Mckinsey Allowed to choose Any office, have BA offer, which one?

Question

Hi,

I will soon start my career at Mckinsey as Business Analyst. Initially I had to start in Moscow office but due to recent events I need to choose another one.

Restricted offices are: US, Dubai, New Zealand and Switzerland. So except these countries I can choose any one.

I am interested in Digital (Web 3, blockchain and etc), Start ups, Venture Capitals and maybe Sustainability, not interested in Public sector, Oil&Gas.

Also crucial factors are:
- Salary/bonuses (for example, London isn't attractive for BAs due to average/low salary and high working hours)
- Speed of promotions (heard that in Middle East it's faster but don't know in what extend)
- Exit opportunities (maybe in 2-3 years and would be great to join start up)

Looking forward for any advice and insights.
Thanks!

P.S. I am woman, maybe it will also affect.

Answer 1

Hi there,

Wow, that sounds like a great opportunity! I can imagine that all this freedom makes for a difficult decision.

If I were you, I'd choose Berlin.

A few reasons:

It's one of the top offices for digital
Historically they've taken in and accommodated consultants whenever other offices have closed (e.g., couple years ago with loads coming from South Africa)
City is diverse, international and you can get by with english
Cost of living vs McK pay is among the best you can get in Europe and definitely in Germany (e.g., in Munich you'd get a similar pay for the role, but housing for instance is significantly more expensive)

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Hi there,

Interesting question!

Let's rule something out first - if you're not interested in O&G and Public Sector, stay away from Middle East. Any office there will have these two as a focus.

As for your preferences and taking into account limitations, I would consider the following offices:

Germany (likely going to be a language issue from the beginning)
Netherlands and Nordics i.e. Denmark/Sweden/Norway (English sufficient, relatively “good” W/L balance)
Chile (my former office and an absolute underdog for digital and startups and an amazing location in general - will have to learn Spanish with time)
Singapore, which is a hub for internationals and does quite a bit of everything
Australia, which is usually a challenge to get into but if you can freely chose I'd consider taking advantage

Hope this helps a bit. Best of luck!

Answer 3

Hi there,

Congrats on the offer - and, what an exciting opportunity!

Personally, I think you're asking the wrong questions.

Where do you want to live?

Are you really willing to live in a country/culture/climate that you dislike, just because the salary and promotion is higher? Do you want to be around other Russians (UAE, Turkey) or away from them? Do you want a warm or cold climate, a Western or Eastern country? It's important to enjoy where you're living!

Ideally, create a shortlist of the places you want to live, then come back to us to better understand each of these places in the context of your goals!

I agree with the others that Germany sounds attractive for you and Middle East not so much (except, perhaps Dubai). London and Amsterdam may also be good options.

Answer 4

I guess it comes down to where you want to/can (based on language ability) live during McKinsey as well as afterwards (at a start up). Looking at your restricted list, I don't think there's a massive difference where personally I wouldn't optimise for pay, promotion or working hours as a BA. It's heartbreaking to read that you will have to relocate away from your own country to start your career but the positive is that the “world is your oyster”.

Good luck!