Got an offer, don't like the location - What do I do?

Question

Hi,

INTRO: My name is Pablo, I am a 22 years old from Spain, about to finish his masters in London. I was luckly enough to receive a BCG offer to start in the Madrid office as a Consulting Intern (the pre-Visting Associate role) this summer, my hometown, as soon as I finish my Masters in the UK. However, I realise now that my dream would be to work in the BCG London office, as I truly fell in love with London over the past year, but I also don't want to give up my offer to join an MBB, as this is something I've been working towards for years.

Why I'm in this situation: Over the past year, I spearheaded a project that was organized by the LGBTQ+ network of the BCG London office, the project went really well, and allowed me to get to know some consultants from that office. However, over the same timeline, the Madrid office invited to an LGBTQ+ recruitment event, which I didn't realise at the time would have allowed me to skip the line and go straight to the final round interview of the Madrid office. The Madrid office let me know at the time that while I wasn't forbidden from applying to the London office, if I did I would have been asked to pass the BCG Casey test, and were I not to pass it, the Madrid office would take away my fast-track to the final interview. Hence I only applied to Madrid as they suggested, and I got the offer.

Why is returning to London complicated? I am expected to join the Madrid office in June. Interestingy enough, I know multiple people with very similar profiles to me (same university, did the Consulting Internship during the summer in the Madrid office, same masters as me) and after having completed their masters in the UK received full-time offers for the London office. My 2 issues however, which distinguish them from me, are that (1) their experiences were essentially "summer internships", done in between school years, so their experiences in Madrid "naturally" came to an end, while for my experience to end I would have to quit, since I am done with school, and I am afraid would leave a bad taste in the mouths of the BCG HRs (i.e., lack of commitment, can't handle the pressure, etc.), and (2) geographically, their paths were: Madrid school > Madrid BCG > London school > London BCG, which makes sense, while mine hypothetically would be: Madrid school > London school > Madrid BCG > London BCG, which is more caotic, and potentially harder to explain to recruiters.

Couldn't I just transfer internally? Not really. To make the situation more complicated, the Madrid office has outlined what my career trajectory would look like, and most likely, it would look something like: Consulting intern (6 months) > Visiting Associate (6 months) > Associate Consultant (2 years) > Consultant. Since in BCG typically (of what I heard, please confirm) only consultants and above can transfer, this means Madrid would potentially allow me to transfer only after 3 years!! I don't think I can wait that long

My frustration partly comes from the fact that, in many ways, I think I would be a great candidate for the London office. I am mothertongue in English, I have family in the UK, I am really well integrated into British culture, and I have already been multiple times to the BCG London office, where I have been able to make a few connections. I really see myself prospering in the BCG London office, and long term in the UK.

MY BIG QUESTION IS: What would you do? I am tying to balance my wish to work a few years in the MBB, with my wish to come back as soon as possible to London. Options include, from most urgent to least:

1) Immediate action - Contacting the Madrid HR right now and telling them I don't want to join the Madrid, office, I want London. I think this is very risky, because I have very little negociating power (I have no other job offers lined up, and I don't have partners in the London office asking for me, also I have limited work experience. Also, it wouldn't be a big sacrifice for me to spend a few months (<6) working in Madrid

2) Short term action - Starting to pressure HR to get me a transfer as soon as I beggin the job in Madrid. I think the success rate here is pretty low, since again, I have limited negociation power, so why would they transfer someone so junior.

3) Medium term action - Let HR know when I begin my internship that, if by the end of the summer (september) they don't suggest me a fast timeline to transfer to London, then I will quit (and actually quit bt September if they can't transfer me). Firstly, I don't know whether "threats" like these are effective with HR, are they? A positive aspect of this option i.m.o. here if I quit BCG Madrid by september, is that this allows me to apply to BCG London through the standard process as an outsider, where I think I might have pretty good chances, provided my exit from BCG Madrid wouldn't leave a bad impression (do you think it would? how could I soften the blow? also would I be allowed to apply to BCG London as an external iwere I to not quit my job as a consulting intern in Madrid, or do I have to quit?)

4) Long term action - Continue working in BCG Madrid, and apply to McKinsey and Bain London during the fall. Here I would like suggestion on how I could justify to McK and Bain London potentially why I am quitting Madrid after only a few months of working there

Also any tips along the ways on how to make the best out of this process would be much appreciated, thanks!

Cheers, Pablo

Answer 1

In this case, I would suggest you take the BCG Madrid offer, do well and then try and transfer asap (it's very office dependent but typically you need some 'pull' or extenuating circumstances). You made a choice to prioritize the accelerated process of the interview over the location, you weren't willing to take the risk to choose London first over Madrid, and this is the consequence. Live with it.

You can of course try to apply to McK/Bain in the fall as you mentioned - but this really depends on your story

If you really have a strong reason why London, beyond "I like the people", sure go ahead
But I think this is a tricky choice unless you are okay with spinning your story to explain why you chose Madrid first, why London now etc...if it was really that compelling a story of "Why London" and you truly believed in it, then you would have prioritized London over Madrid in the first place.
Based on my experience (seeing people who have actually transfered early/quickly, the only believable story here is typically personal
- i.e. You have a spouse/children that reside in the other country
- i.e. You have direct family that reside in the other country and typically there is some health/illness that requires you to be there

Typically responses here err on the side of positivity and optimism, sometimes this is warranted and needed, but other times it's not really a great POV because the people commenting either don't like to say harsh truths or they don't know enough about how things actually work. In this situation, the bottom-line is you can't have your cake and eat it too.

Answer 2

Hi Pablo,

First of all, congratulations on the internship offer from BCG!

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your situation:

First of all, since this is an internship offer and not a full-time offer, I would highly advise you to consider accepting it. While it may be difficult to transfer to London after the internship, there is no guarantee that you will get a return offer either. However, the BCG internship will certainly help you further build your profile for possible reapplications after the internship.
Moreover, while I understand your fascination with the city of London, I wonder why you applied to Madrid in the first place, i.e. there seems to be a certain preference for that city as well.
Lastly, if a transfer within BCG doesn’t materialize within a reasonable timeframe, you may still apply to McKinsey or Bain London.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 3

Hey Pablo, first of all, congrats on your offer at BCG Madrid—that’s a huge achievement! I totally get your frustration, and I’ve seen similar situations before. If London is truly your long-term goal, I’d recommend a more strategic approach rather than pushing HR too hard right away. Immediate demands for a transfer could backfire, as junior consultants don’t have much leverage. A better move would be to start in Madrid, build a strong performance record, and simultaneously network with the London office to make your case organically. If after a few months it’s clear that an internal transfer isn’t feasible in the short term, applying externally to McKinsey, Bain, or even reapplying to BCG London could be a smart move—many firms are open to hiring consultants from peer firms, especially with MBB experience. If you go that route, the key is to position your move as a natural step toward gaining international experience rather than dissatisfaction with Madrid. Happy to chat more if you need guidance—I've been through MBB recruiting and know how these internal processes work! 😊 Alessa

Answer 4

However, I realise now that my dream would be to work in the BCG London office, as I truly fell in love with London over the past year, but I also don't want to give up my offer to join an MBB, as this is something I've been working towards for years.

Hi!

I have been to a similar situation, and for designated to an office different from the one I wanted/applied for.

My suggestion: Accept the offer. You said you have been working towards consulting for years and got the chance to skip the line and get an offer from BCG Madrid without going through the entire process. I wouldn’t change that for a city you know for about a year, as feelings may change.

In order to move to London afterwards, you will have do a good job to receive a full time offer and after that, find a strong case for moving (probably the family one, that you have mentioned) or apply for McKinsey/Bain. In my experience, that is not easy, but I have seen some cases (most of them spoused-related).

Best,

Mari