Internship: Dubai or London?

Hi there,

1. Since I am a 2nd year graduate student can I apply only to six months internship or are there any possibility to receive an offer for a shorter timeframe (I'm asking this because I have to write my thesis in the second semester)

Hmm I'm not 100% sure on this one. Rather than give you wrong advice, I'd rather tell you talk to the company. Speak with the recruiter, network with them, and ask them this question directly - you need to hear this from the horse's mouth!

2. What are the odds of breaking into one of these two offices? (My profile: GPA 28.3/30, previous experience in a T2 consulting firm and three other internships non particularly relevant to management consulting)

23.32%.

Jokes aside, we don't know. From what I can see, you have a shot. No matter what your odds are, what you need to do is the same:

1) Make your resume as good as possible

2) Network, network, network

3. Can you tell me what are the differences between working in these two offices? (in terms of projects, salary, work life balance and culture)

You need to network to learn this. This is far too big a question to ask via Q&A! For both the Q&A and your networking, make sure to be much more targeted when asking about this.

4. If I apply to these two offices when should I send the application (given that I would like to start in Febraury)?

Again, you need to find out from them. You need to go along the specific recruiting channels at Bocconi. For a lot of MBAs, applications happen in October/November for the Jan/Feb recruiting. However, this really varies by country, university, degree type, role type, etc.

Hi there, 

Interesting context. Here are my thoughts. 

1. Yes. Some offices have shorter timeframes. You should reach out to the recruiter / HR and clarify this directly with them. 

2. Low, but not impossible. Low especially since you don't naturally come from that geography. But not impossible because if you have a good application approach, the right referrals and the right guidance through the process, it will work out. 

3. Project - you can expect a high geographic dependency for both regions (meaning if you work in London you're likely going to have most project in the UK and W Europe) and if you're based in Dubai you're likely going to be staffed mostly in the Middle East. This is particularly the case since you're starting as an intern, so you have less flexibility in choosing staffing yourself. 

Salary. Money is better in Dubai. 

Work life balance - depends more on the industry and type of project than geography here. 

Culture - depends more on you. If you're Italian, you might find Western Europe more familiar and comfortable than the Middle East. 

Best,

Cristian

Hi there,

1. Since I am a 2nd year graduate student can I apply only to six months internship or are there any possibility to receive an offer for a shorter timeframe (I'm asking this because I have to write my thesis in the second semester)

This is normally both company and country-dependent. A mentee of mine received recently two offers in the same country with different lengths from two different companies.

2. What are the odds of breaking into one of these two offices? (My profile: GPA 28.3/30, previous experience in a T2 consulting firm and three other internships non particularly relevant to management consulting)

Profile seems good on paper. I would definitely look for a referral, you can find some info here:

▶ How to Get an MBB Referral

3. Can you tell me what are the differences between working in these two offices? (in terms of projects, salary, work life balance and culture)

ME in general is more focused on government project, higher salary due to lack of taxes, higher hours compared to London. Culture depends strongly on the company. Then again, there are differences based on each individual company.

4. If I apply to these two offices when should I send the application (given that I would like to start in February)?

I would recommend to check the deadlines for internships you find online. If you don’t find them, you can check them in your networking calls.

Good luck!

Francesco 

Hi there,

1. Since I am a 2nd year graduate student can I apply only to six months internship or are there any possibility to receive an offer for a shorter timeframe (I'm asking this because I have to write my thesis in the second semester)

→ Internship are usually pretty set, but I would reach out to the recruiter and ask, I guess, you can negotiate it

2. What are the odds of breaking into one of these two offices? (My profile: GPA 28.3/30, previous experience in a T2 consulting firm and three other internships non particularly relevant to management consulting)

→ based on what you written here it seems feasible, now just making sure your CV and cover is perfect and you excel during the interviews

3. Can you tell me what are the differences between working in these two offices? (in terms of projects, salary, work life balance and culture)

→ there is not much of the difference in terms of type of the projects, but Dubai is VERY international and probably faster paced, given the growth in the region

4. If I apply to these two offices when should I send the application (given that I would like to start in Febraury)?

→ check with each office HR

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Hello!

To add on top of what has been said already, the most important thing is what makes sense to you personally. This will help you shape the story better and will make you have a better fit the role, incrementing the chances of success. 

Cheers, 

Clara