Become a pro bono consultant

First Step Consulting® is a nonprofit social enterprise. We cooperate with volunteers from all walks of life and age groups.

01

Join our team

Meet your client

02

Identify problems

Conduct research

03

Analyse findings

Present solutions

Boost Your Prospects

The majority (89%) of our volunteers report that they feel more confident about their career prospects.^[1]

Start Your Journey

Current Students

Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome to join our team. No previous work experience is required.

» Work on consultancy projects in your own time.

» Tackle challenging business problems.

» Gain a valuable insight into the world of work.

» Collaborate with peers from different universities.

» Stand out to potential employers.

Recent Graduates

Join our team to demonstrate the skills that employers seek, enhance your CV and boost your career prospects.

» Apply your skills and academic knowledge.

» Collect and analyse data to create strategies for clients.

» Learn how to manage a project more efficiently.

» Network with like-minded peers and professionals.

» Gain a foothold in the world of work smoothly.

Professionals

Leverage your skills to make an immediate impact on ambitious organisations and volunteers. Push your limits.

» Gain specialist consultancy experience.

» Make more productive use of your spare time.

» Connect with professionals from different sectors.

» Inspire young volunteers on your team.

» Get to the next level in your career more easily.

Experienced Consultants

Join us for an edifying experience. Assist a purposeful organisation. Interact more intimately with young people.

» Help support an ambitious organisation's mission.

» Work with and inspire a group of dedicated volunteers.

» Participate flexibly in your own time.

» Break away from career fatigue.

» Give back to society in a unique way.

MBA Candidates

Work on challenging projects with a driven team. Put your knowledge into practice, help clients go from good to great.

» Experience a consultancy role during your studies.

» Test your own limits in a real-world environment.

» Interact with employers to grow your network.

» Show initiative by solving complex problems.

» Step out of your comfort zone.

PhD Candidates

Take on flexible work experience alongside your academic commitments. Help solve real business problems.

» Implement your skills in a business setting.

» Get a taste of a career in management consulting.

» Gain skills relevant to a job outside of academia.

» Show your ability to adapt to a commercial environment.

» Experience the challenges of consulting projects.

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"I joined FSC as an academic looking to gain business experience. While I hold a PhD, and am used to data analysis and problem solving, I had no experience working on strategic business issues as part of a team. In leading two projects with FSC, I was able to gain management experience and industry insight. I have no doubt that having my FSC experiences on my CV helped me gain interviews at consulting firms. The strength of the experience provided great talking points in interviews, and I ultimately gained an offer at my top choice firm."

— Dr. Ryan McCully, Joined as a Professional

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"I worked on a project with a multi-national corporation, listed on the London Stock Exchange. I am extremely grateful for this unique opportunity that gave me the possibility to learn a wide range of professional skills and work in a team with motivated and talented colleagues. I would highly recommend volunteering with FSC!"

— Anne Templer, Joined as a Student

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"Working on an FSC project was a great chance for me to meet some interesting people and to cooperate with a team. It was also a great opportunity to work directly with a real-life client, conduct market research, and create reports. I recommend volunteering with First Step Consulting to everyone."

— Martyna Matylda Szyrle, Joined as a Recent Graduate

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"As an experienced strategy consultant, working in the oil and gas sector, I had been seeking an opportunity to work in the developmental space – to apply and develop my skills while at the same time gain exposure to the social sector. I worked on a project for a technology-enabled educational venture that develops a mobile app to help children with autism spectrum disorder access education. First Step Consulting provided me with exactly what I was looking for, while also supporting me along the way to deliver the project successfully."

— Salik Shadab, Joined as a Professional

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

“I applied to First Step Consulting, as a PhD student of Immunology, looking to venture outside my comfort zone and gain specialist consulting experience, with a potential Consulting career in mind. Despite possessing many of the transferrable skills required to work in the field, I had yet to apply these in a genuine business pursuit. Working as part of a consulting team with FSC allowed me to gain valuable experience in strategising, communicating with clients and delivering a service of the highest quality. I have no doubt that I will be part of future projects with FSC and the experience gained will be invaluable for my future career endeavours.”

— Oliver Hemmings, Joined as a PhD Candidate

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"Working on a project with First Step Consulting has been an excellent opportunity to increase my exposure to the world of consulting. Communicating directly with clients, attending workshops and working with skilled professionals has helped me to develop a variety of teamwork and organisational skills which will prove essential as I enter the workplace. This is therefore an opportunity which I would highly recommend."

— Max Happel, Joined as a Student

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"First Step Consulting has provided me with a fantastic insight into management consulting – I feel that the analytical, team-work and presentation skills that I have developed are directly transferable to what real management consulting firms do today. I really enjoyed being able to speak to a real client and directly help them improve their organisation. This experience is something that I would recommend to any student."

— Noor Din, Joined as a Student

DON’T TAKE OUR WORD FOR IT

"I applied to First Step Consulting to gain first-hand experience working in a team on a consulting project so that I could confidently answer the ‘why consulting’ question in future interviews. Since completing the FSC project, I have secured a role within financial services consulting and would say that my experiences at FSC were crucial to my success. Although I had similar experiences as part of my PhD, during job interviews, it was helpful to directly link to consulting situations and added weight to my interview answers. Secondly, taking part in the FSC project was mentally stimulating and helped me understand why certain skills, such as problem solving, were key requirements for a consultant. It reinforced my decision to leave academia for a future in management consulting."

— Dr. Radhika Patel, Joined as a Professional

Ready For The Challenge?

We recruit the most committed and hardworking volunteers.

Expected Workload

10-12 hours of work per week

Weekly team meetings in London

Occasional client meetings

Project Cycles

Late January – Early April

Late June – Early September

Late September – Early January

Experienced Professionals

Not enough time to commit? Become a mentor instead.

Take a break from routine to inspire young people.

Get Involved

Why We Exist

One in every two recent UK graduates are either jobless or working in non-graduate roles.^[2]

This is partly because more than half of UK employers think recent graduates lack work experience and soft skills and are therefore unprepared for work.^[3]

However university students and recent graduates have limited opportunities to gain hands-on work experience and transferable skills.

As a consequence, millions of young people are stuck in a ‘no experience, no job — no job, no experience’ cycle. This is an alarming problem for the whole of society. We offer a simple yet effective remedy.

Learn About Our Cause

40+

Major consulting
projects delivered

300+

Rigorously selected
volunteers trained

4+

Years in business,
many successes

Send Your Application

Become a pro bono consultant. Join us in the next project cycle.

Apply