Hi there,

1) Is it possible given that I have been working for 2 years and that I am no longer a student? In Europe, these programs are considered internships, so I am a bit confused.

With 2 years of experience, it seems you match the Analyst (McKinsey) / Associate (BCG/Bain) position. I would try to clarify why they recommend the Visiting Associate position instead as it doesn't seem the right fit.

2) Would it be my best option or should I wait to apply for a consultant position directly?

The standard position with 2 years of experience should be Analyst (McKinsey) / Associate (BCG/Bain), not Visiting Associate.

3) In your opinion, what other firms have an interesting presence in the region?

You can find a list of top consulting firms globally below:

▶ Top 15 Consulting Firms by Revenues and Prestige

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

A couple of pointers:

• Middle East/Gulf offices are still hiring albeit at a slower pace. I am working with several candidates for different firms/offices at the moment.
• With 2 years of work experience, you would not qualify for an internship/visiting role in most companies. The rationale is that the internship is something to try out during your studies but with experience under your belt you should know what you want and go for a ft entry.
• I would go for a consultant position right away and network/score referrals to increase your chances for an invitation.

All the best,

Florian

Hi there,

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

• First of all, given your work experience, I would advise you to aim for an entry-level position and (possibly) get some of your work experience credited. Moreover, feel free to reach out to the recruiting departments of the target offices you are interested in directly to discuss this further.
• Moreover, I would advise you to rather wait if only then you will be able to secure a referral. The consulting industry is still not in the best shape, thus you would want to have the strongest application possible.
• Lastly, there are several other consulting firms with a strong presence in the Gulf region, such as Oliver Wyman, Kearney and Roland Berger.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

You can find the DACH consulting salaries report 2024 here!

Hi there,

You are right. You should not apply to that role but to a full time position instead.

Regarding other firms… all of the relevant ones are in the region: Mckinsey, Bain, BCG, Roland Berger, Kearney, Oliver Wyman, EY Parthenon, Strategy&, Monitor Deloitte, …

Hi there,

Personally, I would just wait the 3 months.

I would keep working where you're working and aim for promotions. I would apply to firms outside of MBB (strategy&, Kearney, etc.) and/or outside of the Gulf.

I would personally not do the internship and rather just bide my time for the full time role.

Hi there,

I agree with the overall sentiment. After 2 years of work experience, you should not be doing internships anymore. All of MBB and most Tier 2 companies are well represented in the region. Some of them are definitely still hiring for 2024. 

If you are serious about wanting to pursue consulting, you should definitely apply broadly as competition is stiff, especially in the current economic environment. Only applying to the 3 MBB companies might not be enough to secure an offer. They can still be your top picks, but you'll increase your odds by casting a wider net.

Best of luck

How strict they are in terms of how they define ‘visiting’ (i.e., whether you're still a student or not) varies from region to region. 

So I would just reach out to the recruiter and discuss it directly with them if I were you. 

Most likely it shouldn't be a problem. 

Discussing with the recruiter also has the added benefit of you knowing whether it even makes sense to be applying now (as in, whether they are even accepting applications) or rather it makes sense to wait. 

Best,
Cristian