Hello everybody, I'm a dentsit with almost 20 years experience in the dental field, i also have managerial experience since i'm dental director in a big dental practice (60 employees and more than 10K patients) this means Human resources, budgeting, team leading, ecc... On top of that I'm specialized in prosthodontic and leader of a dental team composed by 6 doctors (one of them is a maxillofacial surgeon).Said that i must say that i still enjoy my job!!! But i also enjoy a lot (maybe even more than clinical job) the managerial part so i would like to go a little deeper in that direction. Consultancy seems to be the right first step, but i have some doubts! Could you help me?P.s i'm italian and i studied and work in Italy.- at this stage i don't want to leave my actual job, so i could be consultant only part time, is that possible?- what could be an average salary?- do exist a position where you're called just for a project?- would it be better to send my CV to a big or a small firm?Thank you very much for your help!

Since Italy seems a little sloppy with consulting I would work in an another country (possibly europe) if needed!

Difficult one. Only option I can see is contracting (easier through your own personal connections that through head hunters. Niche healthcare firms may be an option too..).Try to package your 20+ years experience nicely, placing more focus on generic experience in the healthcare space rather than narrowing it down to dentistry too much. I'd also start low with day rate (£300/£350 day max) with the first couple of leads - taking you on, even as a contractor, would be quite a gamble with no consulting experience, plus, once you get a couple of projects under your belt and gain more credibility, it is something you can easily increase.

Hi Beman30,I am currently a consultant at MBB (McKinsey, BCG, Bain) in Italy. I would really not suggest quitting your current job which you love and which probably pays more than a Principal/Associate Partner role at MBB. As Phil said I would look into contracting or expert network agencies (like GLG). Another option would be to use the cash flow of your current job to seed/invest other enterprises, to keep at bay your entrepreneurial spirits (maybe mentoring some younger chaps). I am not sure about your comment that consulting is sloppy in Italy. The firm I am currently working for (one of MBB) has a hard time staffing projects. Currently the office is well above fully-staffed. In my last project for a major client, 6-7 consultants came from North American offices which is hugely expensive for the Milan office but there were no alternatives. Plus consultants in Italy tend to work i-banking hours (hitting 100+ hrs a week) and have zero life, which is why I am moving on.Watch out what you wish for!Best of luck,And

Hi And and Phil, thanks for your answer, let's say that i tought consulting is sloppy in Italy, this idea came from the fact there are less office than other countries (uk, netherland), but i'm no expert so i believe in what you say.About quitting my actual job: it's not something i would do, at least not to become a junior consultant, my idea was: find a part time job as consultant (2 days a week), see if it appeals me after that choose what to do. So i'll try the contractor path altough i know no one in the industry (will give a try at GlG)About seeding: it's something i'm evalueting, actually i was getting info to buy an NHS dental practice in uk, but i wouldn' t have enough time to manage it, unless i quit my actual job.Working hours are almost the same, i mean that i phisically work 11-13 hours and after that i think how can i improve my business... And has you pointed out it means NO life, but at this moment there is nothing i can do to change it.Salary should be similar to mine...Thanks for your kind advice!