Pros
pros are for people who have absolutely no family life or are looking at making families (literally and figuratively- Revit) at work place. People who have absolutely miserable spouses and wanna escape home can be here.
Cons
where do i begin?...Well i joined as an architect with Dar and have had a horrendous experience working with them. Not only the architects are suffering here but i can quite confidently state that the professionals from other departments- structural, mechanical, interiors etc have an equally bad experience. Certain points i would like to point out to new applicants- 1. Long working hours. And by long i really mean extremely long. The company being being an ISO company follows no rules nor adheres to any policies which make an employee friendly place. The reporting time is 8am, while they never let anybody go before 8pm. 2. Unrealistic deadlines- Dar is known for its unrealistic deadlines. This takes a toll on all the employees ending up putting in as much as min. 12-14 hours daily. Though Saturdays and sundays are off as per policy, you would walk into almost an entire office on any given Saturday or Sunday. 3. The pathetic attitude of Management- This is very well known and indisputable fact among all Dar employees. I have not found a single employee that has had anything good to talk about the Senior Management ie the Director and the project managers. The overall attitude is very condescending and reminds of pre-colonial times. 4. Work- the projects that the company in Pune works on are basically the ones shunted by other branches of Dar elsewhere. There is really no worth in doing them because as an architect all you would be doing is drafting details in revit that would have absolutely no value in India. So if you are willing to work in INdia then Dar would do you no good. People having worked in Dar have a tough time finding jobs. (Ask anyone!). For Architects there is no creative work, no design work, except for drafting. For seniors, there is little or no decision making. 5. Quality- The quality of work is extremely poor, The drawings are sent out to area office in middle east. As a reviewer of the drawings, you would find scores of drafting errors like doors missing, doors and windows in water tanks etc 6. No satisfaction- there is little or no joy in project work for architects/interiors as once the drawings are drafted and sent , he or she would never know the progress of the buildings he has worked on. He or she is never sent to the site. Most of the works are to be built over a large span of time in the coming future, therefore the work loses it's significance. 7. High Pay Myth- There is a myth that Dar pays way above the market. Well sorry to burst your bubble, but that is not true, and that if you really search, you would definitely find many a better paying companies. What is the point of an average paycheck if you are working on crap, undervalued architectural projects for long hours? 8. Unfriendly Environment- The entire office reeks of fear. There is pin drop silence. Cameras all around doing the surveillance whether you are on phone. Eating at desk is prohibited. Talking to your colleague at his desk is prohibited. Dear all, who ever is reading this, please understand i am not writing this under any duress or unfound contempt for the Company. To me a work place where you put in 8 or more hours should be an enjoyable place especially for architects , where the environ helps in creativity boost which is entirely opposite here. YOu would leave this place demoralized and confused. Most of the people who are with Dar for over 18 months (and there are very few!) are the ones to suck up to the dictatorial management! The rate of attrition is very high here, and it would be no surprise to see 2-3 employees quitting every month. One last thing i would like to add (and i could go on giving negative comments cause there are so many!!) is that do not go by my review, approach any current employee in Dar, your friend or befriend some body in Dar and get the feedback on the above mentioned points before you make any hasty decision. Mind you there are better firms out there in terms of remuneration, work culture, Work, work ethics, Work hours, and overall experience. Good Luck!