Move from Consulting to PE with only one year of experience

My background: I graduated from top 15 U.S. university in spring 2015 and began my career as an analyst at [think Deloitte S&O / Accenture Strategy] in fall 2015. I've had a positive experience thus far at the consulting firm and could see myself staying there for a few more years, going to business school, and returning for a few more years before heading into a different industry or to a different consulting firm. However, I'm very interested in private equity (PE) and just received an offer from a local mid-market PE / PE advisory firm.

Major pros of joining PE firm: - Opportunity to work in the PE space prior to business school, which is quite rare as I understand - Increased level of interaction with clients and more responsibility over deliverables and workstreams - Higher compensation (25-40% increase) - Join a small, tight-knit team of 10-20 practitioners - Reduced travel schedule and potentially enhanced lifestyle due to less working hours, spending every day of the week in the same timezone, etc.

Major cons of joining PE firm: - Potentially no financial assistance for business school - Leaving tight-knit analyst class - Decreased mobility related to residence (the consulting firm has offices in every major American city and would most likely allow me to eventually move to [think NYC, Chicago, SF, for example] if I wanted to; the PE firm has one office in the U.S. and one in Asia) - Limited travel perks (say goodbye to hotel and airline status & points)

Should I accept the offer? Did you or do you have friends who spent time in PE after consulting? How do you / did they feel about their experiences?

4 Comments
 
Best Response

Depends on the role (deal vs advisory) but I'd say make the move. If you're interested in PE, move now. With exception of b-school assistance, your cons list is trivial. Also, for b school assistance, you'd be locked into your consulting firm for at least two years, further delaying entry into PE. And you're not gonna move to another consulting firm post-MBA - you'd only consider industry.

Taking a step back, non-MBB consulting to PE is generally rare. Even MBB to PE is limited and typical for post-undergrad, not post-grad folks. IB is strong route to PE but at this point you'll need an MBA and then I point you to what I said above.

Granted it's a small fund but I say get into PE any way you can. Besides, Deloitte and the like will always be there if you want to try to go back. Just leave on good terms and stay in touch with folks.

 

Quam quia maxime debitis architecto molestiae rerum mollitia. Sint qui voluptatibus rerum qui voluptatem deserunt. Adipisci dolorem expedita modi non.

Natus ut et asperiores consequuntur. Expedita accusantium voluptatem temporibus autem numquam ipsam.

Atque corporis dolore quam aut. Quo necessitatibus veritatis quibusdam nemo aut autem. Voluptate reprehenderit est tempora consequuntur. Sit et quia aut praesentium qui aliquid.

Animi temporibus labore nostrum nobis enim perspiciatis ea. Harum labore et harum quos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 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

July 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

July 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

July 2026 Consulting

  • Partner (4) $361
  • Principal (30) $294
  • Director/MD (58) $274
  • Vice President (53) $247
  • Engagement Manager (113) $232
  • Manager (171) $173
  • 2nd Year Associate (185) $142
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (116) $135
  • Senior Consultant (354) $132
  • Consultant (642) $122
  • 1st Year Associate (577) $121
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (164) $121
  • NA (16) $114
  • Engineer (6) $114
  • 2nd Year Analyst (391) $104
  • Associate Consultant (176) $101
  • 1st Year Analyst (1163) $90
  • Intern/Summer Associate (208) $83
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (634) $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

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...”