"Being a consultant can sometimes feel like being a psychologist for an organization: Clients come to you with a problem, and you help them solve that problem while identifying additional issues they can continue working on.

Management consulting is a fast-paced, complex, and highly demanding profession. It is also a highly stimulating one. This is because as a consultant, and especially in the area of technology consulting, you constantly have to remain at the forefront of your field to remain competitive and relevant to your clients. A strong consultant has a balance of technical skills and relational skills, alongside capacity for learning quickly. Learning quickly is critical to get up to speed with how specific clients work, so that you can provide services that are tailored to their unique context. However, this has to be done while demonstrating your technical skills, and relating to the client so that they see you understanding their challenges.

High workloads are common in consulting. Strict deadlines are an important aspect of this, as meeting deadlines will at times require working extra hours. That said, to thrive as a consultant it is critical to recognize when extra effort is needed, and when something can wait for the next day.

If you’re looking for constant learning, variable tasks, and are able to adjust to shifting requirements and at times extra effort then consulting could be a good fit. If you prefer a predictable work environment with set hours and consistent tasks you might find it challenging to work as a consultant."

Knut Ulsrud (MPA, 2014)
Manager (Technology Consulting) at KPMG Canada

Knut is happy to talk further via LinkedIn.

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"As an LSE SPP alumnus, I am driven by my passion to positively influence policy making. Hence, I chose to work in strategy consulting for KPMG, where I have the opportunity to design, implement, and evaluate government policies that have a real impact on people's lives. Strategy consultancy globally provides a unique opportunity to work with government clients across sectors and geographies, making a meaningful contribution to the world's most pressing issues.

For those considering a career in this field, I advise developing a strong understanding of pressing policy issues, problem-solving, analytical, and communication skills. It is essential to stay up-to-date with current events and policy developments worldwide and cultivate a deep understanding of the political, social, and economic context in which policies are made and implemented.

I also encourage candidates to gain practical experience through internships with consulting firms, government organizations, and NGOs. Such experiences can provide valuable insights into the policymaking process and help you develop the skills needed to succeed in this field. In addition, I highly recommend taking advantage of pro-bono consulting opportunities offered by LSE's consulting community as a way to kickstart your career.

Above all, I urge anyone interested in this line of work to stay curious, open-minded, and committed to making a positive difference in the world. Working in strategy consulting can be challenging, but it is immensely rewarding when considering the long-term impact your contributions could have on society at large."

Mohannad Al-Shareef (MPP, 2021)
Associate Director at KPMG Saudi Arabia

Mohannad is happy to talk further via email or LinkedIn.

"Rachel is a sustainability consultant at Altruist. She is also the Forests & Climate Strategy Lead for Natural Climate Solutions at TNC. She works to promote nature (i.e. restoration and avoided forest loss) as a tool for climate mitigation. She holds a Master in Public Administration from the London School of Economics, London, UK, and a BAS with honors from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. Rachel has a wide array of experience working on sustainable development; building public, private partnerships; and developing and implementing environmental policy in the UK, the US, and Latin America. She has worked for organizations such as The Nature Conservancy; The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; The United States Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget; and various global charities, notably the World Bank.

Rachel works on sustainability and climate issues because she knows that without solving the climate crisis, nothing else matters. She has been interested in this topic since she was a small girl- growing up in Northern NM where summers were dry and forest fires and droughts were constant. She believes we need an all hands on deck approach. The more smart folks (including those from LSE) who are working to solve this complex and multifaceted crisis, the better."

Rachel Pasternack (MPA, 2011)
Global Lead (Forests and Climate) at The Nature Conservancy and Sustainability Consultant at Altruist

Rachel is happy to talk further via LinkedIn. 

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"I spent much of my time at LSE focusing on a simple environmental and behavioural campaign designed to reduce emissions from the second-largest source of global heating – Air Conditioning & Refrigeration. Not the sexiest stuff, but it’s a growing problem. At all opportunities I wrote my assignments on Air Conditioning and spent my spare time talking to experts at LSE and around London. I started Go25degrees: a campaign that aims to increase the default setting of AC to 25C in the subtropics. In 2022, as a result of Russia doing something silly Go25 was adopted in Italy and they could cut their emissions by 1.8% - bellissimo.

Unfortunately, a not-for-profit environmental campaign doesn't pay the student debt, so when the COVID pandemic ended our London-based experience early, I co-founded a company with a twist. I hung up my social science fedora and donned a real lab coat to invent some products that prevent new plastic production and reduce emissions by 95%; we then use the proceeds from each sale to collect ocean-bound plastic. Moving forward, I want us to become the world's first policy enterprise: where our proceeds are used to research and write environmental policy, and our customers are the agents and beneficiaries of change.

My advice for people going into this line of work would be:

+ Do it with someone else
+ Fully commit - no side-hustles
+ The only way to survive is through valued innovation
+ Have a relentless focus on unit economics
+ Only take experienced investors
+ On social enterprise / environmental start-ups
+ There has never been a better time to start an environmentally-focussed business"

Lachlan Hill (MPP, 2020)
Co-Founder at Tirtyl and Founder at Go25degree

"I have always been a strong believer in the European project and I have wanted to work for the European institutions for as long as I can remember.

There are multiple ways to join the service. I did it via one of the competitions, notably the so-called AD 5 generalist, which is quite similar to the UK civil service fast track. It has now a slightly different format than the one I did, but the basic point is the same: some 20-30 000 applicants (for some 120 places), multiple phases (computer-based tests - CBT, case studies, assessment day). The CBT has verbal, numerical and abstract reasoning, plus a situational judgment. I did not find the tests to be too complex in their logic, with the exception of the situational judgment (which I still consider a nightmare). However, less than 500 applicants pass to the next phase, which means every point counts: you should aim at > 90% correct answers during your preparation. I dedicated a good 8 months and quite a lot of my annual leave to prepare for it. Good news is, there are resources aplenty to prepare for these tests, mostly for a fee.

In the following phase, you will be expected to prepare a policy briefing based on a series of documents. In the third and final phase, you would spend a whole day at the EPSO office (pre-COVID, at least) for an interview, a presentation and a group exercise. In my case, it took 7 months between phase 1 and phase 7.

If you manage to pass it all, congratulations! But you're far from done. All you get is the access to the internal vacancies, same as any other civil servant in the same grade, for a period of time (one year). This is when previous jobs really help, although you need the university degree only to apply to AD 5 generalists. Reason being, once you see the vacancies, you then have to apply for any of them and, if shortlisted, go through its specific selection process (usually two interviews). It may happen that one of the services contact you directly (it happened to me three times); just make sure you do your due diligence (perhaps your CV is the perfect match for their vacancy, perhaps they cannot attract candidates or their turn-over is high; there may be a good reason for it!). I was lucky enough to find a place within the allotted time (one year), so I have no idea if the period would have been extended in case I had not found a suitable position.

If you have substantial work experience in a specific field, you may want to keep an eye on specialist competitions. They tend to start at a higher grade, usually AD 7, which means it is the CV screening that shaves off a lot of participants. The major issue here is that there may be none suitable for you for years.

If you want to have a flavour of the life of a European servant, notably if you do not have substantial work experience, whilst enjoying an Erasmus-like atmosphere, you may want to consider a paid Blue Book traineeship. It lasts six months, the selection process is much lighter, it gives you the opportunity to see how things are done here and to make yourself known, which is useful if you want to remain as with a temporary contract (code-named contract or temporary agents). Most temporary vacancies are visible from the intranet only and some are on call, so it does help to have a foot on the ground already.

Lastly, there is another macro-category of European servants below the ADs, which are called assistants (AST), which covers a big range of functions, from driver to technical experts. That is terra incognita for me but there is plenty of information on the EPSO website (same goes for any other role and competition).

In broad terms, that is it! I found the Institution a diverse and interesting place to work, and you may find a lot of opportunities to work on hot topics (COVID, energy crisis, EU-UK negotiations, just to name a few). If you are interested and you want to have a chat about it, please feel free to contact me."

Simone Buratti (MPA, 2012)
Project Portfolio Manager at the European Commission

Simone is happy to speak further via LinkedIn. 

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"I wanted to work on policy from end-to-end - from policy design to implementation - and that’s exactly what I get to do at the Commission. Moreover, the opportunities to change policy fields are endless. I started my adventure at the Commission working on anti-corruption, spent years in Ghana working on development policy, and I now work as a specialist on pandemic response. I would highly recommend this career path to all those students who believes that “perfect” is often the enemy of the good."

Sebastiano Lustig (MPA, 2019)
Policy Coordinator (European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority) at the European Commission

Sebastiano is happy to talk further via email or LinkedIn.

"I chose to explore opportunities in the Sustainable Finance because I think it’s exciting to play a role in helping something transition from niche to mainstream. My MPA capstone experience with an impact-data organization showed me how much information was out there to research and analyse, and I saw how I could leverage my existing financial and regulatory experiences, and my MPA coursework skillset, to explore new ways to provide sustainability information to a wider variety of financial actors.

My advice for anyone exploring Sustainable Finance as a career path would be to absorb as much information as you can: that can come in the form of annual reports from impact investors, webinars by regulators and sustainability standards boards, or reaching out to someone currently in the space and learning about what they do. There’s still a long way to go to be able to drop the “Sustainable” title from in front of “Finance”, so I would recommend using that informational knowledge to find specific parts of the industry that align with your skills, experiences and goals."

Matt Billet (MPA, 2020)
Sustainable Finance Analyst at Moody's Corporation

Matt is happy to talk further via email or LinkedIn.

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"Since the early days of my career, I have been looking for opportunities to create a positive, long-term impact. I started as a Management Consultant in the Financial Services sector as I think this is one of the key sectors in every economy to drive development. After several years I decided to transition towards Development Finance/Impact Investing and to focus on markets outside of Europe - the MPP at the LSE helped me to initiate this transition.

Two years ago, I joined British International Investment. I manage the African and SE Asian FS portfolio and drive agendas such as Climate Finance and Food Security. I think DFIs offer a wide range of opportunities because they attract people from many different disciplines such Business Integrity, Development Impact, E&S, Finance & Investment, Legal. etc.

I really enjoy working along like-minded people who are also passionate about driving sustainable, long-term growth of businesses in emerging markets.  During my transition to DFIs I found people to be very engaging and happy to connect with, which helped me to navigate the market and eventually find the role I was looking for."

Anton Paukner (MPP, 2020)
Portfolio Manager (Financial Services Group) at British International Investment

Anton is happy to talk further via LinkedIn.

"Working in consulting and in the energy industry, I discovered over the years that my true passion was personal growth and empowerment. I started pro-bono coaching in my free time, and after three years of weekly coachings I quit my job, completed a certified coaching degree, and started my career as personal development coach.

Some savings from my previous jobs helped me approach my new job with patience and allowed me to invest time to develop a clear focus of my offer. Starting with two selected pro-bono clients, I focused on deeply understanding my future client’s challenges and needs and designed my own coaching approach accordingly.

My coaching style today definitely benefits from a little life experience, as well as my own 6+ years of work experience in different settings. It allows me to relate to different professional situations of my coachees. Also, most of my clients find me through my extended private and professional network.

I’d say the one most important step for self-employment is knowing your skills and finding your true passion. Once we see this clearly, we can trust and believe in ourselves – the rest will follow."

Julia Kropeit (MPA, 2013)
Freelance coach for personal and professional development

Julia is happy to talk further via email or LinkedIn.

"The MPA provided the academic and theoretical tools to understand my own professional practice. I thought it was particularly interesting as I already worked in the field of higher education (in organisational audit and internationalisation). I did the dual degree MPA with Sciences Po, so had the benefit of not only learning from policy scholars in Paris and London but also observing two very different higher education sectors. I went on to do a PhD in Denmark (yet another HE system) and now work as an at the University of Manchester where I convene the higher education research group.

My concrete advice for those looking to move from policy to academic research is to enjoy (insofar as that’s possible!) engaging the academic literature and to take the MPA dissertation seriously. A strong dissertation is a good signal to potential PhD supervisors. And remember that going down an academic route doesn’t necessarily mean an end to policy engagement. I and others who did PhDs are still very active in public policy work."

Miguel Antonio Lim (MPA, 2010)
Senior Lecturer in Education and International Development

Migual is happy to connect via his website.

"Coming out of the MPA program, I knew that I wanted to work in the public or non-profit sector. I was driven by a sense of “purpose” and was keen to find my niche in an area where I felt like I was making a difference.

The Ontario Public Service (OPS) has a wide range of meaningful and rewarding career opportunities in communities across Ontario. While there are fewer positions open to external applicants, once you are in the OPS you also have access to internal postings and it’s quite common for staff to take advantage of secondment opportunities in other ministries to develop new skills, grow their network and advance their career. 

In the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services in particular, I have had the pleasure of working alongside a number of highly-motivated professionals who are eager to apply their knowledge to drive transformational change that improves outcomes for Ontarians. We typically work with diverse, cross-functional teams so relationship-building and stakeholder management skills have been critical to the success of our projects."

Farah Bhanji-Mohamed (MPA, 2009)
Senior Delivery Specialist (Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services) at Ontario Ministry of Community and Social Services

Farah is happy to talk further via email or LinkedIn.

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"I decided to study Public Administration and Public Policy because I wanted to make a difference politically. After my studies, this is what drove me towards the heart of where policymaking is made: the German parliament, the Bundestag. If you can imagine working for a Member of Parliament, there are three main pieces of advice that reflect my own journey and experience: First, having experience in the political field in your respective country, second, building up expertise in a specific policy field and third, not being shy of proactively looking for possibilities.

Having worked at the German political foundation affiliated to Green party before joining the Bundestag certainly helped because I gained substantive experience in discourses that lie at the core of organisations close to green values. I recommend gaining work experience in the political field - whether it be an internship in an MP's office, a political organisation or a party organisation you feel affiliated to. In addition, if you are interested in working as a policy advisor in parliament, it is useful to set an emphasis on a policy area. As MPs are associated with parliamentary committees and work as rapporteurs for the very specific policy issues they are responsible for, it is definitely an asset if you bring an expertise in the field of the MP you would like to work for.

As a last note: More people look for jobs than you would expect from the outside! Don't be shy to send unsolicited applications to places you feel encouraged to work for and use opportunities to exchange with people who work in the field."

Nina Locher (MPA, 2020)
Chief of Staff for Tobias B. Bacherle, Member of the German Bundestag (member of Bündnis 90/The Greens, the German Green Party)

Nina is happy to talk further via email or LinkedIn.

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"My name is Andrea Ríos Serna and I am from Colombia. I am currently working as an advisor of the Macroeconomic Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance. This has been a great opportunity to experience first-hand how public policies are conceived and implemented. Besides, this job has taught me about the importance of the political economy behind every government decision." 

Andrea Rios Serna (MPA, 2020)
Advisor in the Macroeconomic Policy Department at the Colombian Ministry of Finance

Andrea is happy to talk further via LinkedIn.

"What’s like to work in an International Organization? In three words I’d say complex, competitive, and incredibly rewarding.

International organizations can be large bureaucracies of extremely well-qualified & highly-driven professionals – getting in is often tough, and the learning curve is usually steep (at the beginning and beyond). Degrees from top universities (such as LSE!), foreign languages, and field experience, paired with passion & patience, will definitely help with both recruitment and onboarding.

Yet International Organizations are also places that attract multiple talents, value diversity, and strive for results. You’ll likely find yourself surrounded by colleagues with incredibly varied backgrounds (economists and socials scientists but also anthropologists, engineers, legal experts and even doctors!), who operate in respectful work environments and lead projects that aim for real impact.

A few quick tips:

+ Be flexible: specialize in a field, and be open to update or change it – start off at HQ, but get ready for a country office,

+ Keep your eyes on the big picture: projects can be large hence take time to produce results – stay focused on goals, while working on tasks and learning your way through the admin 

+ Keep your mind (and soul) open: some spend their whole career at one organization and love it, others simply get stuck in it. If you feel that things are getting flat, inward-looking, or both, consider change – it’s a small world of big international entities out there, many doing really exciting work."

Carmine Soprano (EMPA, 2020)
Senior Economist (Trade & Gender/Youth Specialist) at The World Bank

Carmine is happy to talk further via LinkedIn.

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"The Tony Blair Institute of Global Change works with leaders around the world with possibly the hardest task of all “how to get things done.” We work in over 37 countries globally, with around 850 people, and support highest level of government leadership on strategy, policy and delivery, unlocking the power of technology. I help shape and implement strategies across some of the key political and policy challenges of our time. We work on issues ranging from AI, biotech and climate change and I help identify primary challenges, define key policy actions, and how we build effective solutions for the highest levels in government.

Our central thesis is that technology has the potential to how government operates in the 21st Century: from how it uses data and technology to develop strategy and policy, right through to how it uses technology to deliver better outcomes in health, education and much more. We work on the belief that radical, but practical, policy is needed. This includes thinking about how emerging and frontier technology can be translated into a policy capability, in particular around AI today. 

The path of public policy holds the key to catalysing this transformative government change. The correct direction of travel across these challenges will not happen unless it shaped by the government.  I recommend my career path to anyone who possess a profound sense of public spiritedness and a genuine concern for the transformative power of the state in shaping the lives of citizens. 

Today, policy making at the highest level operates where political priorities converge with developmental imperatives, geopolitics and often hinge on the pivotal role of the private sector as a catalyst for change.

To flourish in this a dynamic sphere, some concrete advice is here: 

+ Private Sector Dynamics : A strong grasp of private sector direction of travel i.e, next wave of opportunities, global headwinds, tailwinds, is key.

+ Operational Insights: A hands-on understanding of the execution of public sector development programs is pivotal.

+ A Comprehensive Approach: Policy roles demands a holistic approach that weaves together political realities, socio-economic dynamics, and global considerations, aligning them to achieve transformative impact.

+ Adopt Propositional Thinking: Cultivate a mindset that is an 'incubator of ideas' and a provider of pragmatic solutions. Articulate your concepts in ways that elicit resonance, get people to ‘respond to’ and ‘enthuses’ people

+ Demonstrate Leadership: You should try to identify novel policy opportunities and present them with a real business case. That way you will distinguish yourself as a leader amongst peers.

+ Endurance is Key – Keep an unyielding mindset, a relentless spirit to win, and an unwavering capacity to endure is all distance between dreams from reality."

Prachetas Bhatnagar (MPP, 2021)
Head of Strategy & Operations at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change

Prachetas is happy to talk further via email.

"When done right, philanthropy has amazing potential to elevate changemakers, help scale solutions that work and foster sustainable change. As CEO of Be That Girl foundation, I get to support girls and women achieve self-determination in developing countries, working with exceptional community leaders on innovative solutions. I could not imagine a more satisfying work."

Ottavia Pesce (MPA, 2008)
CEO at BeThatGirl

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"I work in the non-profit sector not only because of the meaningful work, at Save the Children our name is what we do, but also because of the passionate and talented colleagues. The common goal to ensure that all children survive, learn and are protected creates a special kind of true teamwork.

Getting an internship was and still very often is a gateway to a full-time position in the international development world. I did my internships at an Embassy and with UNOPS, but then decided to move closer to implementing programmes. So I joined Save the Children as a Programme Officer in the International Programmes Team. This meant a lot of travels to implementing offices in Asia and the Middle East and working on all steps of the grants management cycle. Save the Children is a big and dynamic organization and has allowed me to grow professionally. Nowadays, I work in Quality and Compliance at the CEO office, a completely different role from where I started.

Having more than one language and previous experience or a certificate in project or grants management in your backpack will be useful when applying. Another possible route is to acquire specific technical knowledge on education, health and nutrition, migration, disaster risk reduction or advocacy. Programmatic work, especially in humanitarian contexts, can be very challenging. It is therefore vital to be equipped with stress resilience, and to always keep an eye on your health and wellbeing."

Anina Maeder (MPA, 2013)
Head of Quality & Compliance at Save The Children Switzerland

Anina is happy to talk further via LinkedIn.