MBB Middle East vs. Western Europe

Hi Anonymous,

In principle MBB brand is recognized the same in Middle East vs. Western Europe.

However, it mostly depends where you want to spend your time afterwards. If you build your knowlegde and network in Middle East environment, it will be slightly less valuable if you want to return to Europe afterwards - and vice versa.

Also, internal transfers are possible but usually only granted to top performers and there is by far no guarantee that it will finally work for you.

In short: Unless you have strong reasons to do otherwise, join MBB in the region in which you would like to stay in the long term!

Hope this helps - if so, please give it a thumbs-up with the upvote button below!

Robert

Career progression, perception are the same across offices. The only difference (imho) is  the higher pay and lower taxes in ME. Whether a transfer to EU is possible depends on supply/demand and your internal networking.

Hi there,

In terms of brand and exit opportunities afforded, the calibre is the same. Additionally, MBB prides itself on it's location flexibility and the ability of its employees to switch offices after a certain tenure.

I highly recommend that you optimize for genuine interest and "where you see yourself in the future"!

For McKinsey, career progression is broadly the same (there are slight nuances even within Western Europe) while perception like all things really varies. Transferring internally is definitely possible but is not as easy as people think where I have seen many consultants choose a more "local" office to start with and really struggle to move to a larger "global" office (e.g., London, NY, etc.) which can be in high demand.

I've had several close friends move to/from Western Europe and Middle East where the key differences that often come up are income tax, standard of living, client capability, variety of client work, frequent travel, etc.

Hello!

I would say they are the same in terms of network, prestige, brand, etc. 

However, pick carefully where to apply, since this can strenghten or weaken your application a lot! You need to pick the one that has the best value proposition for you, and be able to defend it. 

With regards to transfer later, there is usually no problem as long as you perform. 

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Hi there,

They don't differ much, if only in what Ken has mentioned. Think of where it would be more convenient, because there should be a solid tenure as well as great performance for moving back to Europe.

Do you have any further questions?

GB