Can you work as a contractor within consulting?

Hi there, 

I could not see MBBs accepting this - the closest I got to this was on my MBA leave (with a clear return offer to BCG) and they needed some specific help for a project. They considered me for it, but it eventually did not work because the format was not acceptable by legal / compliance / tax teams. 

I never heard of this happening, at least not in Europe, though I doubt there would be exceptions in other MBB offices across the world. 

Overall, the financial offers from MBBs are pretty standardized and there is not much leeway for upfront negotiations. The only other optimisations would be more dependent on the taxation systems in the country you would be working in, e.g., in the UK you can salary sacrifice into your pension and then based on how you chose to use the money down the line it could have a positive tax impact. 

From my personal experience, I would encourage you to take the offer as is and get that MBB experience and brand name on your CV. Later on, if you do not want to stay at the respective company, but you still want to do consulting, you could work for example as an independent consultant that might give you more optimisation leeway (country and personal situation dependendant of course). 

Hope this helps, 
Ariadna 

Short Answer

If the question is whether you can convert a full-time MBB offer into a contractor setup, the answer is no. The consulting track is built around cohort development, staffing predictability, and firm liability rules - none of which work with a contractor model.

Why MBB Doesn’t Do This

They need consultants who can be staffed interchangeably, evaluated consistently, and covered under strict legal/compliance frameworks. Contractors introduce too much variability and risk, so most firms simply don’t entertain the option.
That’s why even niche exceptions are extremely rare.

Where Exceptions Do Happen (very rarely)

You’ll occasionally see:

• ultra-specialized experts brought in for a narrow workstream, or
• alumni with deep industry experience contributing to a project for a short sprint.

But these are expert roles, not the generalist consulting track - and not something a candidate can negotiate into.

Bottom Line

• You can’t turn an MBB offer into a contractor arrangement.
• The system isn’t designed for it, legally or operationally.
• If contracting is something you want long-term, the practical path is: join MBB → build credibility → then move into independent consulting.

Hi,

If you are offered a role for a full time position, that is for a full time position. You can't 'convert' it into a contractor role. 

On rare occasions, MBB firms do engage external contractors for specific projects/or on a needs basis (e.g. 1 day a week) when there is a very niche / special need and they don't have it internally, but in my experience this is very rare as MBB is rather at scale so most of the time what you will need is already in the firm. 

That's an interesting line of thought—you are right that consulting firms use a variety of labor models, but converting a standard full-time Consultant or Associate offer into a contractor role is almost universally impossible.

Here is the reality of the organizational structure: The entry-level and core client-facing roles are the primary mechanism for knowledge transfer, cultural fit, and long-term retention of firm intellectual property. MBB invests six figures in training and development for every new hire, and they want the loyalty, non-compete protection, and high utilization that comes with a standard full-time employment contract. Contractors, conversely, are typically brought in for highly specialized, short-duration roles—think specific deep-domain experts (SMEs), advanced data scientists, or IT implementation specialists—and they are hired directly onto a client team, not through the standard campus or experienced lateral pipeline.

If pay optimization is your focus, understand that the total compensation of an employee (salary, massive signing bonus, annual bonus eligibility, benefits, and 401k / pension match) usually outweighs the potentially higher gross hourly rate of a contractor, who must cover their own taxes, insurance, and administrative burden. More importantly, the full-time offer is the only viable path to the long-term career acceleration and exit opportunities you are likely seeking.

Focus your energy on successfully negotiating the initial compensation package you already have. Securing a higher base or signing bonus will have a much greater long-term impact than trying to pivot into an entirely different employment structure.

Hope it helps!

You can be a contractor providing service to MBB consulting teams (both BCG and Bain project teams use contractors from time to time), but you will NOT be an MBB employee and you shouldn't claim it as such on your resume later. You'd be either an independent freelance consultant or under some other agency sort of organization. 

As contractor, you might negotiate for higher base salaries, but you don't get the benefits like bonus or medical insurance etc. 

So unless you are in critical need for cash, I don't think this would be a good option for the longer term (especially if you are still early in your career). 

Best,

Emily

MBBs do work with contractors sometimes, but typically only on specialised areas / topics where they don't happen to have that knowledge internally. 

But my sense is that it's not something they prefer, because it adds a lot of management complexity, plus it bears quite a risk to their prestige (which is something they care about a lot). 

If you have a very specific value prop in mind, you could approach HR for the firm and office you're targeting, and ask. There's nothing you stand to lose from this esp if you're polite about it. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

You can usually only work as a contractor in very specific expert or support roles. For the generalist consulting track, MBB almost always hires full time because of staffing, training, and development needs. If your goal is to optimize compensation, it is better to negotiate your base or relocation package rather than push for a contractor setup, which is rare and not seen as an alternative entry path.