Foreigners friendly offices?

That's a great question Aidana -  I think the other two have given a strong perspective. I am just adding how I thought about it. This is was a dilemma I was faced with quite recently. The two main things that would determine this are the following. 

1. Which offices are sponsoring Visas
   • Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha)
   • SEA ( KL, Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore (visa sponsorship has become VERY difficult though))
   • Netherlands
   • Canada ( you can pre-apply for a PR here)
   • Australia (Also become pretty difficult post covid)
   • UK
   • US ( depending on your right to work, H1b is a lottery and if you already do not have right to work in the US firms are reluctant)
   • European offices ( Spain, Germany, France, etc)
2. Which offices are English friendly?
   • Middle East (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha)
   • SEA ( KL, Jakarta, Bangkok, Singapore)
   • Netherlands - although Mck has a strong preference for dutch speakers
   • Canada
   • Australia
   • UK
   • US

So realistically it is the intersection which would be the best. 

I am offering a free consultation and I would be very happy to talk through my decision-making process when I was faced with the issue. 
 

Hi Aidana,

Q: Does anyone know which office locations of MBB or Tier-2 are considered as foreigner friendly and does not require knowledge of local languages?

I would categorize them as follows:

• Foreigner friendly (in terms of visa and welcoming foreign application): The Middle East
• Requiring English only: The Middle East, Singapore, The Nordics, The Netherlands (some firms only). Plus countries where English is local language (eg, UK, US, Australia)

Normally you need 3 things to apply to a foreign office:

1. Local language knowledge, unless otherwise stated
2. Visa
3. Connection with the country

The Middle East is one of the few places where the connection with the country is not that important and with a high percentage of foreigners. I would focus my efforts there. 

I would recommend to find a referral for your application. You can find more on referrals here:

▶ How to Find an MBB Referral

Best,

Francesco

Hi there,

There’s technically 3 groups of office that spring to mind:

• English speaking countries: Technically, you could join US, Canada, UK, Australia or even NZ offices because of the lack of a language barrier. However, if you want to get into the US office of any firm, for example, your best shot would be a US MBA or previous US employment. -> Hyper competitive and you need a strong link to the country, difficult
• International locations: Not necessarily English speaking countries but still international and open to foreigners i.e. Middle East offices (Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar, etc.), Singapore -> Quite competitive, most typical route 
• Emerging locations: I joined McKinsey’s Chile office despite not speaking Spanish initially (I learned it on the job). However, there’s scarcity of talent in certain emerging places that aren’t an obvious choice for most people. Hence, if you’re willing to make an unconventional move, learn a new language, I would encourage you to do that! -> Less competitive, requires learning new language

Hope this helps a bit! Let me know if you’d like to learn more!

Best,

Moritz

Hi,

The following offices are usually considered foreigner friendly, however they are still much harder to get into as a foreigner vs a local if you need visa sponsorship.

• Dubai/ME offices
• London (Extremely popular office so very difficult to get in)
• USA - all offices (close to impossible if you are not in the country already and do not have the right to work)
• Canada - all offices (easier than the US from a sponsorship perspective)
• Singapore and some SE Asian offices
• Amsterdam (not as friendly)
• Belgium (not as friendly)

All the best to you,

Udayan

Building on Moritz…

1. English speaking (US, U.K., Australia, Singapore) where the local connection (ideally more than a 1-2 year postgrad masters) is important as the local talent market is highly competitive and often there is a visa constraint 

2. Established offices where you can get by with English (Middle East, Scandinavia, Netherlands)

3. Emerging/high growth offices (Africa, South East Asia excl. Singapore) where if you have a personal interest or relevant experience that the office is seeking 

Good luck!

Hi there,

I'm sorry but the other coaches are wrong when they say Australia/NZ.

They are not “open” to foreigners because getting a working visa is so hard. Please do not try to apply for Australia/NZ without having a working visa/citizenship!

UK, US, and Dubai are going to be your best bets. In some instances Canada and Singapore can work as well.

But, ultimately, you're going to need to network extensively so they don't view you as a “random” applicant.

Good luck!

Hi Aidana,

Dubai is the easiest shot, in Europe it would be UK, Scandinavia, Switzerland, Benelux, then I would say also Canada, Costa Rica, Singapore. I would disagree with the US, without a working permit it is very unlikely. 

Foreign friendly office hard to say if there are some friendlier than others, it really depends on the people and in BCG all my experiences were positive. 

Good luck!

Lucie

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Hi there,

there are quite a few offices that are very open to foreigners.

• Middle East: may be best bet at the moment - still very open and massive demand, given current growth
• Europe: mainly London, Amsterdam, Nordics
• SEA: Kuala Lumpur yes but Singapore is VERY difficult to be honest - have to politely disagree with Ian on this one - McK & Bain no chance, BCG very difficult at least, based on tight employment pass restrictions
• US: to some extent - may be a bit more challenging coming from Central Asia atm - also more difficult than it used to be
• ANZ used to be rather easy, but they tightened restrictions in recent years - internal transfers are the way to get there.

Feel free to reach out if you'd like to learn more - I worked in MBB in different regions (Europe, ME, ANZ, SEA, China, US) and will be happy to advise on your situation in detail.

Regards, Andi

Hi Aidana,

Its not going to easy anywhere now- with tight VISA rules and everything that's going on in the world. But if you plan well, network and be patient, a good fitting option will come along.

Focus on your story, skills, experience and FIT. Consider those firms and locations which are a good FIT both ways. Dont just go to visa friendly countries, without considering FIT.

All the best.

Hello!

I would say UK for Europe, US (if you have access to a visa, that is not simple what so ever if you cannot do an L transfer) or Dubai/Abu Dhabi.

Which languages do you speak, apart from English?

Hope it helps!

Cheers, 

Clara