Working as a consultant for McKinsey & Co. is both challenging and rewarding. As an expert in the field of management consulting, I can tell you that the typical workload for an MBA consultant is between 60-70 hours per week. However, this number can vary depending on the company and project.
At the higher end, MBAs who work for investment banking firm Goldman Sachs say they spend an average of 86 hours a week. On the other hand, MBAs working for General Electric or PepsiCo usually work 45-43 hours a week. Facebook MBAs average 53 hours a week, while Amazon MBAs average 54 hours a week. A one-hour lunch break isn't included in the work schedule, though you might take an hour at night for dinner or a taxi ride to a hotel. Plus, there's almost no downtime in consulting, which means you'll rarely be able to take a 30-minute break to drink coffee, make important phone calls, or go to the pharmacy to buy the deodorant you need. Your main goal as a management consultant is to do great work, but in the end it's about making your customers happy.
It's very interesting to work on those projects because you dedicate a lot of time in two weeks to whatever you're doing, but it's not a pace you want to maintain for too long. At least 13 well-known firms that employ business administration teachers, from Barclays to KPMG, usually work more than 60 hours a week. Some consulting firms and local offices have encouraged teams to implement the “one night off a week” policy, which allows consultants to have time to dedicate themselves to their personal interests or simply rest. The key takeaway here is that consulting is not an easy job and requires dedication and hard work. You will be expected to put in long hours and make sure your clients are satisfied with your work. However, some consulting firms have implemented policies that allow consultants to take one night off per week so they can have some time for themselves.
