Strategy& vs. Monitor Deloitte in Europe

Question

Hey guys,

Wondering what your take is on S& vs. Monitor Deloitte. I received offers from both.

I am a graduate student in Europe. Curious on your opinion in difference between these firms on

1. Type of work (Strategy vs. more implementation work?)

2. Culture

3. Prestige

4. Exit opportunities (I might be interesting in doing more social impact work later on)

To me it seems that S& is doing more prestigious work, thereby charging higher fees to their clients. I have basically deducted this from the fact that S& spends more on recruiting events, pays about 20% more in salary and provides much better benefits.

The people at S& seem to be more of 'real' strategy consultants while at Monitor they often come from other consulting firms such as e.g. Capgemini.

However, I felt that I was more attracted by the Monitor culture and people working there, making it feel as a tough choice for me.

What are your ideas? Happy to hear from anyone, people working / having worked at one of these firms (ideally both of course!), or people who have an interesting opinion from the outside.

Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Hi there,

First of all, congratulations on the offers!

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

I would highly advise you to opt for the option that better aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:

Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., prestige, culture, international exposure, compensation, location). After that, score the two options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in two scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

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

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

I think it truly depends from the country you're applying for.

I know for instance that Monitor is generally perceived as weaker than S& in Germany (and pays less), whereas it's the exact opposite in France, where Monitor is getting really strong and pays more than almost any other consulting firm (only BCG pays better)

One major difference (at least in my country) is that S& seems much more integrated within PwC than Monitor is with Deloitte. While Monitor has clearly kept its corporate culture within Deloitte, you may be working on fewer end to end projects

Answer 3

Hello Anonymous

It really depends on what you want to do with your stint in consulting - few years then another firm, few years then in corporate, stay and go up the ranks etc. - and assess the company culture regarding your plan (even though it will most likely change over time :))

From a reputation perspective S& is slightly better recognized in Paris as a separate strategy consulting activity, whereas Monitor is more blended within EY galaxy of service lines. From a project/industry perspective it is something very dynamic, especially because these 2 firms are agressively hiring partners, so the projects in 6 months can be quite different from those that are ongoing today.

Finally the paycheck should not be a criteria in my opinion, but that's really just me :)

Cheers
Minh

Minh

Answer 4

Dear A,

All these factores are depend on the specific geographies.

If you need any specific insights of advice, you can freely reach me out.

Best,

André