Travel amount in Bain and BCG

Question

Hi

I heard that since Bain is local office staffed, it does not typically require travel for consultants and that BCG is more likely to staff interstate or internationally. Is this true? Preferably I want opportunities to travel and work on a global scale in different markets

Answer 1

Hey there,

I can speak for BCG, do not have so many insights for Bain.

At BCG in the US international opportunities are generally rather limited (I am quite certain this is true for all MBB though). Interstate staffing is more frequent though there is a general preference to staff from the respective office (as travel can be quite far in the US). When I worked in NYC, I travelled every other week I would say.

Best,
Sebastian

Answer 2

Hi,

It's true that staffing at Bain is locally with limited travel (within the state for US and within the country for EU) and a bit more travel for BCG (more interstate within US or between (neighbouring) countries in Europe).

Mattijs

Answer 3

Hi there,

I worked for both companies and I don't think this is true.

From my experience, the amount of travel is not really about the firm, but rather, the case and client that you work on.

Best,

Emily

Answer 4

Hi there,

As a rule of thumb (including McKinsey):

McKinsey has a global PnL and staffing, even though most consultants are still staffed in their region (Monday-Thursday travel) based on language requirements and personal preferences (unless they push for a different lifestyle -> "build your own McKinsey")
BCG staffing is less international compared to McKinsey, but still you would travel a lot regionally (Monday-Thursday)
Bain tries to staff people in the city where their home office is or very close to it.

Cheers,

Florian

Answer 5

Hi there,

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

First of all, based on my own experience, that of my personal network and my coachees, this seems to be nothing more than an urban myth. Contrary to what other coaches have said, all consulting firms will first try to use local consultants before requesting consultants from different countries and regions.
Moreover, while it may sound tempting to travel a lot for work, please keep in mind that 1) consulting is an intense profession where you typically have little time to enjoy the client's location and 2) clients will still expect you to show up at the same time as local consultants, which means that travel time is mostly deducted from your free time.

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

Best,

Hagen