MBB India VS Accenture/Deloitte (tier2) in UK?

With the way things are going, it's likely I'm going to face this situation in 3-4 months time.

What would you do? Why?

Job offer from Accenture/Deloitte (insert tier 2 consulting firm) in a country like UK/USA

VS

MBB offer in a country like India (country X comparable in terms of pay, professionalism, training, job opps, prestige, MBA school apps etc.)

My thoughts:

  • MBB pay in India MBB India training compares to UK tier 2 firms' training - any insights/experiences?

  • After 2-3 yrs of experience, MBB brand will help to get into a top MBA.

Advice/Feedback welcome. Also, if you feel I should be thinking about certain issues/trying to find answers to certain things while assessing the two options- plese do tell.

Thank you for sparing the time and effort. Peace out.

 

Most MBB India hires are MBA-hires so while applying to B-school you'll be quite unique with MBB experience in an emerging market. Also do MBB's not let you change office after an year?

MBB India pay > UK, you're forgetting about the purchasing power

 

Definitely MBB India. In fact I know TONS of people who started out at MBB India are now working in their Singapore/US offices. The brand name will serve you better in the long run.

My formula for success is rise early, work late and strike oil - JP Getty
 

Are you Indian? Personally I could never work in any emerging market whether its Brazil, Mexico, India which is still infected with a great deal of poverty and would take the 2nd tier consulting in the U.S/U.K. I'm more interested in IB but could easily turn down GS if it wasn't in America. This is personal preference however, so based on "prestige" and exit opps the MBB opportunity is obviously much better and you should take it as long as you know/understand what your getting into.

 

I would pick tier 2 in the US.

Here's why: The kind of projects MBB India/China etc. get are mostly operations and not core strategy. Why? Because most companies that hire consultants in India are HQed in the US/Japan/EU etc. and need consultants for ops/supply chain stuff. Really, when it comes to b-school admissions - what you actually did matters as much (if not more) as the brand name on your resume. Just my $0.02. PM me if you want to discuss more.

Source: Interned at an MBB in a developing country and a tier 2 in the US Starting at a (different) MBB in the US next year

 
consultingboi:
Here's why: The kind of projects MBB India/China etc. get are mostly operations and not core strategy.

Valid point - F100 corporate strategy is done in New York, Tokyo or Munich. However, don't forget that Vale, Baosteel and others are clients as well.

That being said: There's NO WAY Accenture does more exciting projects in the UK/ US than McKinsey does in China/ India/ Brazil. (Now, if we'd be talking Booz US/UK vs Bain emerging markets... different discussion!)

Also, having a network of the precious few MBBers in an emerging market could turn out career defining. An Accenture network in the US? Hopefully not.

 

after glancing at many posts on this site, i get the impression that many posters here are college freshmen who only place value on the name of the firm. choosing a job offer doesn't always come down to the the brand name of the firm. location, life/work balance, comp, culture, group, etc all should be considered.

fwiw, i would def take the accenture/deloitte offer in uk/us. I can't imagine living in a shit hole for supposedly best several years of my life just to have that 'mbb' name on my resume. also - it's not like a firm such as Deloitte or Accenture are complete slouch of firms, either. give me a fucking break. Then again, I am a white American that hasn't been to a 3rd world country ever. If you are Indian, then I guess choosing mbb India could make sense.

 
Best Response

after glancing at many posts on this site, i get the impression that many posters here are college freshmen who only place value on that one tiny spot in the world they've grown used to. choosing a job offer doesn't always come down to the the place where your mother just happened to be when you were born. Brand name, life/work balance, comp, culture, group, etc all should be considered.

fwiw, i would def take the MBB offer in China/ India/ Brazil. I can't imagine working with dip shits for supposedly best several years of my life just to avoid pushing myself out of my comfort zone. also - it's not like a city such as Shanghai/ Mumbai/ São Paulo are complete slouch of cities, either. give me a fucking break. Then again, I am a white German that hasn't worked in a 3rd tier company ever. If you are Wally from Dilbert, then I guess choosing Accenture UK could make sense.

 

People here are so prejudiced. They do not realize that the emerging nations today are emerging because they have been so heavily exploited by the imperialist powers of Europe in the past. I cannot wait for Asia to rule the world. I am going to get a lot of shit for this statement but it’s certainly a true statement.

 

If I was not already rooted in the developed world, I'd definitely go for the MBB India offer. Although most of the F500 strategy still might be done in US/EU, tomorrow's F500 will look different. Also, the engagements will have a much higher volume in India (even if it's operational stuff). I suppose you could move up the ladder much faster there.

For the cultural differences, have a look at the movie "Outsourced" :)

 
pptbeeyaach:

It sucks! Between 18 and 20 lakhs (~$35k) per yr. try living on that in mumbai where rent is higher than cities like LA and Chicago and all of a sudden it doesn't seem that great.

http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2013-...

Do you have any other source than the economic times? Any personal friends? I have learned that their estimates are not that good (sometimes off by a several lakhs) and sometimes just incorrect.

While it is true that housing is very expensive in mumbai, I think it is very possible to live on that salary. You might not be a baller, but you can live a not-too-bad live.

Most people who work in mumbai have family there (probably get their job through connections in the first place) which makes the 18-20 lakhs your disposable income which is pretty good.

Let's assume for a second that you don't live with your parents/family. A flat in which one can live (you are going to be at home only for sleeping and showering) will cost you around 25000-30000 (including a/c, fridge, tv, maid, etc.). Remember that you are right out of college and you don't need a super fancy apartment right away. For food, you can just get stuff from sai sagar, candies, etc for around 100-200 per meal or some maggi (around 10-20). That will still leave you with quite some money left at the end of the month.

I understand that it sucks in comparison. You certainly have to lower your standards, but you are in india. Everybody earns sh*t in comparison (except for a small elite, think politicans, ceos, real estate developers,..). You always have the option to get your mba abroad and then work there (emerging market experience and a good company on your resume will get your pretty far, in combination with a good mba program).

 

I thought you were talking about post-MBA. The salaries mentioned above are post MBA. Without disclosing too much, I did receive an offer for an MBB in India. They were going to pay me a premium over what they would pay an IIM guy but lets just say that it was not much more than what is listed above. Additionally, I'm currently at an MBB and can tell you that the figures above are reasonably accurate.

I get what you are saying. Life is "manageable" at that salary. Look if you are trying to find a way to justify/make it work, I'm sure you can. But if you want to have a nice lifestyle where you can go out for dinner a few times a week, hit a couple of bars on the weekend (1 drink at a decent bar costs >Rs 500 or ~$10. Fancier ones can charge up to $25!!) and live in a decent neighborhood (i.e., colaba, churchgage, bandra, worli) you ain't getting by on Rs. 18 lakhs (don't forget taxes). Trust me, I've run the numbers. If you plan to live with family, that changes everything. I was not willing to do that. Whichever way you slice it, you aren't going to save even as close to as much as you would if you were in the US (even in the NYC office).

Finally, if you are looking to do this for 2 years and then fly off to B-School, I'd say its not a bad proposition. If you are post-MBA and looking to settle in Mumbai (buy a house, etc.,) you can just forget about it. There is no way you will save enough to put down a payment for anything decent anytime soon. Also, don't forget about the deteriorating rupee.

 

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