Internship before MBB full-time role

Hi there,

Congratulations on the offer! In terms of your question:

Q: I have just accepted an MBB full-time offer in the SEA region which will commence in 2023 (flexible and can be deferred to 2024). May I know if it's legal to accept a different MBB firm's internship offer in another location (think NY, SF, London etc) prior to my full-time start date? 

Unless there is something in the contract covering this case, it is not a problem to do internships before your full-time role starts if you then join the firm that extended the full-time offer - there is no direct contrast between the two options (although, the second firm may extend a full-time offer as well).

If instead you don’t join the first firm after you signed, the consequences depend on the local legislation and contract. I know a candidate who had a financial penalty in the contract in case he didn’t join a Tier 2 in China after signing.

Best,

Francesco

It's not illegal. You will be fine. Sounds like you want to explore a new area geographically.

The bigger risk is if you like the internship and get an offer which one will you take. Backing out of the SE Asia offer later in the year will look very bad.

The upside in this scenario is that you can start learning the consulting skill set in your internship so that you are able to hit the ground running when you start your full-time position.

The downside is that you will have to turn down the company you are interning with, even if you really like it there. On the flip side, if you don’t like it there you can be glad that you won’t depend on a return offer from them ?

Hello,

That's a good situation to find yourself in! 

In my opinion there shouldn't be any legal problem as long as the dates don't overlap and if there's nothing in nyour contract prohibiting it.

But you would need to manage the company's expectation who you are interning with since you will not be joining them.

All the best!

Rushabh

Hi there,

How exciting to have this opportunity!

It's not illegal at all (though, perhaps, somewhat immoral). Just make sure you're very careful about how public/visible this is (neither firm would like to find out you're going around them in this way). This is great for your resume + network though if you are able to avoid the downside of it.

Hi,

Congrats on your offer! It is legal an doable to work somewhere else until your contract begins. Just make sure that the start and the end dates on both contracts are not overlapping to prevent a possible conflict.

All the best,

Emre

Hey there,

Yes, it is definitely legal!

Congrats :-)

Cheers,

Florian