Attending WHU as an international student to build a career in Germany?

Hello Folks,

I am an Indian planning to apply to WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management's Master in Management program with the hope of building a career in Germany. It has been ranked at 3rd place in FT's latest MiM rankings.

Specifically, I would like to work in Debt Capital Markets or Investment Management. I am studying towards the CFA designation.

However, I don't speak German. From what I hear, work is done is English but German requirements are used to filter out foreign students - is this true?

What are the job opportunities in the Frankfurt financial sector like for international students?

Also, it is not like I don't want to learn German, but learning a new language takes time - hence I would like the think twice before jumping into a potential employer pool that demands knowledge of a foreign language.

 
Best Response

WHU will give you all the chances to find a top job in Germany. They really offer a good program and very strong placement across all kinds of industries.

That being said, it will be very tough to get a full-time offer speaking an insufficient level of German. Insufficient is of course quite vague, for some companies you'll need to be fluent, for some you'll have an advanced level only (but I'd say those are the minority). The issue is that for most jobs that don't require some German here or there, German or international financial institutions rely on their offshore staff (be that in UK or further). Investment management might be a bit more open-minded but I'm not an expert in that field.

Generally, you do see foreigners in the local finance industry but they all speak really good levels of German usually especially at junior levels. So I would really give it serious thought and gather more insight here and on other forums.

 

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