Italia] Is the language barrier still high for non client facing roles?

Question

Hello.

I'm an MBA candidate with 5+ years industry experience, and Italy is one of the most famous countries for my Industry.

I don't speak Italian fluently (currently B2) so I guess I can't apply for a generalist/consultant role, however, I'd like to check the possibility for specialist or similar positions. In other words.. language can be a high barrier in Italy also for non client facing roles? (For overall consulting firms including Accenture, BIP, etc..)

I would like to know if there could be any possibility to enter consulting companies there without speaking local language fluently.

Thank you in advance for any advice !

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Vlad

Expert

Content Creator

replied on Jul 08, 2019

MBB Referrals / McKinsey / Accenture Alum / Got all BIG3 offers / #1 in Q&A upvotes / Harvard Business School

Hi,

You can probably find a role at the end that will not require local language. The question is - why do you need one?

There are not that many non-client facing roles in consulting
With MBA you are probably overqualified for these roles
It will be very hard to make a transition to the generalist role in the future
With MBA you can be a consultant at any other country
You can also apply for any role in the industry and then transfer to consulting in a couple of years once you master the language

Best

score 2 · Accepted Answer · 2019-07-08T19:29:20+00:00

Best Answer

Deniz

Expert

replied on Jul 08, 2019

BCG | A.T. Kearney | University of Cambridge | 150+ coachees | 5+ years of consulting experience in London, Dubai and Istanbul

Hi,

Having worked in BCG's Italian system, I can tell you that in special circumstances, a few employees were hired who did not have strong local language capabilities. If in doubt, you can write to local HR and ask for the requirements.

Best,

Deniz

Italia] Is the language barrier still high for non client facing roles?

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