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Can I have a weekend/part-time job as a Consultant?

I've been working for a little over a year at my firm and saved a good portion of my income. I'm now interested in buying real estate, but want to represent myself to save a portion of the commission. Am I allowed to receive my Real Estate License and hang my credential as a part-time agent (for personal buying/selling) or does this go against a consulting firm's non-compete/solicitation agreement?

For reference, I live in California and work at a boutique consulting firm.

Also, is it possible to have side hustles or part-time jobs on the weekend? I'm averaging 45-50 hrs per week currently.

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Top answer
Ian
Coach
on Jul 28, 2021
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

There's a lot to this, so let me break it down simply:

  1. No matter what is said here, you need to check with HR and check your contract. Please do not engage in side work without double-checking the legal obligations you have and being super super clear that you will not receive disciplinary action as a result
  2. Consulting is normally pretty exhausting/tough, so I don't recommend taking away the one recharge time you have for a side-hustle. That said, if your hours truly are just 45-50 then this should be fine. If they're more MBB level, then it would be tough to pull of (and likely impact your promotion track)
  3. As long as you can seperate your two work lives, never use company equipment, time, etc, and maintain productivity, you should be able to do this (again, if it checks out on the legal/HR side)
Florian
Coach
on Jul 28, 2021
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hey there,

Most (all?) consulting firms have a clause in the contract that prohibits you - in theory - from any side business. However, in all cases I know where people started something on the side, which

  • was totally unrelated to their job/ firm
  • had no impact on their job performance

it was granted no problem.

The only advice is to go to HR and discuss with them and they will likely forward the matter to the managing partner of the office who needs to give their approval.

Cheers,

Florian

on Jul 28, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, it depends on the office. Some offices allow it, especially after 2+ years of seniority. I would check it with HR

Best,
Antonello

Agrim
Coach
on Jul 29, 2021
BCG Dubai Project Leader | Elite Prep to dominate interviews | 10 years in Consulting + M&A | Free prep plan

Best to check with HR and Legal - no other way out of this.

Also - please let all of us know which is this consulting firm where you are clocking 45-50 hrs a week!

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