Transfer from Deloitte Monitor Shanghai to Deloitte Monitor London

Question

Hi All,

How hard is it to get an office transfer from Deloitte Monitor Shanghai to Deloitte Monitor London? Also, how long should I stay in the local office before asking for transfer? I am currently working as a Senior Consultant and have stayed over 6 months in the local office. Previously, I worked for 6 months in the PwC Shanghai office and before that ~3 years in a boutique consulting firm in Shanghai. I have completed my undergraduate degree in Economics from UCL and a master's degree from Cambridge University.

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hey A,

In my career I had two transfers:

From the Financial Services practice to Automotive within the same region
From Munich to Dubai office

I need to say that transfers are a pretty tricky thing and require a lot of sensitive political skills.

Different companies offer three types of transfers:

Temporary project assignment abroad (for the duration of the project)
Short-term office exchange programms (usually between 3 and 12 months depending on the company)
Permanent office transfer

All of them are different in terms of difficulty to get. While project assignments abroad are quite common and easy to get, permanent office transfers are very challenging and require hard work from your end and a bit of luck.

In any way you would need the support of your mentor, the staffing manager in your region as well as partner in the targeted office, who will push your transfer.

If you want to live on the west coast or Europe why don't you apply directly there?

If you need any help, just drop me a PM.

Happy to share my experience.

Best,

André

Answer 2

Hi there,

To get a transfer in general over time is medium difficulty. To get a transfer to a specific office soon is hard.

A few thoughts:

1) You have only been there 6 months. This really isn't long enough. You need to wait probably around a year before you even stand a chance.

2) You need to excel - if they know you're top quality, they'll be more willing to send you

3) You need to network - make sure to be in good favor with those who control your fate in Shanghai and those who are connected to London

4) You need to be patient - wait for the right roles/projects to be available - strike when the timing is right.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hello!

Getting a transfer requieres a lot of work and more of paperwork, but it´s plausible.

The critical thing is for the targeted office to "accept" you, for which you need a good value proposition for them (this depends on each firm, level, etc.)

Once you have this sorted out, they will indicate you how to proceed in terms of visa, etc.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 4

Hi there,

6 months is not enough for asking a transfer to another office. You should spend more than 1 year in the company.

After that, you may have a chance to transfer if you are a good consultant there.

Do you need any further help?

All the best,

GB