Family-Life-Balance (Husband/Wife and Kids)

In answer to your first question, if you travel Mon-Thu:

• It is really important that you committ to give back alone time to your spouse during the weekend and spend as much time with the kids as you can. You will have alone time during the week, albeit little.
• Also important to set and protect a daily facetime/skype/hangout time with your kids. Consistency and full focus on call (and not work, emails, transit from one place to another) here is key. If you are not 100% is almost better if you do not have the call.
• To complete the first bullet, try to do all your personal activities (work-out, read, etc) while away so the weekend you concentrate on family

If you do not travel Mon-Thu, have an explicit conversation with your wife/kids on new commitments of job, likelyhood you won't be able to be home early and that you might need after dinner until late.

To answer you second question:

• I would strongly suggest either to start ~6 months after you have the newborn or to start at least ~6 months before is born. This is because those first months on a new job are extremely critical (make it or brake it critical) and you want to be fully concentrated on it.
• In US if you start after baby is born you won't have paid paternity/maternity leave but can negotiate a leave before starting. Be upfront
• In US if you start before baby is born you will have paid paternity/maternity leave. My suggestion is to make sure you take it once your project is ended and you make sure you start enough in advance before the birth to allow you to be staffable on a 3-6 months project.

Hope it helps,

Andrea

Dear A,

I'm personally very skeptical about work-life balance in consultant companies and if we speak of such life moments like having children, it is just a matter of time when I would leave consultancy.

Hope it helps,

Best,

André

Hello!

Since the topic is a bit personal, feel free to write me to discuss the topic in depth. It´s key that you are asking for it, since it´s very very relevant when asessing if Consulting is for you.

Cheers!

Hey anonymous,

As others have referred, it's definitely possible to manage your lifestyle even if you're married. However, from my experience doing project across four continents, I would say that the best predictor of lifestyle is definitely being very carefully in the choice of the geography you want to apply for!

Best

Bruno