Grant Thornton is an international network of firms working in tax, advisory and audit branches, employing thousands of people in 140 countries. Here we’ll be focusing on Grant Thornton LLP, the American member firm.
Grant Thornton Key Stats
- Firm Website: www.grantthornton.com
- Firm Headquarters: Chicago, Illinois
- Firm Number of Employees: 8,500
- Firm Number of Locations: 51
- Firm Chief Executive: Seth Siegel
- Firm Revenue: $2.3 billion
Grant Thornton History
Grant Thornton was founded as Alexander and Co. in 1924 by Alexander Richardson Grant after he left a senior accountant position at another firm. It only operated in the U.S. until the 1960s when they merged with companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom in order to expand internationally. The expansion continued, and today the global network employs over 56,000 people in 140 countries, 17,390 of whom are in the U.S.
Careers at Grant Thornton
The career path at Grant Thornton allows for growth and flexibility within the firm, a positive consideration for those who prefer long term mobility options.
Grant Thornton Internship
Grant Thornton offers internships to both undergraduate and graduate students in the following periods throughout the year: winter (January – March/April), summer (June – July/August) or fall (September – November/December). These offer great experience in the field, working with clients, receiving feedback and mentorship from leadership, and participating in social and community service events.
Grant Thornton also offers the following opportunities:
Empower Program
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- For college freshmen, and sophomores who are on a five-year track
- Students who identify as Black, Hispanic, Latinx, or Native American are especially encouraged to apply
- Prefered majors are accounting, information systems, or data analytics
- Interest in professional services or accounting
Sophomore Program
For college sophomores who have an interest in gaining experience about specific service lines through shadowing
Prefered majors include accounting, information systems, or others similar to these
Interest in audit, tax, and advisory
Leadership Program
Here are some of the basic details for Grant Thornton's leadership program:
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- Open to college sophomores and juniors
- Open to previous program or internship participants
- Prefered majors are accounting and information systems
- Applications only taken through local recruiters
Practice Areas
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- Advisory
- Audit
- Tax
- ESG
- Digital assets
- Alliances
- The alyx platform
- SPAC
- Human resource services
- Mergers and acquisitions
Industries
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- Asset management
- Banking
- Energy
- Healthcare
- Hospitality and restaurants
- Insurance
- Life sciences
- Manufacturing
- Media and entertainment
- Not-for-profit organizations and
- higher education institutions
- Private equity
- Real estate and construction
- Retail and consumer products
- Services
- Technology and telecommunication
- Transportation, logistics, warehousing and distribution
Office Locations
While Grant Thornton has many U.S. offices, keep in mind that its international connections are significantly further reaching and include hundreds more location options.
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- Phoenix, Arizona
- Los Angeles, California
- Orange County, California
- Sacramento, California
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- Silicon Valley, California
- Colorado, Denver
- Hartford, Connecticut
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Orlando, Florida
- Tampa, Florida
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Chicago, Illinois
- Downers Grove, Illinois
- Wichita, Kansas
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Detroit, Michigan
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Kansas City, Missouri
- St. Louis, Missouri
- Reno, Nevada
- MetroPark, New Jersey
- Long Island, New York
- New York City, New York
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Raleigh, North Carolina
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Portland, Oregon
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania
- Columbia, South Carolina
- Austin, Texas
- Dallas, Texas
- Houston, Texas
- Salt Lake City, Utah
- Arlington, Virginia
- Bellevue, Washington
- Washington, D.C.
- Appleton, Wisconsin
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Exit Opportunities
Some previous employees have noted that experience with Grant Thornton is good preparation for moving on to a Big 4 consulting firm. This is great information for ambitious candidates to keep in mind. Being well connected and thoroughly trained, employees at Grant Thornton are sure to have access to desirable positions that may open up to them when exiting the firm.
Target Schools
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- The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
- Penn State University
- ACCA
- Indiana University Bloomington
- Texas A&M University
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Indiana University - Kelley School of Business
- DePaul University
- University of Central Florida
Diversity Programs
Grant Thornton has goals in place to reach certain proportions of representation with their workforce by hiring more LGBTQ-identifying people, veterans, women, and people of color. The firm shares its progress and is active about providing spaces for employees to feel included and understood. It has also supported the group Free Mom Hugs, which aims to create allies for those in the LGBTQ+ community.
Grant Thornton Culture
Grant Thornton’s company culture has a good reputation among its former and current employees. Management generally works hard to improve things for staff and coworkers are often ambitious, intelligent, and enjoyable to work with. Work may feel stressful during busier seasons. This was a “con” that previous employees cited, saying that management was too focused on social issues or employee resource programs on top of their regular work.
Despite this feeling, the firm does give to meaningful causes. One of these causes is supporting students at Bentley University to become more capable in achieving greater social good. They do this through partnership with NGOs in Ghana.
Grant Thornton Interviews
Previous applicants share that interviewers were largely focused on getting to know them and asked many questions about their past experience, interests, and preferences within the company. Grant Thornton does have a heavy emphasis on case interviews during their interview process. So be sure and be ready to show your casing skills.
Grant Thornton Salaries
Salaries are never guaranteed and vary based on location and position specifics. Yet, here are some estimates that should give you a ballpark idea:
- Manager: $169,212
- Audit associate: $67,647
- Senior associate: $102,469
- Consultant: $91,739
You can see that an entry consulting position at Grant Thornton has a starting salary commensurate with a smaller firm. Their salaries are just under MBB counterparts. To see our full consulting salaries report, click here.
Conclusion
Reviews and feedback from former staff as well as its global reputation paint Grant Thornton favorably. The range of locations and access to their international network is an added bonus that many will appreciate, while the firm can also provide a holistic experience designed to give exciting opportunities to up-and-coming consultants.