Top Consulting Internships: Your Guide to Launching a Career in Consulting

Consulting is a fast-paced and challenging career path that attracts many ambitious graduates. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), consulting is the top career choice for business school graduates. A consulting internship is an extraordinary opportunity to see if consulting is right for you. If you enjoyed the type of work that you did during your consulting internship, you’ll likely enjoy a career in consulting.

One of the best ways to get a leg up in the industry is by completing a consulting internship. Typically running on a yearly basis, these programs are designed to help top consulting firms identify new talent while also teaching aspiring consultants valuable industry-specific skills which aren’t easily learned in a classroom. Even better, most top consulting companies-such as the Big Three firms of McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG)-offer consulting internships, with programs typically running for 10 weeks in the US (between early June to the first or second week of August) and for eight to 12 weeks in Canada, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.

Choosing the right consulting internship is crucial. Below, we’ve listed some of the best consulting internships, including those at the prestigious MBB firms (McKinsey, Bain, BCG), the Big Four accounting firms (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, EY), and other prominent consulting companies.

The Value of a Consulting Internship

Consulting internship programs are designed to give interns a taste of the real world of consulting. During your internship, you’ll likely spend significant time with other inters in your internship class. Social and career networking is an overlooked benefit of consulting internships. Consulting firms use internships as a way to fill part of their full-time class. During the internship, consulting firms will assess the prospective employee’s work ethic, performance, and other professional attributes.

Gaining Real-World Experience

Most consulting internships last between 8 to 12 weeks. You should expect to work anywhere between 40 to 80 hours per week. However, the quantity of work that you receive will likely be less than the amount you’d be expected to do as a full-time consultant. If the project requires travel, interns should expect to fully participate in team travel.

Securing a Full-Time Offer

Landing a consulting offer isn’t easy - but with the right preparation, it’s absolutely achievable. Many management consulting firms offer internship and exploratory programs for freshmen and sophomores. These Sophomore summer internships and programs are a great way to get your foot into the door at many top consulting firms. Sophomore summer internships serve as a recruiting pathway for the firms. If you’re considering consulting, it’s a great way to get introduced to a firm’s culture, people, and the type of work the firm engages in. Internships also give firms an extended look at potential future employees. In addition, these sophomore internship programs often serve as additional diversity recruiting channels for the firms.

Top Consulting Firms and Their Internship Programs

Here’s a look at some of the top consulting firms and details about their internship programs:

1. McKinsey & Company

James Q. McKinsey founded McKinsey & Company in 1926. It has become one of the most well-known and prestigious management consulting firms. A McKinsey internship typically lasts about 10 weeks. Afterwards, interns will be placed on an actual case team and immediately start making contributions to their team for the rest of the internship.

Sophomore Summer Business Analyst Program: Interns join a project team and work alongside McKinsey consultants on a business problem. Participants also receive hands-on training throughout the summer, as well as mentorship from a Partner.

2. Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

Boston Consulting Group was founded by Bruce Henderson in 1963. Interns at BCG can expect to work at BCG for 10-12 weeks. However, internship durations vary by role and location. The first week of the BCG internship typically consists of training. Besides consulting internships, BCG also offers internships in data science and analytics, strategic and experience design, and software engineering.

Growing Future Leaders: This is a 10-week summer internship program for sophomores/rising juniors, which aims to introduce participants to the culture and community of BCG. Interns with Growing Future Leaders gain core consulting skills, valuable work experience, and personal mentorship from one of the world’s top consulting firms.
Bridge to Consulting: This is a summer program for both freshmen and sophomore candidates. It is a 2-day workshop where you’ll get a taste of the firm’s work and culture, network with people on the inside, and connect with peers at your level. Upon applying, you’ll be asked to play the pymetrics games.
Advance: BCG’s Advance program is for sophomore undergraduate women interested in a career in consulting.

3. Bain & Company

Bain is the third firm that makes up the prestigious MBB trio. The standard Bain internship program lasts 10 weeks and is quite similar to both McKinsey and BCG’s internship program.

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Bain BEL (Building Entrepreneurial Leaders): This is Bain’s sophomore internship program. The summer internship program is usually held in August, and runs for 5 days. You’ll get to experience life at Bain, the type of projects the firm works on, the people who work for Bain, and much more.
Connecting & Resourcing Empowered Women (CREW): Bain’s CREW program is for sophomore undergraduate women interested in a career in consulting. Over 1.5 days in February, participants will learn about Bain’s culture and work and connect with other women leaders.
Consulting Kickstart: Bain & Company’s Consulting Kickstart program is a virtual experience designed for first-year (freshman) undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds. Through a series of interactive workshops, participants gain exposure to the consulting industry, connect with Bain professionals, and develop key business skills. and Canadian colleges.

4. Deloitte

Deloitte is a large professional services firm that makes up the Big Four and has many lines of business. During the internship, Deloitte provides comprehensive training for interns to enhance their technical skills, industry knowledge, and professional competencies. There is also a special internship for freshmen and sophomores called the Deloitte Discovery Internship.

Deloitte Discovery Internship: This internship is a chance for participants to gain exposure to real-world consulting projects at Deloitte. In addition, the firm prides itself on offering support and mentorship to Discovery interns throughout the process. The firm encourages members of racial and ethnic minority groups to apply. Participants in Deloitte’s sophomore internship are sometimes invited back for a client services internship the following year.

5. Strategy&

Strategy& was originally founded as Booz & Company in 1914 by Edwin G. Booz. This merger combined Booz & Company’s expertise in strategy consulting with PwC’s global reach, resources, and capabilities in assurance, tax, and advisory services. Strategy&’s internship program runs from 8 to 12 weeks for their undergraduate and MBA internship programs.

6. EY-Parthenon

The Parthenon Group was founded in 1991 by Bill Achtmeyer, John Rutherford, and Al Lorsch. The merger produced the existing name EY-Parthenon. They also have an 8-week Emerging Leaders Program for undergraduate sophomores. The first week of an EY-Parthenon internship is dedicated to training on Excel, slide design, survey making, and conducting primary research.

Emerging Leaders Program: They also have an 8-week Emerging Leaders Program for undergraduate sophomores.

7. L.E.K. Consulting

LEK is known for its collaborative culture, entrepreneurial spirit, and commitment to delivering tangible results for its clients. LEK’s internship program is available to both undergraduates and MBA students. The internship program lasts between 8 to 10 weeks in total. The first week of the internship program is dedicated to training.

Kaleidoscope Program: L.E.K. Consulting’s Kaleidoscope program is a two-day immersive experience designed for undergraduate students from diverse backgrounds.

8. Oliver Wyman

Bill Wyman and Alex Oliver founded Oliver Wyman in 1984. Oliver Wyman’s internship program typically lasts about 12 weeks. However, the exact duration varies based on location and business needs.

First-Year Immersion Program: Oliver Wyman’s First-Year Immersion Program is a dynamic virtual experience designed exclusively for college freshmen. The program unfolds in three engaging phases: an introduction to consulting, a deep dive into a day in the life of a consultant, and a skill-building session covering case prep, professional development, and resume tips.

9. Accenture

Accenture was founded in 1989 as Andersen Consulting, a separate entity from the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. Accenture is one of the world’s most valuable brands and belongs to the elite Fortune Global 500. Accenture requires a commitment of at least 12 weeks for their internship and can last anywhere between 3 to 6 months.

Accenture Innovation Challenge: Accenture’s Innovation Challenge for sophomores is an immersive case competition designed to cultivate creative problem-solving and digital innovation skills.
Accenture Student Leadership Program: The Student Leadership Program at Accenture runs for four months in the summer and pairs interns with a mentor to help develop skills - both soft and hard - throughout the program. Accenture’s summer internship is a broad program with several different tracks that students can choose depending on their preferences, experience, and skills. It makes sense, considering how massive Accenture is.

10. A.T. Kearney

A.T. Kearney was founded in 1926 by Thomas Kearney, McKinsey’s first partner, and focused on offering management consulting services to clients in manufacturing, retail, transportation, and utilities. Kearney’s internship lasts between 6 to 10 weeks and offers students meaningful, real-world experiences.

Sophomore Internship Programs: A Closer Look

Many management consulting firms offer internship programs for freshmen and sophomores. Why do firms have sophomore internship programs?

Sophomore summer internships are a great way to get your foot into the door at many top consulting firms. They serve as a recruiting pathway for the firms. If you’re considering consulting, it’s a great way to get introduced to a firm’s culture, people, and the type of work the firm engages in. Internships also give firms an extended look at potential future employees. In addition, these sophomore internship programs often serve as additional diversity recruiting channels for the firms.

Applications for these sophomore summer internships typically open in late fall or winter, but each firm has different deadlines. If you’re a freshman or rising sophomore, now is the time to start researching firms and getting ready to apply for these summer internships!

Key Benefits of Sophomore Programs:

Early Exposure to Consulting Careers: Sophomore summer internships provide students with firsthand experience inside top consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, BCG, and Deloitte.
Diversity and Development Focus: Many sophomore programs are part of diversity recruiting efforts and are tailored for students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Recruiting Pathway: Sophomore programs serve as a recruiting pathway for the firms.
Cultural Immersion: Interns are introduced to a firm’s culture, people, and the type of work the firm engages in.

Application Process and Requirements

Most consulting firms only accept first-year MBA students and undergraduate juniors into the internship program. Many consulting firms recruit undergraduate interns from August to October and MBA interns in January. However, the schedule varies across firms and geographic locations.
All consulting firm internship applications will require you to submit a consulting resume. Some consulting firms may also require a consulting cover letter. This is your opportunity to grab the recruiter’s attention and highlight the skills and experiences that make you unique.
Consulting first round interviews generally consist of 1-2 interviews lasting 30-60 minutes each. A case interview is a special type of interview that consulting firms use where you will be placed in a hypothetical business scenario and be asked to develop a recommendation to a business problem. In addition to case interviews, you should also expect a few consulting behavioral interview questions. If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course.
Consulting final round interviews generally consist of 2-4 interviews lasting 40-60 minutes each. However, final round interviews tend to assess your personality and cultural fit a bit more than first round interviews.
If you receive a consulting internship offer, someone from the firm will likely give you a call and deliver the good news over the phone.

Internship Salaries

Here’s a look at what you can expect to earn during a consulting internship:

Consulting Internships: Masters Graduate Salaries

The Big Three consulting firms-McKinsey, Bain, and BCG-are renowned for their high starting salaries, and their internship programs are no exception. Handing out the biggest paycheck for students of business masters degrees is the Bain internship, where interns can expect a whopping salary of $22,500 for their 10-week stint, plus a $1,000 relocation bonus.

Not far behind is the BCG internship, which offers an impressive $21,154 to masters students (not to mention a $10,000 signing bonus for participants in the company's Growing Future Leaders program), and McKinsey, which pays its interns $21,250 and its sophomores $8,500.

As the highest paying consulting internship out of the Big Four (Deloitte, PwC, KPMG, and EY), the KPMG internship offers masters students a significant $17,000 to learn the ropes. Not far behind, PwC pays its interns up to $48 per hour ($34 per hour for sophomores), while also offering a signing bonus of $3,000. Meanwhile, Strategy& offers masters interns $49 per hour, on top of overtime.

The EY internship offers masters students a payout of $39 per hour, while its more specialized arm, EY-Parthenon, pays an impressive $45 per hour. Meanwhile, masters interns on the Deloitte Consulting internship earn a notably high $32 dollars per hour, as well as a $5,000 signing bonus for sophomore students.

Essential Skills and Preparation

Mastering the Case Interview: A case interview is a special type of interview that consulting firms use where you will be placed in a hypothetical business scenario and be asked to develop a recommendation to a business problem. If you’re looking for a step-by-step shortcut to learn case interviews quickly, enroll in our case interview course.
Crafting a Standout Resume: Transform your resume into one that consistently lands interviews at top consulting firms such as McKinsey, BCG, and Bain.
Behavioral Interview Preparation: Be prepared for 98% of consulting behavioral and fit questions in just a few hours. Learn exactly how to craft answers that impress interviewers.

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