Prospective Consulting Offices for international anglophones graduating from EU target B-Schools?

Question

Sincere apologies for failing to provide detailed context to my question.

I am a final year B-School student (non-EU) from a target French school (Grande Ecole) targeting full time consulting roles (MBBs/mid-tier/boutique) beginning between Jan & June 2021. I would like to know which firms/offices (locations) I can consider applying to, where there is no mandatory requirement of knowing the local office language (e.g. French, German etc)

Also, since I primarily have a background (professional & academic) in finance & I am at the initial stage of case interview/consulting application preparation (less than 10 case sessions) I would be grateful if anyone could provide a brief overview of the application deadlines/conditions/timelines I should keep in mind considering my overall objective of targeting a full-time role anytime between Jan & June 2021?

Any other information/advice/insights would be highly appreciated.

Thank You

Answer 1

Hi there,

locations relatively close to Europe you may target that do not require other languages besides English are:

UK
The Netherlands (at least for Bain)
Nordics
The Middle East

Out of them, the one where you could find easier to be invited for interviews (in normal conditions – now is a bit crazy everywhere) is probably the Middle East, as they recruit heavily from abroad. However, please be aware that for all this geographies above it will be extremely difficult to land an invitation without a referral, as (i) they are targeted by many people who focus on English speaking countries only and (ii) you are not physically present in the region, nor probably have work experience in those areas. A referral will also be useful to understand the best timeline to apply, in particular given the current situation with the virus. As a consequence, I would structure the process as follows:

STEP 1: Polish your CV and Cover

STEP 2: Find a good referral in the geographies interesting for you

STEP 3: Apply via referral only

As for how referrals work, you can find more information at the link below:

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/hey-everyonehope-all-is-well-3176

If you are interested to know more about the process, please feel free to PM me.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

I was in a similar conundrum when moving to Europe as an anglophone without working proficiency in any regional languages

I believe there are really three systems that you can target. UK is the biggest and most obvious candidate. Netherlands and Nordics being the other two. With the current growth in consulting, I would advise you to seriously consider Nordics as the consulting here has grown a lot faster than most other European systems

Answer 3

Would you want to stay in Europe? In McKinsey, European offices require the knowledge of the local language besides English, so London is your only option if you don't speak other foreign languages fluently. I heard that Bain is less strict with the language requirements and their Nordic and Dutch offices are English-speaking only.

Best,

Réka

Answer 4

Hi Anonymous,

From a Bain perspective, your options would be Nordics, Netherlands, and the UK where English only would be possible. Having worked in the Nordics, these offices would be a good option given the number of consultants there with a non-Nordics background and therefore an established culture of welcoming such candidates.

I hope that helps!

A

Answer 5

Sorry, what exactly are you asking?

If you're saying that you've attended an EU target B-school, are an anglophone, and are wondering which consulting offices you can/should apply to, I would say any and all that interest you..

Answer 6

Dear A,

In Europe, you should consider the following offices: London, Brussels, Amsterdam, Scandinavian. Internationally you'd better take in consideration Dubai and Middle East, as well as US, Canada and most probably Singapore.

Regarding your second question. You need to take into account that some geographies do on-cycle recruiting, while others can do off-cycle recruiting. For specific geographies and timelines, please, check the corresponding web-sites, but most probably you need to be ready with your application document by September-October this year, if you want to step in to on-cycle recruiting.

If you need any help or further advice, would be happy to help you.

Best,

André

Answer 7

Hello!

Seems that the language piece would be your main concern. In Europe, target:

UK - the classic
Sometimes nordic countries - you will need to check one by one
Middle East, if you are willing to go a bit further

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 8

A friend of mine was in the same situation last year (top European MSc, non-EU, no fluency in a European language). Most of consulting and investment banking HR will probably say that they will sponsor you if you can manage to get an offer. However, <5% of applicants from that background get such sponsorship in the UK. UK job market for consulting and banking (IB) is highly competitive even for European graduates from top schools.