Pros
Salary, if you stay less than 3 years
Cons
Salary - If you stay more than 4 years Believe me, after the forth year your salary is largely in the average, but if you are left on the same client for 4 years, your skills could be largely below the average. This usually happens with big clients (like Amadeus) if those won't hire you soon. Career - Be aware, they don't care about your career No formation, they are forced by law to do yearly follow ups, but if you don't request them they simply forget about it, and if you plan them you can anyway forget to have a salary raise. If you use your own credit to make formation, they simply don't reply to your mail, so it becomes difficult. No reply to phone calls, as well. You have to hunt them, to seek them, and anyway they have always "good reasons" not to reply (I have to speak with Directors, I have to speak with HR chief...) Fairness - If they can, they are always ready to play on your professionality to reach their objectives They complain cause I spoke with my team leader (a person that I meet everyday... and who replies to my mails :P) earlier than with them when I resigned. They didn't want cause it is Astek that should keep the contact with the client (whaaaaat??? Me and the boss of my team we have to speak through Astek???). This, of course, to have you stay there till the last day or to replace you with another employee. Strangely, when I had problems with the client and it wanted to stop my mission, Astek left me speak with the Senior Manager by myself and fix the situation even if I asked for their support. More than this they had lot of other problems in the last few years: fines for they abuse of frais d' activite', unilateral changes to the employees contract, strikes... In my opinion better to start with a little less money but having regular increase and support from the company than... THAT! And if you are a foreign worker, please consider to apply directly for a job position to the client, you will have a better career. Or to another place, why not? (Please consider that in this area everything is centered to Amadeus, Orange, Arm, Intel and few others...) NB: Astek considers you as a loss till the end of the second year. You can have something in that period (like a French course). After that they don't care as explained. Even if it is the team leader of the Client that ask them a course for you
