Pros
Not a bad career choice if you just want to come in and do your job Good first job in Biotech if you're willing to learn (think 3 years) but quite demanding at the same time if you're coming in without experience. Training can be difficult and expectations are quite high combined with lots of gaps in procedures (you need to memorize a lot of details) and some people had difficulties with multiple IT systems and the fact that most of things are paperless. In other words it's very different to a regular manufacturing job. Good exposure to broad range of processes in the unit I worked in Salary average for the sector however with 5 years of experience most people find that they would be better off with competitors either because they could make more money or progress their careers further Semi-self managing teams of people who generally help each other but not all manufacturing units are the same Overall nice people if you fit the profile, especially if you like football/betting as these seem to be the most popular topics Canteen is there 24/7 but quality of food is same muck as in Abbvie Sligo and elsewhere. If you want cheap, restaurant quality food in the canteen and very good free coffee, join Regeneron Limerick.
Cons
4-cycle, 24/7/365 shift with the worst ever turnaround, a.k.a. zombie Wednesday. It will wear you down and it will have bad effect on your life and relationships because you'll be always tired. You will be expected to not only listen to corporate BS (Own It etc) but also be expected a role model of it. High staff turnover in the environment where it takes years to learn the process means that you're training someone most of the time, not easy when everybody is barely functioning due to shifts. Long queue of people with 10+ years of service with company looking for promotion so if you're new don't expect rapid progression . If there's internal vacancy there's a good chance that you won't be allowed to apply as you'll be told that you're needed to make product, in other words it's manufacturing focused and not much scope for career development despite internal opportunities which can be frustrating. Pfizer's hiring strategy (manufacturing staff) seems to be focused on keeping staff long term by being tied to company by circumstances. Typically they would be looking at 35 years old, married with mortgage and kids, probably commuting from area of low employment, without degree or with a wrong one, usually without previous pharma experience. There are exceptions, usually coming in through referrals. In Manufacturing, they want workers rather than scientists and if you are a scientist, there's not much scope for development in manufacturing as processes are well established and would cost fortune to change. Look for MSAT instead Some people can't handle physical requirements of the job such as making certain vessel connections
