Internship vs. Full-time harder?

Hey there,

Generally, it is almost equally hard to get an internship or a full-time position.

A few factors to consider:

• The screening criteria are almost the same
• The interviews are the same, just fewer for interns
• The expectations for the interviews are the same for the case and a bit less for the personal fit (due to lack of experience)
• There are usually more full-time roles available
• If you try first to get an internship and fail, you usually get another chance for a full-time interview
• The conversion rate of internship to full-time role is north of 80%
• An internship is a good opportunity to get to know the type of work and the company
• The type of work you do once hired is the same for both (intern is basically a first-year analyst), a is pro-rated compensation

I believe in the end it comes down to your preferences and timelines.

Cheers,

Florian

Hi there,

Q: As an undergraduate is it harder to get a summer internship with MBB or full-time entry-level? 

It is difficult to judge as the answer depends on supply and demand (number of openings / demand for the position), which is different according to the office. 

In any case, I would recommend to apply for the internship for the following reasons:

• If you get rejected at the application stage for the internship, you may apply again for a full-time position after 6 months – 1 year. On the other hand, the ban for full time usually is longer
• In most countries, the internship gives you more chances to land a confirmed full-time offer when your performance is borderline. You are more likely to be extended a full-time offer after an internship, compared to a confirmation after a trial period if you start with full-time. That’s because even if they offer a full-time position you will still have a trial period there, so they can give you another chance
• It may offer an opportunity to start earlier (assuming that otherwise you would start in the Fall with full time)
• If you do not get accepted after an internship, you will likely have a higher chance to be invited by other MBB compared to the same application without that internship
• It helps to clarify whether you want to work in strategy consulting / that company

Best,

Francesco

Internship is typically more competitive with significantly fewer openings. For example, there were only 2 undergrad internship positions but 6-8 full-time positions during my year. The scale varies depending on the office and time (e.g., higher during COVID due to business needs) but the general ratio between internship and full-time remains similar. 

Hi there,

This is completely depending on timing, region, recruiting channel etc.!

Regardless, if you're deciding either/or, you may as well do both! Apply for the internship, and then worst case scenario is that it's a practice interview/application. You can then apply later for the full-time opening.

Many great answers are given already. For example to look at it as the number of open positions and then see which one has fewer. One point I would like to add though that in terms of your actual expected performance in the interview, it is easier for internships. So for internships overall you need to prove less of a competency. The scoring requires much less of a level than if you apply for a full-time position. Of course irrespectively if internship positions are so scarce that it becomes more competitive, then this is simply something to be aware of.

It's a bit easier to get the internship. But full time has more openings.