Apple may pale in comparison to Google and Microsoft when it comes to benefits for its employees. It may not have the outstanding health package of Microsoft or the free gourmet food of Google. Aside from that, employees have to deal with excessive amounts of secrecy, as its product launches are confidential and leaks are highly frowned upon. As consumers have come to expect something groundbreaking from Apple every year, employees will feel the unrelenting pressure and the unending hours just to ensure that Apple’s products are still at the top of the game.

But still, it does offer a lot of benefits.  After all, Apple is still Apple, one of the coolest things around. So while it may not be in the top ten of the best companies to work for, a lot of people will still give anything just to work for the makers of Macintosh. Here then is a list of the perks of working at Apple.

1. Changing the World

At Apple, you get to be a part of something bigger than yourself. For in here, your work really matters because the end output will probably be something that will change the world. Can you just imagine the pride of Apple’s engineers and designers after the success of the iPod, or the iPad, or the iPhone? It is now hard to think of a world without these Apple gadgets.

2. Learning and Working with the Best

Steve Jobs declared when he was still alive that he would only work with top of the line, A-level people. And that is what it is like in Apple. You get to work with the smartest, the best of the best, and simply intelligent people. It will result into extreme competitiveness, but in the end, it will also coax the best out of you.

3. The Culture and Atmosphere

Dividing the employees into different work groups is how Apple operates. Once you get bored from the monotony of your work, all you have to do is find another work group. There are a lot of opportunities to advance and further your career within the company. While Apple is unquestionably a huge corporation, its work group-style of management makes it feel like start-ups that will not box you up into just one area.

4. Above Average Compensation Package

Research has shown that Apple’s engineers and managers actually receive a pay that is way above the average for the industry. And Apple is known to listen to the whining of its employees. Their retail employees had complained of below average pay packages. Apple gave them a raise to address their concerns.

5. Everyone is Entitled to the Benefits

How many companies do you know that would give part time employees the same benefits? In Apple, as long as you work for at least 20 hours each week, you will be entitled to health and 401k benefits.

6. Career Opportunities

The experience that you gain in Apple will serve you in good stead when you want to transfer to a new company in the future. It just improves your image and you become extremely hirable. As the song goes, if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

7. The Great Food

No, it is not free, like the gourmet food in the cafeterias of Google. But the chefs of Apple’s Caffe Mac are not exactly slouches either, and they have gotten the employees of Apple raving for more. They specialize in a variety of healthy offerings guaranteed to leave the employees full and satisfied. Plans are afoot for an even better dining experience, as Apple’s management is contemplating building a new cafeteria in their office campus.

8. Going To and Coming From the Office is Not a Problem

The management of Apple has made it a point to provide the employees an easy way to travel to and from their Cupertino office campus. Several parts of the Bay Area have been designated as pick up and drop off points for the employee’s shuttle service. Those who cannot avail of the shuttle services and who need to use the train or bus are given stipends to offset their transportation expenses.

9. The Sense of Accomplishment

The never ending work and the tight deadlines may mean a lot of stress, hair pulling and nail chewing for Apple’s employees. Once the work is done, however, and the product is launched, there is no denying their extreme pride and sense of accomplishment. Suddenly, the fruit of all those late nights and hard work can be seen. And they will get to bask in its glory every time they see a stranger use their products, be it by texting on their iPhone or scrolling through their iPad.

10. Bucking the Trend

A lot of tech companies have been laying off its workers, scaling down operations massively, or even shutting down. Nokia used to be a giant in the telecommunications world, but its share of the market has slowly but surely gotten smaller and insignificant. But not Apple, as the company has bucked the trend and has continued to hire new employees for a lot of its departments, even as they try to penetrate and gain a foothold in new markets.

11. Excellent and Inspiring Leadership

First, they had Steve Jobs at the helm, and you cannot get more inspiring than that. The company, however, has gotten itself a leadership structure that is well respected and loved by its employees. Top management has been constantly praised for their work. Employees have actually given the company’s leadership an astounding approval rating equivalent to 94 percent.

12. Style of Management

The extremely high approval rating of 94 percent (as discussed in number 11) must have its reason. And that reason is the management’s trust in its employees. Employees have lauded management’s style of not micromanaging every bit of the company’s operation. The independence has provided the employees some leeway and freedom to be creative and to try to introduce new things in their jobs.