at the time, here's hoping I don't regret it lol.

Theravadin writes...

Where'd you move to?

I think a big 4 can be a good move if you are after a career and don't mind working VERY hard for it.

I'm just stage in my life where I don't NEED to bust a gut proving myself, happy to do a lower paid, no stress job.

bambbbam writes...

I think a big 4 can be a good move if you are after a career and don't mind working VERY hard for it.

I think some people exaggerate how bad it is. If you have a decent work ethic, it's not going to burn you out or anything.

parasonic writes...

I think some people exaggerate how bad it is. If you have a decent work ethic, it's not going to burn you out or anything.

That is a matter of opinion. A friend works at one of the Big 4. He loves Weekends because that means he can wear casual to the office..

bambbbam writes...

Weekends because that means he can wear casual to the office..

:D

What service line is he involved in?

bambbbam writes...

lasted 1 week at Deloitte. When they tried to shove some "7 signals"

are they still doing the 7 signals.

that program began at the start of this decade.

they must be amazing signals to keep working for so long...?

Deloitte is still doing the seven signals and it's not THAT bad. Each company has their set of mission statements.

My brief of the Big 4s

KPMG: Out to make an Impression--> you need to dress right at all times
PWC: Work you HARD'est' compared to the other Big 4
EY: They've got their own gym
Deloitte: Great Work Culture

sachz writes...

are they still doing the 7 signals

Yes - and you get rewarded for displaying them...

sel writes...

youll end up with a trophy wife that you met at the corner bar on one friday evening.. she thinks you are the ugliest richest man in the world. you buy her a bmw convertible and a credit card. youll be jetsetting around the place frequenting every strip joint possible and writing it off as a "business expense

Sounds like a John Grisham novel

wonderingsoul writes...

EY: They've got their own gym

absolutely amazing.

does this mean everyone is lean and fit at EY ??

or do they also have their own coffee shop too !!

Don't know about other cities but the gym in Melbourne's EY building isn't actually run by them. Rather, it's an independent one with membership discounts to EY staff.

wonderingsoul writes...

My brief of the Big 4s

KPMG: Out to make an Impression--> you need to dress right at all times
PWC: Work you HARD'est' compared to the other Big 4
EY: They've got their own gym
Deloitte: Great Work Culture

Have you worked at KPMG and/or PWC? Or Deloitte? Otherwise I'm flat out understanding how you can so authoritatively comment on the work culture of these places - simply going through the grad recruitment process isn't going to tell you for sure, because the HR people's job is to sell the place to you.

There isn't much difference between any of them IMO, except for perhaps individual service lines sometimes being bigger at one than another.

I didn't mean for my opinion to sound that way moneycoon. It was meant to be light-hearted =)

sachz writes...

does this mean everyone is lean and fit at EY ??

or do they also have their own coffee shop too !!

Yes, yes it does. It also means they can make a mean late :P

Maxy0987 writes...

can make a mean late :P

u mean a latte? or the stay up late in the office (for their latte' ??) :-)

today the big 4 are prime for GEN-Y'ers in my opinion...

Agreed sachz, I don't think any of them are that bad?

which big 4 offers the best learning experience and coaching/formal training?

would that be pwc cos they work you so hard?