MBB Office Transfer
When can an entry level/consultant transfer offices? Is it hard to do so if the reason is to just try something new? If they pay for your MBA, when you return can you join a new office?
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I'll caveat by saying you can do anything if you're a top performer / the firm wants to keep you.
At Bain North America, it's hard to transfer anytime but I've seen people leave after 2-3 years in the office, usually tied to a life event and their SO (e.g., SO got a job in another city, we're married). Even then, transfer is not always granted. But need to build up some fred before requesting a move. And yeah, is say hard to do if just trying something new. But Bain does 6-12 month short term international transfers so people usually do this.
Yes, I've seen folks move office pre-MBA to post-MBA even if Bain is paying. Again, not always granted and you have to go through a lot of hoops.
People at Bain, especially post-MBA, don't move offices a lot. They like to get settled. Also Bain has a different staffing model than other two which in my opinion develops a closer office identity for our folks.
BCG has pretty much two options, transfer and the ambassador program. These usually go for 12-24 months and I'd say require you to have been at the firm for 2+ years (Consultant role). Switching office permanently is difficult at lower levels, specially if it's in another country/continent. Besides, why would you want to try something new? You get tons of international exposure and can get assigned to other offices' projects if you want.
The wanting to try something new is so I can get out of my home state for a bit of my life while I am young. I understand that there is a lot of travel for projects, alt travel, the MBA, etc. but there's a different feeling living elsewhere. If that makes sense.
MBB: Moving to other offices - requirements? (Originally Posted: 12/27/2015)
Hey guys,
does anyone of you has experience with changing your home office to another office out of the country? For example, how easy is it to move to to Sydney, Singapore etc. for a few years with MBB?
Thanks for your responses.
I didn't personally do it, but had peers who did - especially in the run up to Partner.
Generally it was not considered a standard practice, but would be triggered by imbalances in consulting demand and consultant supply, There would be geographies that would be hot and have demand in excess of local consultant supply, so they would have to rely on more remotely-staffed consultants. Given the expense, this could trigger migration to put more people in place. You also saw this with China, where Chineese speakers with US education and consulting experience would be rotated into China to meet the burgeoning demand.
Another trigger would be new offices, where to keep the pyramid right they would need to bring in mid and senior level staff. There still could be demand based on practice mix. Back in the commodity boom, Australian offices were looking for people with Industrials experience. I had a Partner informally float this with me, but I wasn't Intested in such a large scale displacement.
From a career standpoint, what you are trying to balance is the upside to advancement and building a platform by working where there is a lot of client demand for what you do vs. the disruption to your own network by moving to a new office. It generally would not make sense, and not be likely to be approved, until you are a known commodity with an established practice/functional expertise - say with 3 years in post-MBA.
The best place to start would seem to be having a exploratory conversation with a mentor about what the landscape for move looks like in your particular firm / practice / target geographies. If you are still more than a year away from this Decision Point, you probably have little way to predict - other than it's easier to move from New York to Cleveland than the reverse.
The post above is accurate and well-thought-out regarding medium-term moves (i.e., an actual office transfer for a period of a few years). The one thing missing is to point out that all the MBB have "year-abroad" type programs which are explicitly designed to be temporary transfers, and they are designed to be accessible throughout your early career and to have minimal career impact.
Agree with what's already been said. The year-abroad programs are a pretty good way to get international experience if you are interested.
These days, demand in the U.S. is quite high. So your own office might be hesitant to let you leave at a time when they have cases to staff. Also keep in mind that the rates can differ by geography, so some international offices might be hesitant to staff you (assuming you are from one of the US or Europe offices).
Transferring Location at McK (Originally Posted: 06/13/2017)
How long do you need to work at a specific office before requesting a transfer? I heard the minimum is 1 year at McK, but the likelihood of getting it to go through is higher if you are at 1.5 years or so.
Alternatively, how many people stay "aligned" with an office but actually live elsewhere? Is this frowned upon even though mostly consultants only come into the office on Fridays?
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