Hi, I am looking for an internship to commence this summer. I am in my final year at the University of Manchester (predicted a 1st) and I am starting a Master's in Strategy and Entrepreneurship in Portugal come September.As most consulting firms have a lengthy recruitment process and deadlines that have already passed, I was hoping someone could recommend companies that I could still email about work experience for this summer (either paid or unpaid) and preferably in London.Thanks for your help

Cant help you with comapnies im afraid. But for most people I would suggest you go and do something challenging and personally rewarding rather than career focused for your summer. Learn a sport, get skilled at a hobby, volunteer, travel with purpose... It will make you far more intereting come interviews, no less likely to get a job and i bet you won't regret it. Make it count though. A bar job in O'Neills won't cut it as a differentiator.

Internships arent commonly offered in the consulting industry - they are essential to secure a position in banking or insurance, but they wont add any significant benefits in a consultancy application. Essentially any relevant work experience will help, in any sector, if you are intent on securing an internship. In reality no one will be learning anything significant during an internship - it's really about providing assurance within specific sectors that you are accepted by one firm therefore meeting some vague sense of baseline suitability.As Senior Mick suggested, go do something interesting - it will add to your CV, provide a talking point in interviews, and make you a more rounded, interesting and balanced person. If you really do want to do something to prep for MC applications then maybe look at some online excel courses to polish up on those skills (you'll need them). Oh and dont forget to enjoy yourself! Last summer before you graduate - you wont get this much freedom again for some time so make the most of it.

Mars on your first point, I disagree. Big 4 all have internship programmes as do most consultancies I know.If looking at a borderline grad's CV, Something that would sway in their facour is the fact they had interned in a consultancy versus someone who hasn't.

Thanks Tom - I stand corrected. Been a long time since I spoke with raw grads.

As a recent grad, I would say Tom1 and Marsday's points are both right; consultancy internships can really tip the balance if borderline as said, but for Big 4 strategy etc they are not [i]strictly[/i] essential and many do recognise transferable skills in other internships/jobs seriously, so a summer 'well spent' doesn't have to mean collecting starbucks . For MBB etc I do not know, perhaps someone else is more wise?

Thanks for all the feedback! I would be most interested in applying for MBB or Oliver Wyman/Roland Berger etc, rather than the big 4.As part of the Master's i will be undertaking, a 12 summer internship is compulsory next year (set up with the help of the university career department) I was just looking for some experience working in a big company so that I'll be more prepared for it when the time comes.I think trying to do something meaningful with my summer may be the way to go, although ideally i'll need to earn some money for my studies next year tooThanks again

Charlotte,You are most interested in MBB, OW and RB. Good stuff. However, the information sessions for the summer programs are usually in January and interviews/decisions are wrapped up by late Feb/early March. At least for MBB, you most likely missed the window for this summer. I'm not sure about OW and RB.Agree with what others have said here: do something you enjoy for the summer, tells an interesting story, and demonstrates you're a well-rounded person.

I feel it's risky to pursue an extracurricular instead of doing an internship this summer. Especially for MBB and other competitive firms, candidates will have pretty robust resumes w/ impressive internships every summer. Pursuing a passion/learning a skill can be done in parallel or during the shorter breaks.As for companies to email... no specific leads, but have you tried your alumni list or network in London? Since you're willing to go unpaid, I bet you can easily find some boutiques that could use extra analysts.