Bain (DACH) staffing

Hi there,

Congrats on the Bain (and other) offers!

So, here's the honest answer: Don't worry about it.

You've already decided you want Bain. Now you're doing the classic “it's great, but”. There will always be downsides.

By the way, even in other global firms, you almost never have a choice in what you actually do or where you go! At BCG I knew someone who was staffed locally on 1 project for 1 year +.

Join Bain, perform well, network effectively, and after the first year or two you'll start to have more control over where you can go. (P.S. In Europe firms do tend to staff more internationally across Europe)

Hi there, 

It's great to hear that you're taking into account the recruitment process when deciding what firm to pick. It's usually a good indicator of your fit with that firm. Congrats!

Indeed, Bain is rather focused on local projects and since the DACH market is big enough, you'll need to make proactive efforts to get out of it. But for sure there are international opportunities since Bain is a global firm. What you'll need to do is keep track of the regular project postings on internal mailing lists, as well as start networking with senior consultants and Partners from other offices. 

Sharing with you below also a couple of articles with tips on how to be an effective consultant in your first year:

• How to Survive Your First Year as a Management Consultant
• The Truth About Consulting Work Hours: What You Need to Know

Best,
Cristian

Hi there, 

In addition to what other coaches already mentioned, this also very much depends on the local office's book of work and pipeline. 

• If project demand > staffing supply → typically little international mobility
• If demand < supply → more mobility. 

Of course depends also on the staffing needs of other regions and your specific experience (+ tenure), but that's generally how the firms (have to) think about balancing.

That said, focus a lot on networking to create the PULL. This is really the key differentiator, especially when it looks like most consultants get stuck in a certain system. 

Hope this helps.

Regards, Andi

I find that strange. My experience at Bain had a fair share of travelling across Europe. Of course, they will staff local projects first with locals, particularly as there may be language issues involved. And during the first year, consultants are more likely to stay at the home country. 

This doesn't mean that staffing is local. Staffing managers receive requests the whole time to send consultants to projects abroad.

Hi there,

congrats, Bain DACH is a great place to start your career. 

I can confirm that Bain DACH and the work itself is very focussed on the region (likely more than the other firms). However, cases outside of DACH are possible but require: own efforts through networking and regularly informing staffing and a little bit of luck (right place at the right time kind of situation).

You cannot really influence the luck part, so focus on the first part. 

My last advice: Learning the Bain toolkit and lingo is more important in the first year and will prepare you great for a successful career at Bain. So focus on that part first, get good performance ratings and then push for experience abroad. 

All the Best!