I have a question to all the people who do work in the so called 1st tier firms: is it really true that life at, e.g., McKinsey is all work, 9 till midnight, no time for anything else, etc.. or is it really a myth? Isn´t it like any other high responsibility job where you have some periods of very intense work and others much more calm? I would really appreciate any comments from insiders, as I intend to submit my resume but, as I have a family, I´m not quite sure if its "going to be hell"...

All consultancies work those sort of hours. I'd consider 9 a late start. If you're scared of hard work, try the civil service

Not "hell", perhaps, but certainly "hard". You seem to be thinking along the right lines with the "high responsibility" angle. Midnight is actually an unusual time to leave... it's more like either 8pm or 4am! That's exaggerating the split, obviously, but reflects what you have recognised: sometimes it's mad-panic-busy, other times it's manageable. But it's rarely a breeze. A BCG manager recently posted here that average hours were 60-65 pw. You'll certainly rarely work fewer than 50, and 90+ can happen. You are right to think about the implications for family life - it's a serious issue (depending a bit on how senior you would be, of course). If you have the time, the best thing to do would be to go through the application process and, if it's going / goes well, ask to talk to people at the level you would be at who have families. I would hope they'd paint an honest picture for you. Think, too, about the amount of travelling and nights away from home that are typical at each of the firms; it varies quite a lot. In my experience, people with families can make a successful career at a strat firm, but not without making some (important) compromises - and it's good to think those through beforehand.

Thank you for the answer. Life-work balance is very important inded. Is there a big diference in the workload between a strat firm and a full service one (e.g., Bain and Accenture)? Cheers.