Information on MBB London

I will graduate from LBS / LSE next year and am very interested in starting as a consultant at an MBB firm. There is a lot of info for the US, but very limited info for the UK on this forum with regards to consulting. It would be very helpful to gain insight on:

• Culture across the three firms and even across groups within the three firms

• What are the strengths / focus areas of the respective firms ( type of projects, sectors, public / private, small / large clients etc.)

• What does comp look like for various years of experience?

• Do the exit opps differ across the firms?

• What do hours and travelling look like at the three firms?

Any input is helpful, many thanks in advance!

41 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I have answered all of these for Bain over the last few months, so I'm just linking you to previous responses, below.

  • Culture: Link 1 (mini discussion on what it's like to work at Bain), Link 2 (general discussion on culture/WLB, etc. + some general drawbacks of consulting further below)
  • Strengths: Link 1 (touch a bit on private v public sector projects), Link 3 (more specific on our PE group and the type of work we do)
  • Comp/progress: Link 4 (check the whole sub-thread as I first give progression at Bain + titles/levels at McK/BCG and later give comps that I know)
  • Exit oppsLink 1 & Link 4 (also mention exit opps)
  • Hours/travel: Link 5 (hours/WLB discussion), Link 6 (more talk on hours/type of work + some discussion on travel below [FYI it's the same thread as the PE comp discussion above])

Let me know if you have more questions afterward. Happy to add to those if I can.

 

I have several questions about Tier 2,3 and boutique consulting firms: does working there differ a lot from what you do at MBB (meaning you still do strategy consulting). If it's different, then what exactly differs? And how big is the salary gap between boutiques, tier 2, 3 and MBB?

 

Very sorry for the late reply! Completely forgot about it, no excuse..

But unhelpfully, I can’t speak to any comparison with T2 or boutique firms, as I do not know what they do (outside of the obvious). I genuinely can’t contribute meaningfully there, I’m sorry.

From my understanding, they usually do more implementation / smaller pieces of work with big clients. But they might have a good standing with mid-sized firms who can’t afford a $1-2M engagement. Also some specialists are just #1 at what they do and beat MBB regularly.

On the whole, the widest exposure to the highest level projects with the largest clients will be with MBBs and Strat arms of B4.

For salaries, all I know is that some boutiques pay pretty well actually (like I think OC&C in the UK and Mars Co), but B4 generally pays quite low vs. MBB. I’m not sure how their own strat arms compare though (EYP, S&, Monitor)

 

Amazing, thanks so much for taking the time. Really appreciate it!

- What is the culture like at McK? General consensus seems to be that culture at McK is more competitive and formal than at BCG / Bain

- What type of projects and sectors is McK London strong within?

- What do hours and travelling look like during an average week? Does this differ between general practice / PEPI? 

- Except for the questions above, is there anything else you think is important to know about McK London for someone very interested in joining?

 

Thank you!

I was under the impression that hours were rather in the 50-60 range for juniors. How common is it for hours to be up towards the 80-hour range and when is this the case?

Also, how come the hours increase and remain so high as you get more senior? I was under the impression that as you get more senior and spend less time actually producing materials, you would mainly be tied up in meetings 9-5 and then just have to review some materials during the evenings.

 

Sunt labore at iusto doloribus vitae ut. Placeat architecto mollitia explicabo quasi ipsum error sapiente corrupti. Modi et molestiae incidunt dolore voluptate. Perferendis nostrum dolores repellendus. Dolorem qui quis quaerat debitis soluta nobis rem. Reprehenderit omnis magni quam vel eius maxime quo. Alias mollitia fugit non blanditiis.

Sed eos rerum illum voluptatibus error iste aut. Neque sunt eum eum ut qui quo dolorem. Suscipit sapiente magnam eum quisquam quaerat quia sit. Dolore deserunt delectus eos et excepturi commodi qui aut. Aut quae ut nihil unde adipisci error.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Boston Consulting Group 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Consulting

  • Cornerstone Research 99.5%
  • Bain & Company 99.0%
  • Boston Consulting Group 98.4%
  • McKinsey and Co 97.9%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Consulting

  • Bain & Company 99.5%
  • Boston Consulting Group 99.0%
  • McKinsey and Co 98.4%
  • Oliver Wyman 97.9%
  • LEK Consulting 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (170) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (576) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (390) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1164) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (632) $68
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”