Hi,
I work in Milan in MBB and I can tell you that there no much difference from one another in terms of work/life balance. A good life-style project is one that starts at 9am and ends at 9pm. But it is a very good lifestyle, you can also have projects that starts at 9am and end at 3am every day. It can happen and it is very difficult to "avoid" them. You can try, knowing people, being proactive, but there is no guarantee that you'll not be staffed in terrible projects. Thus, if you don't think you can accept this risk and this kind of lifestyle, look elsewhere for your career. The job is demanding also in terms of your life outside work, that's one the reasons why consultants are so well paid :) MBB are great career accelerator, but you have to take into account that a few years of your life are going to be tough.
- Both BCG and McKinsey has a dedicated digital practice, thus I would say both of them. Honestly, don't know about Bain
- I think BCG is bigger than McK, but McK is the most prestigious one. That's why salaries are a bit lower than BCG: the brand is part of the benefit, it's going to open more doors that other's when you want to leave
- The internship is usually 3 months. You are working exactly as a BA, but with a lower salary. Since the process to hire is the same from internship and full-time position, it is highly probable that you'll get an offer for full-time position after the internship.
If you want to know more about life in MBB in Milan send me a message and I'll answer all your questions!
Hi Giulia, thanks for your kind answer! What about Bain Italy? And how did you manage to have a social and personal life with such long hours and work even during weekends?
Hi, Bain is the same as McK or BCG, the long hours are not different from one another. I was not so unlucky as Deniz, but I can confirm his words about Italy. During weekends I only worked 1h max and it only happened 4-5 weekends in 3 years. There are projects in which you work every weekend all day, but they are just a few, weekends are usually "protected". Social life is tough during the week, especially if you are in another city. You do social life with your colleague during the working hours and if you manage to go out for dinner in a fancy restaurant. If you are in your home city, it's difficult as well, because you don't know when you are going to exit until the very last minute, thus it's difficult to program something. You can do social life during weekends, though. I bet that also your friends are going to work during the week, thus it's easier for everybody to organise during weekends. Friday is usually "shorter" than other days, thus unless you are in an unfortunate project as Deniz was, you can easily go out for dinner with your friends
Hi Giulia, thanks for your prompt feedback. Is Bain Italy considered as the same level as BCG or McKinsey? When I did my internship in another consulting firm, I had the feeling McK and BCG in Italy were considered as the best of the best and Bain as inferior.
I can confirm that sensation ;p BCG is also considered just slightly less than McK (that's why McK is paying you a bit less, brand is part of the benefits)
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