Could anyone give me a realistic idea of what sort of level I should be aiming at/what sort of package I could expect going into consulting (preferably Big 4 in London) from an arts/humanities PhD at a well-known but not Russell Group uni. I have a first and a distinction in BA and Masters, both from Oxbridge. Work experience so far is not directly relevant, but not completely out of whack either (research, writing, etc.). Just want to know which sort of positions to apply for - presumably I could get something better than the grad scheme?Cheers.

Ignore the thing about 'Big 4' actually - open to anywhere really. MBB would be great.

What makes you think you could get better than graduate scheme? I couldn't see anything in your post that suggests you'd be an experienced hire candidate. I don't mean that to be critical, just looking for some more information on what you have to offer.

The people I know in Big 4 that came directly from PhD background joined the grad scheme. Professional skills are different to academic skills and you'll have a tough time convincing a recruiter that you have the skills to take on a role that people get promoted into.I do know one individual that joined after a postdoc at the level above grad scheme, but he had done 3 years of freelance consulting - apparently was enough to convince.With MBB they do seem to hire PhD/MDs at above analyst level. With Oxbridge background they may be willing to take a look at your CV.

Yeah, sounds like MBB is my best bet - just been reading about McKinsey, which seems to recruit a fair few people at JA level straight from PhDs (e.g. here: http://appointments.thesundaytimes.co.uk/job/448666/junior-associate/).Didn't mean to sound arrogant with my original post - it's just that consulting as a profession seems to be so obsessed with academic qualifications that I thought there might be some sort of semi-established path for people who have after all got 4-5 years more experience than your standard undergrad hire. I mean, I'm almost certain that my PhD funding competition was more competitive than most consulting grad schemes, though of course it's a different field. The latter always seemed like a bit of a safe bet when I was an undergrad - saw loads of nice but hardly brilliant people from my college go down that route.I've had one year of full-time work and a lot of freelancing in media/research, mainly related to the same sector (don't want to get too specific), so maybe I could spin that into some sort of specialism.The salary is another thing - if I'm going to sell out, I want to get significantly more for it than I would in academia!

Fair enough

One of the reasons that we are obsessed with academic qualifications in consultancy is that it is a good way of filtering out the many many thousands of people who think they are smart and who say they are smart, but who aren't. Beyond a certain level, BS doesn't cut it anymore and intellect is needed.

A PhD on a CV is typically viewed favourably, but for it to translate to a hire at a rung further up a ladder than graduate level you'd need a) the right firm and b) a skill set from your PhD that gives you a specific edge for a role. Perhaps macro Economics or stats.