Hi all,
I am starting as an associate consultant in the coming month and I was wondering wat the usual career progression is? So at what points can I do an externship/MBA/leave of absence?
Thanks so much!
When do you do an MBA?
Overview of answers
Upvotes
Best answer
Generally, you can do an MBA/externship after 2 years. However, at least at Bain, there is no deadline - I know Managers (who had been at the firm 5 years) who went to do an MBA.
LOAs are slightly different, as you can take multiple - I know of some managers who take a 1 month LOA pretty much every year. Rules will depend by firm, and also are potentially negotiable.
Note that, if when you leave for your MBA, you haven't been promoted to the "post-MBA position" yet (i.e. Associate at McK, Consultant at Bain/BCG), when you rejoin the firm you will re-enter at the post-MBA position.
I would also stress that specific rules can vary from office to office - so best to check with someone from your local office - usually you will be assigned a "buddy" (someone around your level) and a mentor/career advisor (someone more senior), so you can check this with either one of them once you start.
Congrats and well done!
Was this answer helpful?
Hi,
If you want to do LOA for MBA, it's beter to do it before manager grade.
For a leave of absence related to other reasons (personal project, travel, ...) you basically can do it when you want in your progression, but minimum 1 year after joined..
Best
Benjamin
Was this answer helpful?
Hello!
Depends on the company and geography. In Spain, for istance, is 2 years for McKinsey and 3 for Bain.
Cheers,
Clara
Was this answer helpful?
Agree with answers re. MBA (usually after 2 years, sometimes 3, rarely more) and LOA. If you got promoted before you leave, the amount of time you worked at the new grade will be counted towards the minimum time after you come back. For example, you are promoted to Consultant and do 1 year before MBA, you just have 1 more year as a consultant to do before you can get promoted to PL after your MBA.
As for externship (and office loan)... these are typically available after at least a year in the company, and usually reserved to the best people. Someone must be last in his class by definition, that someone may not have these same opportunities. And while I'm at it - the externships often come at a financial cost to you since the firm will not pay your full salary. A friend of mine spend 12 months in an NGA in Africa, at 2/3 of his salary. Obviously, the experience and memories were second-to-none so the financial aspect wasn't all that important in the grand scheme of things.
Was this answer helpful?
Hi,
- MBA - after a couple of years with a company, when you have to be promoted from the analyst level to the next one. However, in many cases, you can get a direct promotion even without MBA
- Externship - companies, and offices have different rules so you should check locally
- LOA - any time. However, I would not do that in the first 1.5 years
Best
Was this answer helpful?
Related Cases
Company case by Bain & Company
Style:
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery that has been family-owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.Half of the eleven hectares are used to grow white grapes, the other half to grow red grapes. They are grown in a conventional way, i.e. they
...
You have inherited the “Old Winery” from your grandfather, a winery that has been family-owned for five generations and can be dated back to the 16th century.Half of the eleven hectares are
...
(Open whole case)
118.2k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many students as possible to complete studies and prevent that they drop from the school system, in particular in disadv
...
Our client is SmartBridge, a nonprofit educational institution offering face-to-face tutoring services. The client operates in the US.The mission of SmartBridge is to help as many stude
...
(Open whole case)
31.6k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Bernard
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed millions of people worldwide and led to devastating economic impact. A vaccine is one of the biggest hopes for stopping the pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with multiple stakeholders to ensure groups at higher risk of becoming infec
...
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed millions of people worldwide and led to devastating economic impact. A vaccine is one of the biggest hopes for stopping the pandemic. The World Hea
...
(Open whole case)
18.3k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Luca
Espresso Whatelse is an Italian company that produces coffee and espresso machines since 1908. It is the Italian market leader and has a strong presence overall in Europe. In 2019, Espresso Whatelse has increased its revenues but it has seen declining profit margin.Your client wants to understa
...
Espresso Whatelse is an Italian company that produces coffee and espresso machines since 1908. It is the Italian market leader and has a strong presence overall in Europe. In 2019, Espr
...
(Open whole case)
17.4k
Times solved
Advanced
Difficulty
Expert case by Francesco
Style:
Our client is a BlissOttica, an Eyewear Manufacturer that is looking to reach a 10% increase in profits. How would you help our client?
Our client is a BlissOttica, an Eyewear Manufacturer that is looking to reach a 10% increase in profits. How would you help our client?
(Open whole case)
13.6k
Times solved
Intermediate
Difficulty
