Pros
Supposed opportunities to go abroad - but these are very rare and never sponsored or supported or promoted by your local managers.
Cons
Work life balance at Standard Chartered does not exist. thanks to the quality of managerial staff they've hired and the training they impart to them (cause they won't train you)... your manger will think he has hired you as a personal slave on call 24/7/365 (i kid you not) ... and that you work for him and not the organization. Forget fair compensation. they will sell you statements to the effect of how 'competitive' (read: low) their salary structure is - of how the 'bonus' structure puts you ahead of everyone else... empty hot air. thats all. at 'review' time - which btw you will not have because the management does not have the guts to do this face to face - and in any case your rating is already decided weeks in advance and there is very little you can argue to impact it... so you merely get handed a paper that says what you've been 'rated' and what your 'compensation' is - and a speech about how 'difficult' things are etc and that what you've been given is better than anyone else... even though the 'bank made a killing in the market and is the most profitable out there'... career progression - they still follow the 'bell curve' methodology to rate 'talent' (its easiest and they've kinda grown adept at it of late) - not that you will know what you've been profiled - where you can improve - what is expected of you. but there are forms somewhere to these effect that someone is filling out about you. rest assured. they do follow processes on paper. but your ranking/status/profile will never be shared with you - nor will you have a clue of what/how you're doing - until the review - and not even then... personal growth/upskilling/ trainings. on paper only. its all up to you when you find the time and opportunity for these on your own for your own. HR at Standard Chartered suxs. it does not exist to assists, guide, *gawd forbid* mentor, inform, defend, enforce employee supportive policies of any sort - it is merely a tool to recruit fodder for the grinder, and ensure paper filling exercises with fancy names are completed, mostly post dated - just to complete the process. you will not have an HR relationship manager that you will have ever met. and if you have nothing will ever have come out of it in your favor. benefits. these don't exist beyond the statutory requirements of 'medical' and 'housing' - which as statutorily defined are a third of your paltry basic pay - because they are a 'reward' structured organization - with competitive salary structures.. but this rule is not uniformly applied for there are numerous examples to the contrary - entirely composed of fresh hires... not all of whom are fortunate enough to get this exemption...