English-only EU candidate seeking MBB/Tier 2 entry - Where should I apply?

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, while you may apply to the London office and Middle Eastern offices, please keep in mind that for the London office local competition is fierce and that, in Middle Eastern offices, most have introduced quotas to hire more local employees, making it harder for international applicants.
• Moreover, you may certainly apply to the Benelux countries, Bain Germany (an exception in Germany), and the Nordic countries. However, while offices in the Nordic countries are generally relatively open to non-local candidates, please keep in mind that 1) local competition is fierce and 2) the offices are relatively small.
• Lastly, apart from perhaps a brief period during the COVID-19 pandemic, there has really never been a complete hiring freeze, in any region or country.

You can find more on this topic here: How to succeed in the final interview round.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare your application files, for your upcoming pre‑interview assessments and/or interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hello! I’d say London and the Middle East are your best bets and they are used to international candidates 🙂 London is super competitive right now, so the Middle East might give you a better shot... 

Also, I’m thinking Amsterdam or the Nordics (Stockholm, Copenhagen…) also work and I know MBB consultants in both places who only speak English!! 

Hey — thanks for the question. I’d actually need a bit more information to give you the most relevant advice. What’s your nationality, and do you have any work authorization for other regions like the UK or Middle East? Do you speak any other languages apart from English?

If you’re English-only and only hold EU work rights, then yes, some offices are a bit trickier. Language is a limiting factor in most EU offices (France, Spain, Italy, Germany, etc.), and they usually prefer local language fluency — unless you bring in highly relevant experience they can immediately staff.

London is an option, but very competitive right now. Unless you have a strong connection to the UK market (e.g. studied or worked there), and a standout profile, it might be a tough entry. Plus, the visa requirement is another barrier unless you already have UK work rights.

Middle East could be slightly easier from a visa perspective, but keep in mind — a lot of consultants are pivoting there now due to slowdowns elsewhere, so competition is also heating up. Without local experience, network, or Arabic skills, you’ll need a very compelling value proposition (industry relevance or unique skillset).

A few alternative options:

• Amsterdam: Occasionally open to English speakers, especially for experienced hires in tech or sustainability.
• Luxembourg / Frankfurt: If you have a finance background, these offices could be worth a shot — especially since you already have EU work rights.
• Warsaw, Prague: Less saturated and sometimes open to English-speaking applicants.

But at the end of the day, everything comes down to:

1. The value you bring (industry/functional experience),
2. Your ability to tailor your story to the market,
3. Whether your background aligns with their current project pipeline.

You’ll still need to go through referrals, case prep, personal fit, and all that — so the process doesn’t change. Just be strategic about where you apply and why. Let me know if you want to discuss further based on your experience area.

Overall, the Middle East probably has the highest probability for you to land something outside of Europe. London is always hyper competitive and in general, the market for consultants in Europe is dwindling for now. There are many challenges including the use of AI and the economic uncertainty which is driving lower demand.

The Middle East is in the midst of a decades long transformation and are still spending money to hire smart people. As long as you have a strong value proposition you should find a good opportunity there.

Best,

Udayan

Amsterdam is quite a good option for this. Also outside of work, the city is very English-friendly. In many ways, you hear more English than Dutch on the streets these days.

Let me know if you’d like to chat for more specifics!

London, Nordics or Amsterdam would be a good bet.

I would caution against thinking that the Middle East is your best bet unless you have some combination of a personal tie to the region, work experience in the region, or a good local referral/network.

Most EU candidates with none of the above will get screened out early, even though the region is still hiring. 

They are hiring, only that they are supercompetitive, and lots of people with your profile are applying as well (as in, people not applying in their own country and looking for offices where English suffices). 

The issue is that if you're not from the UK, or have studied or lived or worked in the UK, your application would come across as random and likely be screened out (similar to the ME). Of course, having a strong referral and a great CV (both contentwise and in terms of how it's presented) help. 

Ideally, you'd find a transition instrument of sorts - for instance, either an academic one (e.g., doing an MiM or MBA in the UK) or professional one (working in the UK at a smaller / less competitive firm before you apply for the really competitive ones). 

Another thing you can consider is to have a chat with people who have a similar track as you and who ended up working for these firms. They might give you some suggestions you hadn't considered.

Best,
Cristian

Hi there,

With your EU working rights and English-only profile, the main hurdle is language requirements rather than eligibility to work.

1. London

• MBB: Open to English-only, but extremely competitive given current market conditions.
• Tier 2: OW, Strategy&, Kearney, LEK, Roland Berger also hire English-only – same competitiveness challenge.

2. Middle East

• MBB/Tier 2: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Riyadh hire internationally, work in English, and are generally more open than EU offices. Market is softer than in past years but still active.

3. Other options

• Ireland (Dublin) and Belgium (Brussels) hire English-only.
• Netherlands and some Nordic offices may consider, though local language is often preferred.
• Asia (Singapore, Hong Kong) possible but harder due to visa/local preference.

4. Market & next steps

• Focus on London, Middle East, Dublin, Brussels.
• Network heavily for referrals; hiring is slow so applications may take longer.
• Apply to both MBB and Tier 2 in parallel.

Happy to help you prep – feel free to reach out.
 

Best, 

Evelina

Hi there,

I would say Middle East, Netherlands, Scandinavia.

Best of luck