Is it feasible to transfer in MBB

Question

Hi, I am a Canadian working at a MBB London ( 6 months in ) and extrémale jome sick. I'd like to transfer to :

New York
New Jersey ( larger market than any Canadian city)
Toronto
i really would prefer an American city on the east coast as it is closer to home and provide access to a large market .
Did you know anyone who has done this before ? How feasible is it ?

Answer 1

Hi, I did a permanent transfer when I was at McKinsey. It is 100% feasible but:

6 months is still a bit early to ask for a permanent transfer. Minimum in my opinion will be 1 year tenure and optimal would be 1.5 years if you want to transfer early
You will need to have great performance reviews as it is mostly the receiving office that will decide whether they want you or not based on your reviews + they will do their own due dil on you
You will need to provide reasons for the move (either personal reasons or professional reasons or both even better) that make sense

Answer 2

Hi there,

internal transfers are absolutely possible, but there also needs to be a business reason for it. For example, you have a particular skill set or expertise that is very much needed in the NY or NJ offices. The receiving office has to want you and your current home office London has to be willing to let you go.

This usually works for consultants who have established a good standing in the firm for themselves and have received above-average performance reviews. With only 6 months under your belt, it is unlikely that you have enough of a track record to push for such a move successfully.

My recommendation would be to take the next 12 months to prepare for your transfer pitch. Focus on getting very good performance reviews on your assignments. Start networking with colleagues (ideally partners) from your desired US offices to increase the chances of having a local advocate. See if there are any projects available that are delivered in conjunction with the US team and try to get on those.

Best

Answer 3

Hi there,

It is possible but it requires a bit of work, esp. at a junior level.

You need partners in the target office to support the move
You need partners in the home office to support the move

Target office:

Network, try to help out with internal projects, get staffed on their projects, develop a reputation and state your intentions → that can help with the pull.

Home office:

This is trickier. You need to state your intentions early with the people you work with, your mentors, and HR. Try to build goodwill over time and make them see your perspective.

I knew several people at McKinsey who transferred out of their home office/country within the first year, mainly due to personal reasons/their spouse living somewhere else.

Keep in mind that the general consulting market is seeing a slowdown, so this works against you at the moment.

All the best with the move,

Florian