some valuation consulting shops like Pratt Valuation and Phelps/Duffs do valuation assignments including employee stock options.doing this kinda assignment will include pricing and designing of the option features such as KI/KO, trading volume-linked,...how will this type of role be looked upon in the banking field?

how about derivatives valuation services in a major accounting firm?

Check out:http://www.wilmott.com/messageview.cfm? ... id=63764My conclusions would be:1) There are perfectly good reasons to go to a Quant Consulting House or Big 4 derivative valuation group without a view to ultimately moving to a bank2) If you do want to ultimately go to a bank, you're better off going there directly rather than via a consulting firm3) Being in a consulting firm can be better experience than being unemployed (so in this market, if I had no offers from banks and one from a consulting firm, I'd take it 4) If you are in a consulting firm and do want to get to a bank, there are things you can do to counteract the usual stereotypes of consultants that will help you when you're ultimately interviewing with a bank: eg practice digging deep into issues, practice thinking from the client's perspective, practice thinking "what would my answer be if I wasn't allowed to rest on assumptions?"