HiI've got a couple of job offers from the top consultancies... I really don't know which to go for - are there any major differences in terms of training that might be worth considering?I've also still got a couple of applications waitingt o hear back on, so any thoughts on who has the best training programme for new grads I'd be grateful? Assuming there isn't some other major factor to consider?(The money is all about the same)James

Knowing the names of these top consultancies would be useful ;)

Oh yes... I've got offers from Bain and BCG - but am still waiting to hear back from OC&C. Anyone able to shed some light?

Hi had an offer from Bain too, starting in Sept.. I like them, is one of the strongest consultancies so I'll join them.. Although, there are very few posts on Bain here..However, I cannot help you in deciding b/w BCG and Bain..

If you already have offers from Bain and BCG why on earth are you waiting on OC&C? As good as they are, Bain and BCG are better for your career at this point - you will have ample opportunity to join OC&C later should you so wish, and it will be easier to go to OC&C or another 2nd tier strat firm that from there to BCG or Bain.There is not much to separate BCG and Bain - both excellent firms (in my opinion more interesting than McKinsey too). If you played sport in the first or second XI at uni you will probably be happier at Bain; if you were more likely to be found talking cr*p with philosophy students in a cafe (no offence to anyone, I read philosophy and spent 3 years talking cr*p and haven't stopped...) then BCG. Simplistic I know, but generally true - Bain for the Rugger Bugg*rs, BCG for the Fart*ist in you.Or wait for that offer from McKinsey if you lack imagination altogether ;-)

I don't understand this. How can someone be bright enough to get offers from both BCG and Bain, yet not know enough about the fairly significant differences between the two firms in order to decide which one to join?It's even more puzzling when you consider that BCG and Bain consultants are the 'creme de la creme' of people who can gather and analyse information quickly and make decisions without necessarily knowing all the facts. How could you be good enough to get through the numerous recruitment hurdles and secure actual offers, yet not know how the two firms differ in their approach to training? Surely you would have got a feel for this somewhere along the line? This is really puzzling!

Well done Confuddled - spoken like someone who spends all their time reading and re-reading websites, articles etc to find the slightest nuance of difference. Who cares whether and how their training differs?? The only peopl who care about that are those destined to be trainees all their life (and please, no retorts about lifelong learning). I think what James is looking at is that having offers from both he is being both understandably cautious in his decision and also looking for some instinctive fit beyond the paper fit. As for significant differences - there are none in reality. Powerpoint is powerpoint, regardless of whether your business card says BCG or Bain. You could say there are significant differences between a BMW and an Audi - in fact there are none. Same applies.

Mars, do you really understand what a consultant does for a living? I don't mean this in a 'funny' way, it's just that your reply seems to suggest you think that all we do is churn out Powerpoint slides and that the work at Bain is the same as the work at BCG. I can see how a recruitment consultant might think it's "all the same stuff", however the differences to anybody who actually works in either firm are both obvious and significant.

"You could say there are significant differences between a BMW and an Audi - in fact there are none."I suppose people just toss a coin when they decide which one to buy then?

Confuddled my point is that as a raw entrant the differences are negligible from James' point of view - unless you have something to compare it to how can you qualify a difference? Either firm will provide some of the best training available in the consulting sector, together with the kudos for a move in a few years. My point, perhaps not well made, is that - at entry point - there is no difference. The decision is very different for an experienced hire but that is not the question here. It is not the same as comparing say ACN and BCG, or MC and IB. And the difference in training will become fairly irrelevant to him in a few years, and the more subtle - and eventually - important differnces will inform his decision to move, stay or go from Bain to BCG etc. But - to carry on the rather crude analogy - if I have just earnt my driving licence and have a choice to buy Audi or BMW, do I really need to know which one has the better ABS or whatever? No. What I need to know is which one do I feel more comfortable with, which one makes me take a sneaky last look at it in the garage before I close the door. My point about powerpoint being powerpoint was not that I think MCs just sit around doing ppt, far from it. Rather that the work involved at BCG or Bain - differences in methodology and culture aside - will be on a par with the work at the other. So he would get the same quality of experience, diversity of work, and depth of expertise at Bain as he would at BCG and vice versa.

<i>"It&apos;s even more puzzling when you consider that BCG and Bain consultants are the &apos;creme de la creme&apos; of people who can gather and analyse information quickly and make decisions without necessarily knowing all the facts."</i>To coin a phrase, "don&apos;t believe the hype". This rather supports the idea that the firm you work for and common intelligence are uncorrelated.

OK, add "supposedly" to it then.

Firstly congrats on securing these great offers - and would have to agree with the earlier posters that if you&apos;ve got an MBB offer then you&apos;d be mad to accept something from a lesser consultancy.In terms of choice between BCG and Bain, I would be extremely surprised if you didn&apos;t feel there were significant differences in personality between two consultancies you&apos;d spent so much time interviewing with. My own advice would be to go with whichever firm you felt most comfortable with - whose staff did you warm to most and would you really like to spend time with. When you consider you&apos;ll be stuck in hotels and spending a portion of your social life with these people when you&apos;re away on projects, this becomes a really important factor in how happy you&apos;ll be in your consulting career. Consulting is a really lonely career if you don&apos;t feel you&apos;re surrounded by people you&apos;d consider your friends.This is what I based my own decision on in a similar situation - and I never looked back.Good luckTony RestellTop-Consultant.com