What is the work life balance (If any !) at any of the MBBB firms like ? I would like to get a feel for the no of hrs you have to put in and the travelling that can be expected. Been approached for MBBB Energy practices in London and the Middle East and would like to get a better understanding of the work life balance differences between the top 4 before committing to anything. Are the 90+ hrs urban legends or pretty close to reality ?

Answer is that it varies dramatcially.I have first-hand experience of two of MBBB in London and can say that there is significant variation between offices, teams and weeks. Having said that I would suggest the average hours would be 60-65 per week (with weekends very rare). The travel (especially if you're in energy), is more likely to be the killer.I think the Middle East is probably much worse.

As an ex-MBBB'er myself, I'll agree with the previous post. Some practices are absolute taskmasters and are to be avoided at all costs. Other practices do interesting work but still have quite long hours. Every Middle East project I came across was a death-march. Are you going in at a senior level? If so, it might be worth it. If you're going in at a junior level, my advice would be just to get a normal job because at least that way you'll get to see some sunshine in the evenings each day. But expect 60-65 hours/week as the norm. Not good.