Are Chinese MBB offices foreign friendly for advanced professional degree candidates?

Hi there,

Yes, Chinese MBB offices can be foreign friendly for advanced degree candidates, especially in healthcare and life sciences, but there are important tradeoffs to consider.

MBB offices in China do hire PhDs, and your biomedical and medtech background is very relevant. Strong Chinese proficiency is often essential, as most client work is local. Reaching advanced fluency during your PhD would significantly improve your chances and make you more competitive.

The main limitation is long term flexibility. China offices are more locally oriented, and mobility to other regions can be harder than from places like the US or Singapore. If citizenship and global mobility matter to you, this is an important factor.

Singapore is more internationally oriented and friendly to advanced degree candidates, with easier regional mobility, even though the local medtech market is smaller. You can still get exposure to China-related healthcare work from there.

Your plan is viable either way. The decision should be driven by where you want to anchor your career and personal life over the next several years.

Best,
Evelina

Absolutely. It sounds like you have a clear why behind this preference. 

My recommendation is that you do some due diligence on this plan by chatting with other foreigners who completed their PhD in your field in China. 

Realistically, they'll be best positioned to tell you whether that's the right option for you. 

Best,
Cristian

Hi Nina,

Awesome to hear! Speaking here as ex-McKinsey EM: McKinsey offices in China are generally open to international hires, esp. in industry-knowledge-heavy areas such as med tech. However, most of the work is local and is in Chinese. If you feel you can reach proficiency by the time you complete your PhD, then it's a good bet. Singapore would be easier, as most work is in English. I believe it is the same across all MBBs.
I also saw many Russian-speaking consultants in Kazakhstan.
Good luck in your decision!
Kateryna

This is a fantastic strategy. Aligning an advanced degree (PhD) directly with a high-growth market specialty (China Medtech/HLS) is exactly the kind of intentional niche-building that the top firms value in their Advanced Professional Degree (APD) hires.

The short answer is yes, Chinese MBB offices are absolutely open to foreign APD candidates, but you need to understand the filters. Unlike US or London offices where a specialized PhD is the primary value add, in Mainland China, the absolute core requirement for client-facing roles is language and cultural fluency. Your biomedical specialization is highly valuable, but it is secondary to your ability to seamlessly engage with local clients and government stakeholders.

The most effective path you've laid out is pursuing your PhD locally. By spending those years in a top Chinese institution, you are not just getting the degree; you are achieving the critical mass needed for recruiting. You need to aim for truly advanced, business-ready Chinese proficiency, not just conversational fluency. The recruiting machine will view you as a "local expert" who happens to hold a non-Chinese passport, rather than a foreign candidate trying to parachute in. This level of demonstrated long-term commitment is essential for bypassing the bias against hiring foreigners who might lack local context or leave quickly.

Regarding your long-term citizenship preference: do not let that dictate your immediate consulting strategy. Focus 100% on securing the role where your expertise is best served, which currently sounds like Beijing or Shanghai. Once you are in the firm, transferring internally (e.g., Shanghai to a US office) 18–36 months into your tenure is a relatively common and standardized process. Getting into the MBB network in China first will give you better optionality for a US transfer later than trying to jump straight to the US market with only a China PhD and no local consulting experience.

Hope it helps!

hey Nina:)

Yes, this path can work. Chinese MBB offices do hire international advanced degree candidates in healthcare and life sciences, but near native Mandarin and a convincing China focused story are usually expected. Doing a PhD in China with strong industry exposure can be a real advantage, while Singapore is generally more flexible internationally but less deeply embedded in the Chinese medtech market. It really comes down to where you want to build your long term base, and your plan is definitely feasible if that is China. Happy to chat more if helpful.

best,
Alessa :)

Hi there,

Your long-term goals are in conflict as in China, you would not be able to get citizenship, but you would like to work there. This means you have to proactively decide how to make this trade-off. You need to decide how important it is to work in China in med-tech vs. getting long-term citizenship.

You can have a middle ground and study/work in China for a certain number of years, before moving to another country, knowing that you'll have to start the citizenship application from zero.

As for how likely it would be for you to get employment in China after studying there, I would say that it's possible but your language abilities would be a great determinant. I suggest you speaking with other non-Chinese PhDs to ask for their opinion, and reach out to foreigners in med-tech in China for their views as well.

I think some of the responses given so far are overly optimistic. If you cant speak Mandarin, and not just Mandarin but business Mandarin, i think your chances are near zero / very very slim. 

• The only 'foreigners' who I knew in MBB China were very senior level (think Principal / Partner level) who already had deep expertise that were needed
• Most of the non-chinese speaking people in the firms were based in Hong Kong instead - and even then, they were extremely limited in the kind of work they can do
• A teammate of mine from Shanghai office once said that he was on a local China project and he could not understand 50% of what his client was saying, because that client was from a different province

China like Japan is a very very local market. Bulk of the clients are local conglos or in China's case, SOEs. 

I did a manufacturing project once in China for a few months. As a Singaporean, I grew up studying Chinese. I could get around but the reality is I could only do my work because my client counterpart was my translator. Sure I can order food and talk about my life story but when was the last time I used the work "depreciation" / 折旧 in Chinese? 

Singapore is a good choice for university - but arguably also very difficult to get a full time consulting role if you are not a Citizen / PR. But that being said, there are other markets in Southeast Asia that are alot more open to foreigners - I talk about this and more in my article:

The Consulting Industry in Southeast Asia

hi Nina! 

The greater china offices (beijing, shanghai, hong kong, shenzhen) of mckinsey, bcg, and bain are increasingly localizing. for an advanced professional degree (apd) candidate, here is the breakdown:

• Language requirements. Native or near-native mandarin (reading, writing, and speaking) is usually non-negotiable. even with a phd, you will be expected to lead client meetings with chinese executives and analyze local regulatory documents
• Cultural fit. Chinese offices have an intense work culture, often exceeding the standard mbb "grind." as a foreigner, you must demonstrate a deep understanding of chinese business etiquette and the local healthcare ecosystem
• Specialization advantage. Your phd in biomedical engineering is your strongest asset. mbb china needs specialists to serve the booming local biopharma and medtech sectors. if you have deep technical knowledge that local generalists lack, you become much more attractive.

Citizenship and dual-passport constraint

regarding Citizenship and dual passport constraints - I think you need to reflect:

• China. Obtaining chinese citizenship is nearly impossible for foreigners, regardless of how long you stay or your professional status. you would likely remain on a work visa or permanent residency (the "green card"), which is also difficult to get.
• Singapore. Singapore allows for citizenship after a few years of permanent residency, but Singapore does not allow dual citizenship for adults. you would be forced to renounce your russian passport
• United states. The u.s. is the most flexible here. you can obtain a green card through your employer (like mbb) or an eb-1/eb-2 visa for high-ability researchers. the u.s. allows you to maintain your original citizenship while becoming a naturalized citizen.

hope it helps