Pros
The brand name carries weight in the industry, and the nature of the research projects themselves can be intellectually engaging if you enjoy investigations and risk analysis.
Kontras
Onboarding & Infrastructure: 1. Obtaining basic essentials such as a laptop, security pass, and access to internal systems required repeated follow-ups before they were finally arranged. 2. The company conducts a thorough screening check, which felt more like harassment. For instance, you may be asked to disclose all addresses where you have lived over the past 10 years, and former colleagues may be contacted for references—not just the ones whose contact details you provided for this purpose, but seemingly random former colleagues as well. Accounting and Payroll Issues: I believe this may be specific to the Madrid office, but the company relies on a subcontractor and does not appear to properly oversee it. This means you might be registered with government social services later than the start date of your contract, or you might receive a salary or severance payment that is lower than what you are entitled to—unless you actively push for your rights. Management Style: There is very little room for independent thought. If your findings or professional opinions diverge from your manager’s viewpoint—or even if your writing style differs—you may face immediate pushback. It felt less like a research environment and more like an echo chamber. There is also a high chance of being managed by Russians (whether in London, Paris, Berlin, or Madrid), along with what many would describe as a “Russian management style.” Toxic Team Dynamics: The culture feels cliquey. In my experience, peers tended to side with management by default, sometimes resorting to unfounded character judgments (for example, labelling someone “passive-aggressive”) without providing specific examples or evidence. The “5-Minute” Trap: Expect frequent gaslighting around timelines. Complex, data-heavy tasks were often dismissed with comments such as “this should only take five minutes,” which frequently resulted in significant unpaid overtime in order to keep up with unrealistic expectations. Probation & Exit: Six months is an excessively long probation period. Given the three-round interview process, I was surprised to discover that the company seems almost proud of firing people during probation—or at least treats it as normal practice. For example, in my team alone I heard about three people who did not pass probation before me. The same situation occurred in another team. So think twice before leaving your current position to join Control Risks.