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Two internships back to back

internship MBB tier2
New answer on Dec 01, 2022
9 Answers
611 Views
Anonymous A asked on Nov 29, 2022

Hey everyone!

I have received an offer for an internship at MBB and one from a Tier-2 company. At MBB I can start the 3 months internship next  year in May. The Tier-2 internship would be March and April. Do you guys see any sense in going ahead with the internship at the Tier-2 company as well? 

My thoughts were that maybe I could learn some things there that, applied at the MBB internship, could increase my chances of an offer?
And because, until next May, that's a lot of time to kill still.

I would appreciate your opinions!

Thank you!

 

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Udayan
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Content Creator
replied on Nov 29, 2022
Top rated Case & PEI coach/Multiple real offers/McKinsey EM in New York /6 years McKinsey recruiting experience

The answer depends on what it is you're trying to accomplish. 

Advantages of doing both 

  • More experience in consulting overall which will help you both decide whether this is the right career for you and what aspects of it you want to focus on when you start full time 
  • Skills to become a better employee - school to work is a bit of an adjustment and requires learning how to be a good employee. The more you work the better you will be at working
  • Ability to start at mbb with a better understanding of the role than your peers which is always an advantage 
  • More money in your pocket to enjoy your last year of university 

Some reasons to consider not doing it

  • Long hours and huge energy burn could leave you exhausted before you start mbb
  • Less time to enjoy at college with your friends 
  • Overall less time to pursue activities outside of work that may be important to you. 

I think at your stage doing both has more advantages vs not doing both. You're in an envious position so might as well take advantage of it. 

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Florian
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replied on Nov 29, 2022
Highest-rated McKinsey coach (ratings, offers, sessions) | 500+ offers | Author of The 1% & Consulting Career Secrets

Hi there,

That's a great achievement! Congrats! :-)

I'd go with both internships for three reasons:

  1. You might get a backup offer already at the tier-2 which puts you at ease and makes you more relaxed for MBB.
  2. You learn some valuable lessons before starting at MBB (which increases the expectations a bit for your MBB team and leadership btw.).
  3. You are able to compare both and gain some valuable insights into different ways of working.

All three benefit you, the first two help you with getting a return offer with MBB.

After both internships take an extended break and travel (or do what you are passionate about), then accept the full-time offer.

Cheers,

Florian

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Anonymous A on Nov 29, 2022

Hi! Thank you very much for your answer! This makes a lot of sense to me! However, the contract for the internship with the tier-2 firm will have a 4 day overlap with the one I signed for MBB. To be specific, the internship at T2 will only last until the 28th of April but they append the holiday entitlement so it effectively ends 5th of May but with MBB i signed starting from 1st of May. I guess this is not OK contractually? Cheers

Ian
Expert
Content Creator
replied on Dec 01, 2022
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Congrats - how exciting!

Other than time/energy I don't see any reason to not take both (if legally allowed…that's on you to check). Congrats!

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Emily
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replied on Nov 30, 2022
Ex McKinsey EM & interviewer (5 yrs) USA & UK| Coached / interviewed 300 +|Free 15 min intro| Stanford MBA|Non-trad

That is so much working, you’ll be exhausted! You want to go into MBB firing on all cylinders - my advice if you can afford it would be to just do MBB and enjoy having a summer before that! 

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Dennis
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replied on Nov 29, 2022
Ex-Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Congrats on both offers.

It sounds like it's possible logistically since you don't really have an overlap. With 2 months already under your belt, you'll likely be able to hit the ground running when starting your MBB stint.

It definitely makes sense if your goal is to maximize your chances of getting a return offer. After 5 months of interning you will also know if the work-life balance of consulting is the right fit for you.

So overall a good opportunity to test out various aspects before committing to a full-time engagement 

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Maikol
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replied on Nov 29, 2022
BCG Project Leader | Former Bain, AlixPartner, and PE | INSEAD MBA | GMAT 780

Your goal should be to get hired permanently in a MBB.
If you test yourself and learn as much as possible in Tier-2 BEFORE MBB, it is perfect. 

Go for it! 

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Rushabh
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replied on Nov 29, 2022
Limited Availability | BCG Expert | Middle East Expert | 100+ Mocks Delivered | IESE & NYU MBA | Ex-KPMG Dxb Consultant

Hello,

Absolutely, you should go for both. If you manage to get 2 full time offers then you can negotiate a bit with your preferred company on salary, starting date, geography, etc.

All the best!

Rushabh

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Mario
Expert
replied on Nov 30, 2022
Ex-Mckinsey (analyst->associate->manager) and now in tech (Bytedance) + Part time interview coach and mentor

Hi there,

 

The more experience, the better. As long as you are not replacing your MBB internship with the Tier 2 one, you're for sure accumulating more experience which is helpful as you apply for full time jobs.

 

Mario

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Pedro
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replied on Nov 29, 2022
30% off in March 2024 | Bain | EY-Parthenon | Roland Berger | Market Sizing | DARDEN MBA

I don't see a reason not to do it. 

  • You get a chance to have an offer to go to the Tier2 in case you don't get the MBB offer
  • You gain valuable experience that will help you hit the ground running when you start at MBB, so you increase your chances of getting an offer there

The only downside is that you should have a short break between the two interships so you have time to recover completely and start fresh!

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