Office Selection MBB

I would apply directly to London if London is where you genuinely want to work. Do not use an APAC internship as a planned route into London, as transferring a return offer is rare and often means going through London recruiting again

• You can do an APAC internship, decline the return offer, and later apply to London full-time. It should not “block” you, but it is still a higher-risk route because you would be giving up a secured offer for a very competitive London process
• If your profile is much stronger for APAC, APAC is the safer option. But if London is non-negotiable for family reasons, apply to London now rather than hoping to transfer later
• Do not add a second office just to improve odds if London is your only real preference. If asked, you should be able to explain clearly why each office is on your list
• At least for BCG, offices see your preferences and applications are reviewed in preference order. Only one office can progress your application, so ranking London first is important if it is your true choice

Your HYPSM intercalated Master’s plus medical background is competitive. Apply to London, make a strong “Why London?” case, and use APAC only if you would genuinely be happy to start your full-time career there.

Hi,

You can complete a summer internship in an APAC office and subsequently apply for a full-time position in London. However, you should expect to go through a separate London recruiting process.

How much your internship performance influences that process will depend. My personal view, although I do not have data to support this, is that if you apply to the same firm, perform very well during the internship and build relationships with people in the London office, you may be offered an accelerated process (e.g. allowed to skip one interview round), but in all other circumstances, you would complete the full process again.

Having said that, even in the worst-case scenario, an MBB internship in APAC would make your profile more attractive when applying to London. 

Given that your profile is currently more competitive for the APAC office, applying there for the summer internship is therefore a sensible strategy. At the same time, if London is the only location you would accept for a full-time role, I would list London as your only full-time preference. There is little benefit in listing a second office that you would ultimately decline. 

Hope this helps,
Franco

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

• First of all, yes, this route works. If you decline the return offer, you can simply apply to London as a new full-time candidate, and no transfer rules will block you, since you would not be transferring but re-applying. You should expect the full London process from scratch, and the MBB internship on your resume will clearly help you there.
• Moreover, between the two options, I would apply for the summer internship in the APAC region. Your profile is strongest there, an MBB internship is the best possible resume line for the London application later, and a direct London summer application from an APAC medical school is a much longer shot.
• Lastly, regarding the one-preference rumor, please take such anecdotes with caution. How office preferences are handled differs between the consulting firms and offices, and honestly, no one can seriously provide an answer to this question. Still, if you only consider London for your full-time applications, there is really no meaning in adding other offices anyway.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming MBB pre-interview assessments and/or MBB interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

Look, you are asking a lot of nuanced questions here. You are also trying to optimally plan your professional career across countries, internships, return offers, and full time recruiting.

This decision could have large downstream financial and professional ramifications. You wouldn't decide your entire investment portfolio off of a Q&A. Invest in a one hour session with a career coach, just like you would a financial advisor.

A coach needs to review your actual profile, office competitiveness, work rights, recruiting calendar, personal priorities, and risk tolerance before telling you whether this route is genuinely optimal.

Do not build the next several years of your career around generic answers from strangers on a forum.

Hey there :)

If London is genuinely your long term target, I would apply directly to London rather than deliberately using an APAC internship as a stepping stone. An APAC internship can certainly strengthen your CV, but declining the return offer and then reapplying to London is not the same as having a guaranteed pathway.

Given your medical background and strong academic profile, I’d still take a shot at London. You have a credible APD profile, and the fact that your profile may be stronger in APAC doesn’t mean London is out of reach.

On office preferences, I would only select offices where you would genuinely accept an offer. I wouldn’t select an APAC office simply as a backup if you already know you don’t want to work there. Recruiting can move candidates between offices depending on needs, so be clear and consistent about London.

If London is the goal, I’d focus your energy on making the London application as strong as possible rather than designing a complicated workaround.

Best, Alessa :)

Hi there, 

You might want to consider a mixed strategy. 

Specifically, you might consider some 'top' targets that reflect your ideal firm and office combination (e.g., one MBB London) and then some others where you think you have a more 'realistic' chance (e.g., another MBB APAC). 

The idea is to see the application strategy as a portfolio rather than a set of isolated targets. Sharing below a guide you might find useful for this:

• • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out directly. 

Best,

Cristian

Apply directly to London. They are often different systems, so yes a return offer for say SG office will only apply to the SG office/SEA system.