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Anonym A
am 11. Jan. 2024
Global
Ich möchte Updates zu der Frage per E-Mail erhalten.

Language Requirements For New Grad Recruiting for MBB/Big 4 Singapore & Dubai

Note: I'm talking about New/Fresh Graduates, NOT experienced hires/lateral hires

I'm wondering if MBB Singapore and Big 4 Singapore (their Strategy divisions not Accounting) requires/"prefers" college graduates (aka BAs or ACs) who join to be fluent in Mandarin/Cantonese? I only know English and Hindi, and I also would need visa sponsorship for Singapore.

The same question goes for MBB Dubai/Saudi and Big 4 Dubai/Saudi regarding if they require/"prefer" college graduates (aka BAs or ACs) who join to be fluent in Arabic? Again, I only know English and Hindi, and I also would need visa sponsorship for the UAE/Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, I already applied and got rejected for MBB in the U.S back in August 2024, so I can't apply for MBB in other countries until this coming August 2024?

I assume Consulting in Hong Kong will be even more heavy on Mandarin/Cantonese.

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Ian
Coach
am 11. Jan. 2024
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success

Hi there,

Of course they're going to prefer people who speak the local language… (by the way Singapore's national language is Malay, not Chinese even if Chinese is widely spoken…make sure you know well the country/culture of the office you're applying to!)

Speaking Malay and/or speaking Arabic means you've lived there. Worked there. Have those items on your resume. 

All things equal they will want to hire someone that “matches”, rather than a random applicant.

However, remember that all things are not equal! So, make sure you're networking extensively, building your resume up, and tweaking everything so that you match more with their office!

Again, if you see a pile of papers and everyone is the same but 1 person needs sponsorship AND doesn't speak the local language, who would you hire? Again, don't let this dissuade you, but you need to make sure you're overcoming this through effective networking etc.

Here's some more reading to help: How to Get a Consulting Internship - Tips and Tricks

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Anonym B
am 11. Jan. 2024
Singapore is pretty multi cultural, but the predominant unifying language spoken between all parties is English.

I worked with clients all over Asia and would sometimes hear colleagues speaking to our Taiwanese clients in Chinese Mandarin. The only other time I saw them speaking Chinese Mandarin to Singapore clients, was due to their IT teams being based in China.

For China, HK, Thailand, Japan and Korea, you must know the local language. Either a senior individual that is fluent in English would be present or they would prove us a translator.

For Singapore, Malaysia and Phillipines, most of the workforce speaks English.
Ian
Coach
am 11. Jan. 2024
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success
Oh it's extremely multi-cultural! Travelled there +throughout Asia many times actually (including for BCG). But the original Q&A poster tied Arabic to UAE and Mandarin to Singapore, which indicated and assumption that Mandarin is to Singapore as Arabic is to UAE. Which is not the case. Malay would be the closest comparison. I am making sure the poster understands Singapore as a country (because they need to in order to do well in the application + networking + interview)
Anonym
am 13. Jan. 2024
Understood. Working in Singapore or Malaysia was always pretty nice for English speaking natives. HK was a bit more mixed, most people leaned to speaking Cantonese over English, and now its transitioning more to Mandarin/Cantonese.
Ian
Coach
am 13. Jan. 2024
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success
Agreed! Actually caught up with a Singaporean friend 2 days ago and was surprised to learn Mandarin is spoken more than Malay even if Malay is the national language. Fascinating!
Anonym A
am 22. Jan. 2024
The amount of confidence you had when saying Malay is the national language is funny for a foreigner. The country has FOUR national languages: Tamil, English, Mandarin, and Malay.

English is used the most and Mandarin gives an edge for business. Malay is great for Malayisa-Singapore cross-border business.
Ian
Coach
am 22. Jan. 2024
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success
Malay is indeed the national language of Singapore, while Chinese is not. I was mistaken in the extent to which Chinese is spoken in Singapore, and that’s the joy of learning! Lots of countries out there. If you’d like to go un-anonymous I’m more than happy to have a discussion on all 200 odd countries out there to see our comparative knowledge levels!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Singapore
Anonym A
am 23. Jan. 2024
I respectfully agree. You're right! Looks like national ≠ official.

SIngapore has one national language, but does indeed have four official languages. But to be fair, the official languages Chinese (as 75% of population is Chinese and lots of Chinese trade/investment) and English (for global trade) are the ones used for business, so I think that is what is most relevant to the poster of the Question. Can only think of Malay being helpful for Singapore-Malaysia work.
Ian
Coach
am 23. Jan. 2024
Top US BCG / MBB Coach - 5,000 sessions |Tech, Platinion, Big 4 | 9/9 personal interviews passed | 95% candidate success
Ah! I'm so glad when online debates/arguments turn out positive. Thanks :) Yes, I was totally (admittedly) shocked by the % speaking Chinese. I had no idea! Totally agree Chinese more likely to helpful in Singapore, but I suppose I was just "double-checking" that they also knew of the presence of Malay. Appreciate the discussion + learning!
Dennis
Coach
am 12. Jan. 2024
Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

Fluency in English is obviously the only real must for UAE and Singapore. I know quite a few people having worked in consulting in Singapore or Dubai who only spoke English and not the local language.

The specific requirements regarding significance of local language proficiency and possibility of visa sponsorship is best clarified with the local HR of the offices you are interested in, however. This might vary based on company and country. 

Consulting firms are usually looking for the “best match” in terms of who to hire but they might only have capacity to sponsor x number of visas per year etc.

If you got rejected in the US in August of 2023, you will have a ban period of 12-18 months. If you decide to reapply, it will be best to confirm with their recruiters that you are cleared when the time comes.

Best of luck

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Florian
Coach
am 12. Jan. 2024
1400 5-star reviews across platforms | 600+ offers | Highest-rated case book on Amazon | Uni lecturer in US, Asia, EU

Hi there,

Good comments already. 

To provide my 2 cents:

  1. For Singapore and UAE, local language is a plus but usually not mandatory
  2. For HKG, Mandarin is almost a must, Cantonese a plus

Out of the 3, the UAE is definitely the “easiest” location to get into without local language requirements (also the fastest growing with the most opportunities and most attractive salaties btw.).

All the best,

Florian

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0 Kommentare
Cristian
Coach
am 15. Jan. 2024
#1 rated McKinsey Coach | top MBB coach

Hi there!

Your intuition is right. 

These languages are not mandatory, but speaking them does improve your value prop quite a bit if you're applying in a region where they are prevalent. Also, visa sponsorship further complicates the issue. 

Your strongest chances of passing screening are to apply in the actual region where you're from / or where you studied. 

Sharing with you a guide on how to think about the application process and design a strategy for it:

  • Expert Guide: Build A Winning Application Strategy


Good luck!
Cristian

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0 Kommentare
Nikita
Coach
am 13. Jan. 2024
MBB & Tier2 preparation | 100+ offers | 8 years coaching | 3000+ sessions

Hey,

In Singapore / Middle East you can manage with just knowing English. I've got a friend who was born in Singapore but only speaks English.

A local language can benefit you in those geographies, but is not a must.

Hope this helps,
Nick

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