Working in foreign offices

Hi there! Its great to hear that you want to move abroad and want that life experience 

1. France: You would find it easiest to recruit in France and then you can work locally for 1-3 years and then transfer for rotations or permanent transfers abroad.
2. Direct application abroad: This is interesting and it would depend a bit on the demand supply of the office and the ease of getting a visa. For eg. If your main goal is Dubai, it is worth a shot as all the firms are hiring quite a lot in the middle east due to the growth and it is easy to get a Visa. However, for a country like Singapore, it might be harder as it is a very popular office and visas are not very easy to come by. 

In short, direct application abroad is possible if you find the right office and you are able to tailor your story to meet that. Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions.  

Hello,

Sharing my perspective based on working 8 years in SEA and having talked to/known quite a few consultants who have worked abroad and gone through similar paths that you are considering 

1. Should I do everything in France?

• The easiest (least hurdled) path would be to start in France
• In many countries - local language ability is key. E.g. if you are applying to an office in SEA like Vietnam or Indonesia, not knowing Vietnamese or Bahasa would place you at a disadvantage. Flip the scenario around, you have more advantage than a non-native/citizen who is trying to apply to France
• The visa concern is a real one - but this is very country dependent. In the past 1-2 years, even Singapore has tightened visas and some firms have limited interviewing volumes of non-citizens/residents

2. Should I directly try to apply abroad?

• There is typically no harm in applying abroad if you are able to
• Bigger firms will have a defined list of target schools. HR will typically cross-check your school, and even if they don't you can always clarify that you are from a target school (albeit in another country)
• However the big question a recruiter/local office will have is “why should we hire you over a local?”
  • What skills/knowledge do you bring that a local wouldn't have?
  • If I hire you and invest in you, how do I know that you won't leave quickly and then I ‘lose’ that investment?
  • Am I even able able to hire you (if there are quota restrictions)?
• To add more color from a SEA perspective, often the non-Singapore offices have more quotas/ability to take non-locals
• Would suggest to talk to a recruiter at your target firms to figure out the current situation better

3. Is one internship in France + one abroad good enough experience?

• I'll give a shorter point on this as I'm sure other coaches will be able to share great and more detailed advice on this
• Just don't forget to enjoy your internships as well - being passionate about something even though it may not be ‘relevant’ can sometimes be rewarding in its own way or make you stand out

Without further context to your other life aspirations and career goals, I would I would say go for the path that is the easiest that gets you into MBB. At MBB, there will be plenty of internal mobility opportunities - sharing what's possible from a BCG perspective

• Cross office staffing: Getting staffed on a project in another country. Not the easiest (esp. when local business is booming) but possible. BCG normally works on a system staffing basis but I have had colleagues on SEA projects who were from EU/US/North Asia/ANZ
• Structured programs (ambassadorships): Structured mobility programs where you spend ~1 year in another office, and you are given a support system and additional benefits e.g. housing, relocation. Normally for Associates to Project Leaders
• Structured programs (practice area ambassadorship): Spend 6-12+ months in another office and focusing only on a specific practice area. Typically for more tenured consultants who already have some PA expertise
• Temporary transfers: Transfer 6-12+ months to another office (personal reasons like spouse/family is often a strong justification)
• Permanent transfers: Full time transfer to another office  (personal reasons like spouse/family is often a strong justification)

(editiert)

Hi there,

1. Apart from France, you definitely have a shot at Dubai, where most consultants are expats anyway. For the other countries, I would rather go via an internal transfer after 1-2 years.
2. You should be fine in Dubai (see above).
3. Any large global corporation or tier-2 consultancy will do. Think of areas such as business development, strategy, and corporate finance.

All the best!

Florian

Hi there,

There's a lot missing from your profile! But it sounds like you are French and working in France, correct?

If that is the case you really are maximizing your odds by applying there….and you can always transfer later.

That said every company + office will be different! You should network across these offices and figure out what makes most sense (where you have good odds). You can look to submit 2-3 office preferences and diversify your selection to reduce risk.

To work in France you need to be fluent in French, there is no compromise on that.

That said, I would try directly to join an MBB. You don't need two firms in your CV once you joined MBB.

Regarding M&A and PE, just be mindful that at the moment they are mostly in a hiring freeze.