Interview: The Life of an EY Consultant in Western Europe

Last Updated on March 6, 2024

The Consulting Interview Series

Welcome to our exclusive series on StrategyCase.com, where we aim to shed light on the varying roles within the consulting world, spanning different firms and geographic locations. Our goal is to offer you a comprehensive view of how consulting roles at top firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain differ from one another, both in responsibilities and regional nuances.

In our latest feature, we’re excited to present an interview with a senior consultant from Ernst & Young, specifically from their Strategy and Operations division in Western Europe. This insightful discussion covers a range of topics, including the day-to-day responsibilities of a senior consultant at EY, the work-life balance challenges in one of the Big 4 consulting firms, and much more. Dive into the full interview below for an in-depth exploration of consulting life at EY.

The Experience of an Ernst & Young Consultant

StrategyCase.com: Where do you work? What position?

Interviewee: I work for EY, a Big 4, in Western Europe as a Senior Consultant in their Strategy & Operations division.

StrategyCase.com: What kinds of cases do you work on?

Interviewee: I work mainly on strategic and operational support for restructuring projects (e.g. bottom-line improvements), during carve-outs and integrations (PMO, ODDs, methodologies from conception to execution). for all different kinds of industries, from mid-market to larger M&A deals (big tickets).

StrategyCase.com: How is the travel for EY consultants in your region? Do you travel every week? How far?

Interviewee: Yes, in general, our team travels Monday-Thursday, sometimes Fridays, which is an exception. Sometimes we do not travel when the client is in our city. Generally, travel is restricted to the region, however, my projects also led me to countries such as the UK, the US, and Turkey

StrategyCase.com: What are your favorite travel hacks?

Interviewee: My favorite thing on Thursdays is to check early if my flight will on time, so I have no rush at the airport or can enjoy the extra time gained in the lounge.

StrategyCase.com: How does a typical day look in your consultant life? (e.g., distribution between client meetings, problem-solving, analytical work in Excel, slide preparation, etc.)

Interviewee: Most of my work is spent on topics related to my current projects. It strongly differs from engagement to engagement, but usually, I spend my days with client meetings, some excel/data work, slide creation, and ad hoc tasks that come up. On Fridays, I can usually spare some time for career talks with my counselor and internal projects (go-to-market initiatives or other internal projects I’m working on).

StrategyCase.com: What are the typical hours you work during the week and on Friday? How about weekend work?

Interviewee: There are peaks and there are more relaxed projects, but in general, working hours are very fair for consulting, especially on Fridays regularly leaving around 5 pm latest. Weekends are off 99% of the time. Yes, I have worked weekends before, but on average once or twice a year.

StrategyCase.com: How do you unwind during the week and on weekends?

Interviewee: Doing sports is key for me (I usually prefer a workout prior to work, cause I can plan it, while evenings are sometimes a bit vulnerable with work coming in), time with my wife, family, friends, and strategic board games 😉

StrategyCase.com: What is the best part of the job?

Interviewee: At EY and especially in Strategy & Operations you really get lots of responsibility from the start and develop not only analytical and conceptual skills, but also are able to work directly with the client on a regular basis.

StrategyCase.com: What is the worst part of the job?

Interviewee: It’s difficult to make plans during the week with traveling and/or peaks in work, so you are partly restricted to social life on weekends. And then sometimes you don’t actually want to plans, cause you traveled a lot and just want to enjoy your flat 😉

StrategyCase.com: What tip would you give applicants for your role and your firm?

Interviewee: Look for someone in the company that trusts and supports you and you get along with well. Anything will be twice as joyful and half as stressful (may it be project work or team dinners).

StrategyCase.com: What exit opportunities are you considering?

Interviewee: Nothing specific at this moment. Startups and American corporates could be interesting though, as they usually focus on their people and the company culture.

StrategyCase.com: What have you learned on the job?

Interviewee: The most important thing probably is that you have to stay patient, and relaxed and shouldn’t overestimate situations that seem worse than they actually are.

StrategyCase.com: Anything else you would like to add?

Interviewee: Consulting and traveling are fancy and exciting but there will be times when you are fed up with things. Be patient in those times, cause they’ll get by when an exciting project comes around the corner (or you just get back to the gym and train the stress off).

If you want to read more consulting life from different firms and regions, check out some other reports below:

• The life of a McKinsey consultant in Germany
• The life of a BCG consultant in Germany
• The life of a Bain consultant in China
• The life of an Accenture consultant in Canada
• The life of an Oliver Wyman consultant in the Middle East

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