Hi,
I have 2.5 years of experience and have the opportunity to join a tier 2 consulting firm in London now, or a MBB in Dubai in 6 months.
The opportunity at the tier 2 will allow me to get promoted to the post-MBA level in 1 year, whereas the MBB starts in 6 months and will take longer for a promotion (maybe 1.5 - 2 years?).
What would you do in this situation?
Hi there,
Congratulations on the offers! In terms of your question:
Q: Have the opportunity to join a tier 2 consulting firm in London now, or an MBB in Dubai in 6 months. What would you do in this situation?
For most people exits are one of the most important factor and I would expect your MBB to have stronger exits. You can double-check as follows:
Assuming that (i) the MBB aligns with your exits, (ii) you had a good impression from the team and (iii) you are fine with the region, I would recommend the MBB for the stronger brand.
Note: in case your MBB is Bain, it is still quite small in the Middle East. This may have some implications for exits in the region compared to McKinsey and BCG.
You can find a few more tips here for a similar question:
If you want to do extra due diligence, contact Alumni of your university (not current consultants) that worked in those offices (bonus if they worked for both companies). You will learn more in a 30min call with them than with any online research you may do.
Best,
Francesco
MBB in Dubai, the brand name of MBB is unmatched and the networking opportunities and people you work with will be some of the brightest in the world. Not that you don't get that in T2 but the reality is that exit opportunities and brand recognition will differ for MBB vs T2.
Unless you have a huge personal reason to be in London for the next 2 years I would not hesitate to pick MBB in Dubai.
100% MBB. I had this choice and don't regret it in the slightest. There's been a lot of talk on the forums about MBB giving your CV extra sparkle and getting world class training. Both of these remain true for Dubai.
The other two things I would say regarding Dubai:
1) let's say for the sake of argument your aim is to exit to London, you will have the same exit opportunities and more coming from MBB as most recruiters will have be instructed by clients to only look for MBB consultants for certain mandates and they will often use this as a filter on their linkedin scrape.
2) To end up financially equivalent between the two you will have to be earning 30-45% gross more in London than in Dubai (because of no income tax in UAE) and except that to continue (which it doesn't). So your financial position after 2-3 years of consulting in ME will allow you to hopefully put a deposit down on a nice property in UK/elsewhere
If you want to discuss more (I had this exact choice) happy to jump on a quick call
Hello,
Congratulations on your offers! It looks like you got some great advice here already, but I'll just add as my two cents: think about what factors matter the most to you (it could be salary or career progression, but it could also be things like location or office culture), and try to solve for those. I also highly recommend talking to a lot of people at both firms, and ask them about their experience, exit opportunities, etc.
Hi there,
congrats! it depends why you want to join consulting and it is very personal, but generally speaking and taking into consideration the average tenure in consulting, MBB is probably a better choice because:
1. MBB is a diamond name on your CV
2. Steep learning curve (problem solving, dealing with C levels, commercial excellence etc.)
3. Amazing networking access including becoming alumni with its advantages
4. MBB can actually secure you a job once you decide to leave
Good luck!
Lucie
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Hi there,
All else equal, MBB is the choice.
That said, there may be factors that change this! If any of the following hold true, then it's a less clear choice (and you have to think about what matters to you):
Hey there,
I was facing this exact same choice a few years ago between an MBB firm and MD in the UK. While many will say MBB all the way (and I don't necessarily disagree), I do want share some thoughts that might help:
1. MBB offices in Dubai are pretty well known for having a slightly “tougher” culture than other locations (your experience may vary, of course, but just something to keep in mind)
2. Will you be in a pre-MBA role at the MBB firm? There is a pretty big difference in salary between an Analyst & Associate (post-MBA) but you may benefit from the tax-free situation in Dubai
3. I would consider the role as well. Are you a generalist in both roles? Are they both similar in terms of clients, access to senior stakeholders etc.?
Overall, I think yes MBB is probably the choice that will present you with the widest opportunities in the long-term. That being said, Tier 2 includes many different firms and some compete strongly with MBB on things like comp, clients, promotion etc.
Feel free to DM me if you want to discuss the actual firms in question.
But regardless, you're in a great spot with 2 solid offers! Best of luck with everything.
Nauman
The problem with this question is that it has a single criteria: immediate financial reward. In that case, MBB should beat T2 even if at a higher rank.
However, you need to consider how it impacts your professional and personal life. While I won't address the later, in your professional life you have to consider the relationships you will develop, the industries you will work on and the kind of experience you will have. All of that is valuable and brings strong financial return. Having a great brand name in your resume but no network in your long term target country is not a good strategy.
While I can't answer this for you, I hope to have given you some useful food for thought.
Hello,
This depends a lot on what you want!
From a long-term perspective, do you want to be in consulting? If yes, then maybe having the MBB experience matters more. Ask yourself, would you rather see yourself as a MBB Partner, or a Tier 2 London Partner?
On the other hand, if you value geography a lot more than exposure, brand and exit options, then for sure go ahead with London (if that's what you prefer)
All the best!
Rushabh
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