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necromonger
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 03 Mar 2007, 19:43
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darren - are you talking about thunderbird or INSEAD? MCs and banks recruit in a big way in INSEAD. It's not known too well in the US (the current dean is going to be putting effort into getting the INSEAD name out in US though top recruiters know about it).
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 04 Mar 2007, 08:32
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pelihu
dukes

It is true that a good number of hires were previously employed at those firms but the number of re-hires doesn't come close to being a majority. The 2005 numbers (former employees in parentheses): Mck 74 (30), BCG 40 (16), Bain 30 (8).

That's not a majority, but I still think that's a very high percentage of re-hires. I happened to have Columbia's stats for the past few years handy (I'm on the edge of my seat), and for the last 3 years they are as follows:

McKinsey 31+31+ 47= 109 (0)
BCG 10+19+9= 38 (2)
Bain 8+8 = 16 (0)
Booze Allen 22+20+10 = 52(1)

This is pretty consistent with the rate for most top schools. I think this probably just means that consulting firms in the US are less likely to sponsor people for MBAs, or possibly that they prefer to draw new talent from MBA pools. It was also interesting that McKinsey was the top recruiter at Columbia each of the last 3 years (followed by a bunch of banks), but seemed to send their grads to a more diverse group of firms compared with INSEAD.
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Most ppl who did top-tier consulting before b-school want to do something different afterwards. Those who want to go back to their firms frequently seek out one-year programs. For example, a high percentage of Kellogg's one-year MBAs are sponsored McK, BCG, and Bain employees. No wonder Kellogg tries to bundle them in with their placement stats. The reason why Insead sends so many people to these firms: 1) the school is huge (second largest top-tier school behind HBS with a ~900 person class). 2) Most consulting firms have European practices that are almost as big if not bigger than their US business so they have to hire their consultants from somewhere. Many qualified US grads don't have the language skills or desire to work for McK Frankfurt or Bain Milan. 3) Insead is the best b-school in Europe (especially for non-finance) and has alot of highly qualified students. 4) The number and type of employers who hire MBAs in Europe is smaller than in the US. Options are somewhat limited outside of MC and Finance.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 04 Mar 2007, 08:44
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Ill do Bain Milan :)
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 04 Mar 2007, 15:33
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rhyme
Ill do Bain Milan :)
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Watch out for the crazy European housing market! I've heard it can be scarier than NYC.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 04 Mar 2007, 19:22
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rhyme
Ill do Bain Milan :)
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I'll do Geneva, Zürich, Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin. Thats actually my post-MBA career goal.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 04 Mar 2007, 19:38
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rhyme
Ill do Bain Milan :)
I'll do Geneva, Zürich, Munich, Frankfurt, and Berlin. Thats actually my post-MBA career goal.
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I'll do Geneva, Lausanne, Montreux, Villars, Les Diablerets, Zurich, Munich, Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan, Rome, Florence, Venice, Palma De Mallorca, Valencia, Ibiza, Berne, Bordeux, Dijon, Nice, Toulouse, Starsburg, Paris, Brussel, etc

Geneva's fabulous. Lausanne is nice. Montreux is beautiful. Les Diab is all skiing baby. Zuirch nices and well done. Munich and Frankfurt are OK. Berlin's nice but a bit less fun. Milan's a traffic nightmare, Rome's worse but more fun, Florence rocks but the summer heat kills you, Venice I dont know, Palma is all $$$, Valencia is all drugs, Ibiza is all nightclubs, .... it doesnt matter, they all rock. :)
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 04 Mar 2007, 21:24
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pelihu
dukes

It is true that a good number of hires were previously employed at those firms but the number of re-hires doesn't come close to being a majority. The 2005 numbers (former employees in parentheses): Mck 74 (30), BCG 40 (16), Bain 30 (8).

That's not a majority, but I still think that's a very high percentage of re-hires. I happened to have Columbia's stats for the past few years handy (I'm on the edge of my seat), and for the last 3 years they are as follows:

McKinsey 31+31+ 47= 109 (0)
BCG 10+19+9= 38 (2)
Bain 8+8 = 16 (0)
Booze Allen 22+20+10 = 52(1)

This is pretty consistent with the rate for most top schools. I think this probably just means that consulting firms in the US are less likely to sponsor people for MBAs, or possibly that they prefer to draw new talent from MBA pools. It was also interesting that McKinsey was the top recruiter at Columbia each of the last 3 years (followed by a bunch of banks), but seemed to send their grads to a more diverse group of firms compared with INSEAD.
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I've heard INSEAD is heaven if you want to get into consulting. Almost 30% of the class goes to McK/BCG/Bain. From what people tell me, the only question you've got to answer while at INSEAD is if YOU want MC or not. If you want it, you'll get it. :)
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 05 Mar 2007, 06:01
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pelihu
dukes

It is true that a good number of hires were previously employed at those firms but the number of re-hires doesn't come close to being a majority. The 2005 numbers (former employees in parentheses): Mck 74 (30), BCG 40 (16), Bain 30 (8).

That's not a majority, but I still think that's a very high percentage of re-hires. I happened to have Columbia's stats for the past few years handy (I'm on the edge of my seat), and for the last 3 years they are as follows:

McKinsey 31+31+ 47= 109 (0)
BCG 10+19+9= 38 (2)
Bain 8+8 = 16 (0)
Booze Allen 22+20+10 = 52(1)

This is pretty consistent with the rate for most top schools. I think this probably just means that consulting firms in the US are less likely to sponsor people for MBAs, or possibly that they prefer to draw new talent from MBA pools. It was also interesting that McKinsey was the top recruiter at Columbia each of the last 3 years (followed by a bunch of banks), but seemed to send their grads to a more diverse group of firms compared with INSEAD.
I've heard INSEAD is heaven if you want to get into consulting. Almost 30% of the class goes to McK/BCG/Bain. From what people tell me, the only question you've got to answer while at INSEAD is if YOU want MC or not. If you want it, you'll get it. :)
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Thats why its my #1 school right now (after I got the Ding from Wharton). But I imagine there are some geographic considerations. For example, if you're set of working for McK NY you'll have a much tougher time than say, McK Zagreb.

Does anyone know if you're always required to know the local language for these firms?
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 05 Mar 2007, 06:40
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I would guess it helps, but you can move around. A Uni friend of mine joined Bain on graduation (he topped our year, and dinged McKinsey and several IBs).

He ended up in their SF office having started in London.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 05 Mar 2007, 07:31
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3underscore
I would guess it helps, but you can move around. A Uni friend of mine joined Bain on graduation (he topped our year, and dinged McKinsey and several IBs).

He ended up in their SF office having started in London.
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Right, but command of the English language is a given. I was wondering if you need to know Hungarian to work in Budapest or if you need to know Czech to work in Prague. I'm actually not really set on a particular location but assumed that I need to stay within countries in which I have strong command of the local languages.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 05 Mar 2007, 23:41
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dukes
3underscore
I would guess it helps, but you can move around. A Uni friend of mine joined Bain on graduation (he topped our year, and dinged McKinsey and several IBs).

He ended up in their SF office having started in London.
Right, but command of the English language is a given. I was wondering if you need to know Hungarian to work in Budapest or if you need to know Czech to work in Prague. I'm actually not really set on a particular location but assumed that I need to stay within countries in which I have strong command of the local languages.
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I don't think not knowing the local language would be a barrier at work. AFAIK, all the elite consulting firms recruit from the US ultra-elites, INSEAD, IMD, LBS, IESE, ISB, IIMs. Considering this even the Prague/Budapest/Stuttgart offices will have people from US/India. With this kind of mix, I dont think you'll ever have to use the local language at work. Just my 2 cents. :)
PS: ATB for INSEAD!
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 05 Mar 2007, 23:47
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You need to know the local language to work with firms that you consult. A friend of mine recently graduated from INSEAD and he is having a tough to land a job in Europe because of language issues. London positons are hard to come by. At this point, he is willing to consult even in Timbaktoo.

mba07
dukes
3underscore
I would guess it helps, but you can move around. A Uni friend of mine joined Bain on graduation (he topped our year, and dinged McKinsey and several IBs).

He ended up in their SF office having started in London.
Right, but command of the English language is a given. I was wondering if you need to know Hungarian to work in Budapest or if you need to know Czech to work in Prague. I'm actually not really set on a particular location but assumed that I need to stay within countries in which I have strong command of the local languages.
I don't think not knowing the local language would be a barrier at work. AFAIK, all the elite consulting firms recruit from the US ultra-elites, INSEAD, IMD, LBS, IESE, ISB, IIMs. Considering this even the Prague/Budapest/Stuttgart offices will have people from US/India. With this kind of mix, I dont think you'll ever have to use the local language at work. Just my 2 cents. :)
PS: ATB for INSEAD!
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 05 Mar 2007, 23:48
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You need to know the local language to work with the firms the that you consult. A friend of mine recently graduated from INSEAD and he is having a tough time landing a job in Europe because of language issues. London positons are hard to come by. At this point, he is willing to consult even in Timbaktoo.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 06 Mar 2007, 22:18
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necromonger
darren - are you talking about thunderbird or INSEAD? MCs and banks recruit in a big way in INSEAD. It's not known too well in the US (the current dean is going to be putting effort into getting the INSEAD name out in US though top recruiters know about it).
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necromonger, I was talking about Thunderbird with International Business reputation that they're usually stress. But it was just my 2 cents.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 06 Mar 2007, 22:21
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lhotseface
You need to know the local language to work with the firms the that you consult.
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Hmmmm good point. Never thought about it. But considering the fact that there are approximately half a million languages in Europe, even INSEAD's extra language course might not be of any use. Even a linguist won't know more than 10-12 languages.
For eg, If I know German, does it mean that I'm restricted to working only in Germany or for clients whose working language is German? Thats not very impressive!
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 07 Mar 2007, 02:57
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Germany, Benelux, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia no problem to talk to clients in English, in the Netherlands they will even know the language better than native speakers!

In France, if in Paris or talking to high ranked guys in big companies usually no problem, but in smaller cities and smaller companies sometimes not only they do not know the language but also they do not want to know.

In Spain: one MUST speak spanish.

These are my experience working for a european bank and having cuties based on those places.

PS - Not a judgment on nationalities or anything.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 07 Mar 2007, 03:25
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kwam
Germany, Benelux, Switzerland, Austria, Scandinavia no problem to talk to clients in English, in the Netherlands they will even know the language better than native speakers!

In France, if in Paris or talking to high ranked guys in big companies usually no problem, but in smaller cities and smaller companies sometimes not only they do not know the language but also they do not want to know.

In Spain: one MUST speak spanish.

These are my experience working for a european bank and having cuties based on those places.

PS - Not a judgment on nationalities or anything.
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I Spain, I think for large MNCs you can manage with English. I managed a team in Spain from the US. I had daily interactions with them on the phone and monthly face-to-face meetings in Spain. I did not have to know a bit of Spanish.

Again, this might have been an exception to the rule.
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kwam

In France, if in Paris or talking to high ranked guys in big companies usually no problem, but in smaller cities and smaller companies sometimes not only they do not know the language but also they do not want to know.
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But can these 'small' companies afford the ultra-elite (read McK, BCG, Bain, BAH, etc) consulting firms? Do the firms I've mentioned even look beyond the Fortune 500/1000 for clients?
It would be great if somebody who is working/has worked in consulting can answer this question.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 07 Mar 2007, 03:53
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mba07
kwam

In France, if in Paris or talking to high ranked guys in big companies usually no problem, but in smaller cities and smaller companies sometimes not only they do not know the language but also they do not want to know.

But can these 'small' companies afford the ultra-elite (read McK, BCG, Bain, BAH, etc) consulting firms? Do the firms I've mentioned even look beyond the Fortune 500/1000 for clients?
It would be great if somebody who is working/has worked in consulting can answer this question.
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I am talking about banking in general: Derivatives Sales in my case. I know from the IB guys that generally the same problem over those countries apply.
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Am I the only one who has never heard of INSEAD? 07 Mar 2007, 05:34
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You need to know the local language to work with the firms the that you consult.
Hmmmm good point. Never thought about it. But considering the fact that there are approximately half a million languages in Europe, even INSEAD's extra language course might not be of any use. Even a linguist won't know more than 10-12 languages.
For eg, If I know German, does it mean that I'm restricted to working only in Germany or for clients whose working language is German? Thats not very impressive!
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I'm not sure what you mean by "not very impressive"?
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