London or Paris?

I worked in London but regularly interfaced with my French colleagues. For what it's worth, there are quite a few French native speakers in the London office.

Both are solid options, but based on what you’ve shared, I’d lean London — especially if you're more comfortable casing and interviewing in English.

London experience is more globally transferrable, and tends to give you broader exposure (pan-European work, more international clients, occasional travel across EMEA). Culturally, hours and working style are also marginally better than Paris — not night and day, but noticeable.

Paris is great if you see yourself long-term in France or French-heavy sectors — think Airbus, Carrefour, L’Oréal, TotalEnergies, BNP Paribas. It’s more local in flavor, and yes, you’ll need to get comfortable casing in French — which, from your post, sounds like extra friction.

That said, if your HEC brand + French work history gives you an easier in, you could always enter through Paris and lateral to London later. But if you're more confident in English interviews and align more with the UK culture, it’s worth taking the shot at London — even if it’s more competitive.

You’ve got a hybrid profile that could work in either — just weigh comfort vs. access vs. long-term positioning. Let me know if you want to unpack it further.

Hi there,

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

• First of all, contrary to what other coaches have said, if you're undecided about which office to apply to, apply to both and see what happens.
• Moreover, in general, I would strongly advise you to opt for the option that best aligns with your professional (and maybe even personal) mid- to long-term goals. In order to make an informed decision, I would advise you to do the following:
  • Weigh the different criteria that are meaningful to you independently of the current options (e.g., location, culture, international exposure, compensation). After that, score the options based on your criteria and their weighting, resulting in discrete scores. This way, you have covered the left-brain perspective.
  • Critically assess your initial reaction to the outcome of the scores. For instance, if you feel the urge to tweak the numbers, this is a solid indicator that you do not want this decision to become reality. This way, you have covered the right-brain perspective.
  • By doing so, you will be able to integrate both parts of the brain into the decision-making, guaranteeing a higher chance that you will still be happy with it years later.

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

Hi there, 

The great news is that MBB typically allows you to apply to multiple offices at the same time. When you submit an application, you should be able to choose the offices you'd be open to joining. 

Thus, my recommendation would be simple: 

1. Check if these Bain and BCG offices do indeed let the applicant choose more than 1 office to apply for.

2. Submit an application that goes to both offices.

Bonus Info:

I believe you're likely right that your application may stand out a bit more in the Paris than in the London offices. However, another consideration may be how "global" you want your consulting experience to be. My experience is that the colleagues of MBB in Paris do much less work outside of France than colleagues in London. Just good to be aware of, depending on your preferences.

Hi there,

Honestly, you’d be a strong candidate for both offices—it just comes down to where you want to play to your strengths.

Paris is the easier door to open because HEC carries a lot of weight and the recruiters there know exactly what they’re getting with that background. But you’ll have to do the interviews in French, and since you’ve already felt less comfortable with that, it would mean some extra prep to make sure you’re not thrown off by technical terms.

London is tougher to get into just because of the competition, but you already have Warwick plus London work experience, so you’re not coming in as an outsider. And the big plus: you’ll be a lot more at ease interviewing in English. Referrals can also help a lot, and between Warwick and your London network, you should be able to find someone to back you.

If you had to choose, I’d say: go Paris if you want to maximize your chances of landing interviews, go London if you’d rather feel more natural once you’re actually in the room. And remember, moving between offices later is totally possible—you’re not locking yourself in forever.

Best,
Evelina

hey there :)

You summed it up well: Paris gives you the HEC “stamp” and a strong local network, which boosts your odds of landing interviews. London is more competitive, but it’s also the bigger hub, and you’re clearly very comfortable interviewing in English. The main trade-off is: Paris = higher chance to get an invite, but you’ll need to put in the extra effort to prep in French; London = tougher screening, but once you’re in, you’ll likely perform better in interviews.

If your ultimate goal is just to maximize offers, Paris may be the safer bet. If your priority is interview comfort and long-term fit culturally, then London could still be worth the stretch. Some candidates apply to both and see where the process goes.

best, Alessa :)

Hi there, 

many coaches already shared good points.

That said, I do get some sense that you are drawn to. At least based on your point on culture. In my experience this is one of the most important factors to consider in where you go to.

Yes, London has the rep of being more competitive but I would argue if your grades and profile meets the bar for Paris it will be more about your performance in the interviews than your profile for both offices.

Best,
Lukas

Not sure why you are asking this. If really "feels" that you would prefer to interview and work in the London office and British business culture.

Honestly, you can apply to both offices at the same time (just state both as your preferences, put London first). If one doesn't want you, the other will still see your profile.