Big 4 consulting as a way to transfer to the US?
One of the universities that I applied to in Europe for undergrad has a lot of graduates working in big 4 consulting, especially Deloitte. A lot of people here have stated that it's better to start at a boutique firm (if you're from a non/semi-target) to break into MBB, however, my ultimate goal is to move to the US as soon as possible (I'm not a US citizen). So first 1) how hard would it be to transfer to the US after working in a big 4 consulting division for a year or two after undergrad? 2) If I succeeded in transferring to the US after undergrad, would it be at least possible for me to break into MBB?
I wanted to do an MBA in the US at some point, but I will likely have to work for a couple of years first, right? What path should I ideally take?
Anecdotal evidence only from my side, the three people I know who moved from a UK consultancy to the US were at:
Accenture, Tata Consultancy Group, NTT Data
I understand that the latter two are not the type of consultancies you are aiming at, and this is all I know from my personal circle in the UK.
In theory these larger companies have global mobility programs, but they are not hiring EU grads so they can just move out after a year or two. So it depends on the team you are working for, your skill set and how the approval process would look like. Plus, the other side in the US would also have to agree to take you on.
I would rather settle for a less prestigious job to be able to transfer to the US. But overall, how hard is it to transfer? And how many years should I expect to work before they even consider it?
There is a huge push from EU grads or professionals lately to end up in the US. On /IWantOut, here and other forums. It could be spring or just the general economy. who knows.
1) in our HR portal (PE/VC) and from most employers, the minimum service required is 12-18 months. This can vary, so check with others who have done the move.
(and no, companies generally don't give you guarantees in writing that you can move to a specific country) - alternatively try finding a rotation program for grads
2) If all you care about is to end up in the US, why not pick a cheaper college (not H/Y/P) and get some STEM designated OPT dream gig in a consultancy?
If the US is the #1 dream and goal for you (or others), don't waste your life living in the wrong country or waiting for things to happen. It can take years for immigration to happen if you don't take care of things straight away. Waiting is almost never a good idea if you have serious reasons for moving.
3) Check which consultancies have filed the most H1b/gc applications through the US bulletin. Gathering data and analyzing it should be a good case study for a consultant to-be?
There are so many tracking sites... i.e. https://www.trackitt.com/usa-immigration-trackers/h1b/filter or https://www.immihelp.com/perm-tracker/
You will realize that the Indian consultancies send far more people to the US via H1b, L, and other visas than other groups.
We also have a larger number of Indian professionals on WSO, it would be useful to hear an inside voice from their network and from people who know the corporate process for this.
And please could you come back and share your findings with us? Thanks.
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Why do you wanna move to the US? Is it just for monetary reasons?
He explained this further up, family being in the US is one of them.
Would choose the role that best sets you up for the job you want in the US. Transfer from outside US to US isn’t a well trodden path in big 4 because it’s a partnership structure so US is run completely differently to say UK/EU (albeit sharing a common name/branding)
I think a transfer would likely involve networking and then applying to a role in the US that opens up, similar to any others on the street (although you’d have a slight advantage that the US team knows you’re from the non US businesses)
Would love to hear more about this. What is the (rough) percentage of Big4 (or any other) consultancy staff transferring to the US? Not just some tracker or web news, but actual inside knowledge.
Has anyone heard/seen colleagues move from London to NYC?
What are the requirements to make that move happen in the first place...?
During my time at one of the big 4 I saw maybe 2-3 people who had moved to the US. It’s relatively small because only a few ppl would have the desire + open role availability. It happened but wasn’t a huge thing
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