Bain or BCG Southeast Asia?

Bain BCG choose the right firm Multiple offers offer decision
New answer on Oct 15, 2023
6 Answers
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Anonymous A asked on May 08, 2021

Hi guys, I was lucky enough to receive offers from both and have been speaking to consultants on both sides over the past week. Would appreciate the answer to the following questions:

1. Is BCG really that superior when it comes to career/exit opportunities compared to Bain?

2. Is Bain's culture and sustainability really that much better compared to BCGs?

My assumptions:

I'm not too fussed about compensation, and am trying to optimise for both career opportunities and culture/people-centricity, but it seems like both of the firms have a respective strength in each.

On one hand, BCG has a larger network, better presence in the SEA region, and thus more diverse cases. I am not sure how long i will stay in consulting, but I have dreamed about working for the likes of Amazon, Disney or Netflix. And due to BCG's bigger network, my thoughts are that maybe it will help me get closer to those firms, even though the pipeline in Media in this region isn't great overall.

On the other hand, Bain has impressed me a lot with their people. They seemed so much more fun and enjoyable to be around during the interview process, and it made me feel like working in that close-knit culture with these awesome people would be the best fit for me. But I'm not sure if being a Bainee brings me close to the big companies I mentioned before.

Any insiders here who can shed some light on this?

(edited)

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Ian
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replied on May 08, 2021
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

First, congratulations and well done! Now, my biggest piece of advice is be happy/at peace with your final decision no matter what. You'd be ecstatic if you only had one of these offers, so recognize that you really can't go wrong here!

1. Is BCG really that superior when it comes to career/exit opportunities compared to Bain?

In SE Asia yes 100%. More exit opps, better reputation, more diverse projects, etc.

2. Is Bain's culture and sustainability really that much better compared to BCGs?

So, this really comes down to the individual. Both are known for caring more about sustainability. Culture depends on the individual here - they're for 2 somewhat different types of people! That said, you say the following:

"They seemed so much more fun and enjoyable to be around during the interview process, and it made me feel like working in that close-knit culture with these awesome people would be the best fit for me. "

Your decision: Ultimately, it seems you have to decide between prestige/ops and culture fit here. Both have their pros/cons...

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Anonymous A on May 08, 2021

Original poster here. Thanks so much, Ian. I appreciate the wishes and the very detailed feedback. I am indeed deciding between optimising for opportunities and optimising for people. A tough decision indeed. But I think you've made it a bit easier for me to make a decision, so many thanks.

Ian on May 09, 2021

My pleasure! Best of luck with the GREAT decision that lays before you...you can't go wrong, I promise :)

Francesco
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replied on May 09, 2021
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.000+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ InterviewOffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Congratulations on the offers! I would consider the following to choose:

  1. Where do you want to be in 5-10 years? Based on that, look for how many alumni are more present in that field. It is not relevant that BCG has more Alumni, if they are not related to what you really want to do in your life. If you still don't know, everything equal the BCG brand is stronger.
  2. If you consider the average consultant/partner you talked to in each company, which one would you rather be? Quoting Jim Rohn, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. And you will spend a lot of time with your colleagues in the next years. Be sure you chose a company where people are close to the person you want to become.
  3. What is your gut feeling telling you? Our gut feeling is able to catch elements we cannot rationalize. You may “feel” a company is better, but don’t know exactly why. Don’t base your decision on that only, but dig deeper on why you feel that way.

If you want to do extra due diligence, contact Alumni (not current consultants) that worked ideally for both. You will learn more in a 30min call with them than with any online research you may do.

Best,

Francesco

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Anonymous A on May 09, 2021

Original poster here. Thank you for the advice Francesco. I agree with your first point about BCG having the better opportunities. Trying to do some additional research on their alumni. Your next two points do make me think a lot about Bain. Particularly the third one about gut feel. I felt that I did fit a bit better with their culture and people, and I believe it's because in my career so far, I've really seen how the people im with can make a bad project so much better

Anonymous B replied on May 08, 2021

Congratulations! I heard that BCG has one of the strongest reputations in SEA with most alumnis working in world-class companies like the ones you mentioned. In terms of culture and people, I only know people from McK and BCG - I feel like BCG has more helpful and friendly people of the two. Overall, you cannot go wrong with either Bain or BCG, but personally I would probably take BCG for exit opps, growth opps, brand and people.

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Anonymous on May 08, 2021

Thanks Anon B, certainly some solid alumni from BCG based on a quick LinkedIn search!

(edited)

Antonello
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replied on May 09, 2021
McKinsey | NASA | top 10 FT MBA professor for consulting interviews | 6+ years of coaching

Hi, congrats on the offers :) I confirm BCG has a better reputation, but they are both a great choice. I would also consider your personal experience during the interview process and all the interactions you have had with consultants

Best,
Antonello

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Benjamin
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replied on Oct 15, 2023
Ex-BCG Principal | 8+ years consulting experience in SEA | BCG top interviewer & top performer

Hi,

This is an old post, but I'm sharing a perspective having worked in SEA and having had friends at Bain (as well as McK).

Practically - there is no difference in prestige between Bain and BCG in SEA. MBB is recognized as Tier 1. 

The only difference is whether you want to exit into specific industries that BCG does more than Bain, but even then, for most corp strats as long as you don't exit too late they really aren't fussed about your relevant industry background.

I'd argue that if you are a top performer at Bain, there is no opportunity that you ‘cant’ get versus someone at BCG (assuming no industry requirement).

 

 

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Clara
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replied on May 11, 2021
McKinsey | Awarded professor at Master in Management @ IE | MBA at MIT |+180 students coached | Integrated FIT Guide aut

Hello!

Big congrats, well done! This is a great dilemma :)

Anwer to questions 1 and 2 is NO :)

There is not a bad decision to be made here, both are truly fantastic chances, so really just go with your gut and you will be fine.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

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Ian gave the best answer

Ian

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