If you leave the company… you leave the company. They want to sponsor people who want to stay in consulting, not those trying to avoid staying for too long outside consulting.

The exception is if you go for an “externship” arranged by them, i.e. a 6-12 month placement into a client or NGO. You may also ask for a “short” sabbatical leave (a few months).

You see, in 4 years you change a lot. There is not guarantee at all that after all that time you will still be motivated to come back and perform at a high level.

Hello!

Depends on the office. 

For instance, in Spain, Mck would make you work 2 years as an analyst, and Bain would make you work 3 years. 

Then, McK used to let you do a gap year somewhere else (restricted options) and then Business School, but this has changed now. 

Which office?

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara

No the do not.

Think about it from their perspective - why would they invest $200k in you if you're not going to pay it back to them? (In the form of working for them).

You need to actively be at the firm to be sponsored, and then you have to commit to working for them for x number of years upon return.

Typically you need to go to B School immediately post the 2 years or else they don't sponsor. However there are some ways around it  - for example you can do 1 year as an externship with another company and still be considered for sponsorship as you will technically continue to be employed by your firm.

Best,

Udayan

Hi there,

This is indeed an interesting question which is probably relevant for quite a lot of users, so I am happy to provide my perspective on it:

• Generally speaking, if you leave your employer the signed contract that guaranteed you the MBA becomes invalid. Providing employees with options to pursue an MBA, PhD or some non-profit work/ education/ travel time is just a means to keep them attached to the firm.
• Still, I have a couple of friends who negotiated special agreements where they could leave the company for 1-2 years, work for another employer and come back without going through the recruiting process again. Yet, I do not know of anybody who stretched this “off-time” even longer by pursuing an MBA.
• As such, I would advise you to think through what your mid- and long-term professional/ academic aspirations are and lay out a plan for this. Consulting companies offer a great range of flexibility yet it seems that what you wanted to go about would stretch it too much.

In case you want a more detailed discussion on what precise MBA options you would have with your desired company, please feel free to contact me directly.

I hope this helps,

Hagen