Cultish company with great projects but terrible employees - Graduate Engineer Arup Employee Review

2.0
Apr 13, 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Very cool projects that look great on your resume for when you leave and decide to work somewhere else.

Cons

Arup has a cult mentality to them that is often pervasive in large companies. The people are truly the best and the brightest, but with that you also get the ugly side of people such as arrogance and snarkiness, something I experienced face to face often. Maybe it's a cultural shock for me since I'm not from the United States. The pay is also very low, but Arup justifies that by saying you get to work on cool projects. Work life balance is horrendous. I find it amusing that the only people in high rank positions who had families were mostly men, while many of the hardworking, high level female engineers were single and childless.

Explore other reviews about Arup

5.0
Apr 30, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working at Arup was a great experience, surrounded by smart, motivated, and mission-driven peers.

Cons

This may have since improved, but at least previously, the America's region felt rather second-class compared to UK. Most/all senior leadership, even in the US, was British.

3.0
Jun 11, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great company with lots of good benefits, interesting large scale projects, and a fantastic team of people to work with.

Cons

Be prepared to work long hours, overnights and weekends at times. At the end of the day, it is a consulting firm so the clients needs will always come first over employee health and wellbeing.

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