Possible to live in a different city than your home office?

Question

Assume my family and I live in city X, but my MBB home office is in city Y which is a 1 hour flight away. Also assume that most of my cases will be based out of city X.

Is it possible to work in city X Mon-Thurs at the client site while spending nights with my family, then fly back to my home office in city Y for Friday, then return to city X on Friday night?

The only main difference I see would be moving the typical Monday morning flight up to Friday night. Is this type of arrangement permitted?

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Answer 1

Best Answer

Sidi

Expert

replied on Jun 27, 2018

McKinsey Engagement Manager & BCG Consultant | Interviewer at McK & BCG for 7 years | Coached 100+ candidates secure MBB offers

Hi Anonymous!

In principle this is possible and I have seen this in several locations. However, it depends mostly on the tax regime in the respective country! In Germany or South Africa for example, such travel from and to a home location other than the office location is a "benefit in kind", and hence subject to substantial taxation! Therefore, it has been prohibited in most firms in these countries. In other countries, this is no problem (I have worked with colleagues in the Dubai office of McK for example who lived with their families even in another (middle eastern) country!).

Cheers, Sidi

Answer 2

Vlad

Expert

replied on Jun 27, 2018

McKinsey / Accenture / Got all BIG3 offers / More than 300 real MBB cases / Harvard Business School

Hi,

Why do you even need to come back to city Y? You can stay at the client site for Friday as well. Most of the teams will support it.

In the McKinsey US, you are quite flexible and you can have a home office (primary) and an additional office in the location of most of your projects. Although formally you will be assigned to your primary office, you can arrange the flights and returns to this new office.

Best,

Hi Vlad, I wasn't sure if that would be frowned upon assuming I was hired at office Y, but wanted to work exclusively at office X. I have read that US MBB firms frown on people asking to transfer within a year of being hired. I have never heard of the arrangement that you are describing; is that different from a transfer and how likely do you think it would be to make the same kind of arrangements you've described? Thanks for your input! — Dave on Jun 27, 2018 (edited)

Possible to live in a different city than your home office?

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