How is the consulting life like in Dubai? Does the client respect you as much? I heard some stories.
What about Singapore, and what's wrong with Germany??
How is the consulting life like in Dubai? Does the client respect you as much? I heard some stories.
Lifestyle on projects is more likely to depend on the leadership team that you're working on in the firm than the location of the project.
I've heard of wonderful projects in the middle east with very chill lifestyle because the client was generous enough with the project finances and the team with staffed sufficiently (or perhaps overstaffed by MBB standards :) )
I've also heard of awful situations were the clients were disrespectful especially to female consultants.
It's difficult to generalize. My suggestion would be to go where your curiosity leads you, find the people that you enjoy working with and if you don't like the region as you get to discover it, move to another office.
Having worked 4 years in BCG Dubai - I can say life is pretty cool here!
Happy to answer more specific queries if you have.
(editiert)
Hi there,
I would first start off by saying all regions of the world have tough clients and work-life balance. I would also flag that there is immense variation across companies, industries, and even specific projects.
That said, I have heard some stories as well about the Middle East (excluding Israel/Lebanon) that would prevent me from voluntary serving clients there. If I had to rank where I would personally avoid working, it would be Germany > Saudi Arabia > UAE > USA, if this provides any context/clarity!
What about Singapore, and what's wrong with Germany??
I can speak for BCG and McKinsey on the basis of very close personal anecdotes.
UAE and Dubai are not the best relative to Europe and US - in terms of client demands as hours are tough and they can insist on lots of output. There's also some cultural displacement both with clients and with the more transactional vibe of ME offices in general.
On the other hand, the consulting perks are more extreme as well due to the wealth there (e.g., their airlines are better than US airlines, hotels are super luxurious, coffee boys on call in the offices), and the pay is better than even the US.
But in general, final verdict was it was more stressful and not worth it.