Applying to MBB europe offices from the US

Hey you guys,

I'm a 4th year PhD student in biomedical engineering trying to explore her career options. Could some of you comment on applicants from the US applying to European offices (amsterdam/brussels/london)? I did my undergrad at an ivy league school and currently doing my PhD at the top 15 universities. I unfortunately only speak English if that is a deal-breaker.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

Well for London it should not be a deal breaker (obviously language skills are always preferred and more important in Europe but your educational history makes up for that) The process overall is less structured for recruiting in Europe so you can just fire them an application.

In Germany (Where people get aroused by the Dr.) you enter at a post MBA level with a phd. I can imagine that it is similar in other european countries, as I think that a phd is valued higher across Europe than in the us (in regards to business). I think I remember that the Amsterdam and Brussels office asks for local language skills, but I think I would still apply to find out. I would think that any office would make exceptions for intriguing talent.

 
Best Response

To join a particular office at MBB, you typically need a clear story as to why this geography (i.e., connection). The simplest and most obvious is applying to the office which is the closest to where you live. Other types of credible connections also exist (e.g., the office is a major hub for the industry you have experience in and plan to specialize; you have lived / studied in the location before and wnat to come back; you have close family there and want to relocate to them; etc.). You are typically expected to know the local language, with some exceptions (e.g., you can get by with just English in Dubai) which typically need to be balanced by some strength you would be able to utilize in the location (e.g., specific experience, network or expertise) You probably understand that "I want to explore this country" is rarely a good argument in the eyes of an MBB interviewer (unless we are talking about a geography which is really struggling to attract talent, think Nigeria) and you probably have good reasons to pursue the three geographies you mentioned, but I just wanted to make it very clear to prevent any unrealistic expectations.

 
swordfish24:

but that username. he is the pride of north london

Spurs or Arsenal don't have much to be proud of right now...
 

MBB all have well-developed international transfer programs that apply specifically to pre-MBA (BA/AC/A) hires. You generally become eligible 12-18 months in and have to be performing well. Same goes for externships. Google [McKinsey/BCG/Bain] [business analyst, associate, associate consultant] [international transfer]. So, to answer your question, get hired by a firm that offers this type of program. Then work on the Europe part.

 

Don't necessarily agree with the advice above. A lot (20-30%?) of consultants at McKinsey London were from the US and many of them started in London (i.e., so they weren't internal transfers).

Just apply to the London office of the firms you want to work for (or any other country where you have native language fluency).

And yup, Europe is a great place to spend a few years of your 20s.

I previously worked for McKinsey in London and have started a blog about consulting and how to get into it at www.theconsultingcoach.com
 

I know a recent grad at Deloitte consulting in London who works on projects around Europe, including Germany. Oh and she only speaks English. So I think getting projects and travel around Europe is indeed possible, not sure how desirable though.

 

Obviously it depends on the firm, but how often will first year analysts have to travel (as in by plane where you'd stay at a hotel for the week) for most London offices? Theres another thread that states NYC analysts don't do that too much compared to other cities such as Chicago and Boston, but is this the same for London analysts?

thanks for all your help

 

Very much depends on the firm. At any MBB London office you could spend a year on projects all based in London with no travel or spend the whole year travelling around the UK (by train and or plane). Obviously the average is somewhere in between.

Not sure you can compare London to the US offices as London will be the only office in the UK. If there were regional offices in the UK then a London-office based consultant would need to travel far less.

 

The MBB Nordic offices do hire graduates from US universities but these tend to be Scandinavians who have studied in the US.

The working language in the Nordic offices is English. But I would assume that not knowing the local language puts you at a dissadvantage compared to Scandinavian candidates.

The salary for business analysts starts at around $80,000 and a with a bonus two months of salary. Can't speak for MBA level entry.

 

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