I have an intern offer from Morgan Stanley on a quant role (London office) and a full-time offer from Deloitte Monitor (HK office).
I prefer consulting over quant, but I want to work in London. Should I accept the MS intern offer, then keep applying for jobs in London. Or should I accept Deloitte's offer, stay for a few years, and then apply to firms in the UK?
MS offers a much higher salary, and the brand name is better than Deloitte (but not sure if it's useful in consulting)…Any advice?
Hi!
The overall decision might lead you to different paths and the final decision is obviously yours. I can help provide perspective on the different paths you might end up at. The two really big ones in your case seem to be the industry you want to be in and the geography.
Morgan Stanley Quant -→ You will be in London have a potential career in banking. The brand, role and that you are based in London is definitely very valuable in the CV screening process for consulting firms in London. However, it is not a guarantee that you will get an interview and the interview process is also rigorous. You can always do this for a couple of years and apply as an experienced hire in the future.
Please do keep in mind that your job experience is one of many factors in the CV screening, the shortlist depends on a more wholistic look at the CV.
Deloitte HK -→ This offer gets your foot in the door in consulting and opens up an avenue to move to London through an internal transfer process. The fact that you have done the job before might make you a slightly more attractive candidate for a top tier consulting firm, however, I do not think it is a huge advantage over a top tier banking experience in a tough location like London. Moving countries from HK to London as an external hire is not easy.
If I were you, I would think about what is more important to you. The industry or the location. If the London location is more important with the risk of not ending up in consulting, I would take MS. If a guaranteed career in consulting is more important, I would take Deloitte HK.
I recently had a similar decision to make and I am happy to do a free session with you to go through your decision. Please reach out to me through a direct message if you would like.
(edited)
Hi there,
thanks for sharing - suggest you find the answer to it based on which dimensions actually matter most to you and where you want to end up in the long-term.
Preferences vary by person, so it's hard to provide a definite answer for you.
In general, it's usually a good idea to pursue the type of work you're more passionate about (in your case seems consulting). It will be more fun and likely make you more successful. But again, depends on how you prioritize the different factors.
Cheers, Andi
It's a tricky decision where a) I would always say do the thing you are more excited about as you will have more impact/achieve more that will open more doors down the line, and b) even if it's not the perfect role, its better to commit to a tangible opportunity and run with it as opposed to waiting for the perfect role.
Based on your preference to live in London, I would probably choose MS if you have the flexibility to take an internship vs. a full-time role. Even if you have UK citizenship/residency, I struggle to see a local tier 2 role in HK to lead to an MBB role in London down the line…
Hope this helps!
Hi Ken. I really appreciate your advice. My concern is that I don't have any relevant consulting experience. In this case, would it be better to gain some experience at Deloitte than to do an MS internship?
Hi there,
What is more important to you, city or job?
It's really that simple…
I also have another question for you: Is it that tragic to be in a city you don't like for just 2-3 months in order to get experience relevant for the rest of your career?
Edit: I did not realize the Deloitte role is full time - I'm confused by the recruiting you have been doing!
You need to evaluate your odds of finding a London Consulting offer after MS - hard for us to say.
On a personal note, I left my dream city/country (twice) to pursue aims outside of “life”. Both times I regretted it. (Though I don't “regret” it as it resulted in great/interesting experiences). If you want to be in London because that's “home”, I can't argue with that! Once there, you should be able to network more effectively with the local consulting companies (though you may or may not get as high as Deloitte, which is something you need to be prepared for as a possibility)
(edited)
Hello!
It completely depends on what you want to do in the long term.
Personally, and considering is just an internship, I would consider MS. You still have time to re-recruit for full time, and the brand and position would leave a great starting point for a new round of consulting recruiting.
Hope it helps!
Cheers,
Clara
Have a look at this article please for guidance on what to consider and how to choose- https://www.preplounge.com/en/articles/how-do-i-know-which-career-is-right-for-me
