Pros
Employee Computer Purchase Programme, staff rates on lending products, fairly rapid advancement. Training programmes were quite enjoyable, albeit conducted at irregular intervals. The company will pay for additional credentials as well as upgraded education for employees. This is an acceptable job for someone fresh out of university, but does not offer long-term prospects.
Cons
I was offered the position based on investment based knowledge and education; however no focus is placed on investments at the retail level. All focus is placed on the ability to sell credit, even to those who do not need/may not be able to service it. Advice given by other staff members is often incorrect/inappropriate/uneducated. The company only pays attention to staff errors when there is a potential for media exposure. Attractive time off package, but this is expected to be booked up to a year in advance, with all time given to senior staff first. As most branches have a skeleton crew, this means vacation is often forced when you do not want/cannot make the most use of it. Staffing levels also result in inconsistent days off. It was very uncommon to have two scheduled days off at a time, and nearly unheard of having a proper weekend. Many branch level employees, particularly managers, seem to be complacent in their roles which can be very frustrating to someone who is ambitious to advance beyond a basic retail role. Bonuses are also awarded with no consistency between business units (with managers often threatening individuals who share with others what they were paid) and no specific formula followed. It seems this can cause confusion, if not genuine distrust between the employee and the company as a whole. It can also result in individuals being penalised for the performance of their larger business unit despite strong personal performance. Benefits are not commensurate with a company of this size, insurance coverage often involves low coverage amounts of higher co-pays. Most other benefits are also taxable, so keep this in mind. Office culture is very dry, employees are not encouraged to socialise with each other, and people are often reassigned frequently to other branches. The company will insist employees participate in sponsored charities (United Way, Run for the Cure, etc) however employees are expected to contribute on their own, and are not compensated.