Bain Southeast Asia

Question

Hi,

I received an interview from Bain Jakarta for Industry Consultant role and have a few questions that I hope to get clarified:

1. As the name of the role implies, will this role focus on particular industry, or there will be opportunities across different industries? We all know that Bain is famous for its PE consulting lines, but from what I read on other forums Bain Industry Consultant in Southease Asia won't be exposed to the PE/VC industries which I'm very interested in. So I hope to get more clarification on this.

2. What is the salary expectation of MBB in Jakarta office in comparison with other Southeast Asia offices such as Singapore? I heard that projects will be across Southeast region but from what I saw on Glassdoor, Bain Jakarta base salary is far less than Bain Singapore.

Thanks

Answer 1

Hello!

Congrats for the offer!

To your points:

Industry Consultant usually means some degree of specialization in an industry/vertical (probably you are an experience hire, right? With some industry knowledge). This means that most of your engagements will be focused on this vertical, where you will also have the chance to work with general consultatns. Also, once in and performing well, you can change tracks relatively easy
Jakarta´s pay is lower (I can´t tell you how much) than Singapore, given that also living costs are lower. Hence, both you salary, bonus and diets are dictated by your office, regardless of where you currently are staffed. Again, with time, you can try to move.

Hope it helps!

Cheers,

Clara

Answer 2

Hi there,

On point 2), beside geo locations, it also depends on the firm and your level in the firm.

For BCG, almost all levels below Managing Director and Partner in Jakarta are paid lower than in Singapore.

For Bain, while consultants and below in Jakarta are paid less than in Singapore, Manager and above are paid similarly. That said the taxes are different in 2 countries, as well as the living costs (i.e. Singapore with lower tax but higher costs, Jakarta with higher tax but lower costs).

Best,

Emily

Answer 3

Hey A,

first of all my congratulations to your interview invite.

Last month I helped one mentee to get an offer from Bain Zurich and last year - the one from Bain Singapore.

Regarding your question, Industry Consultant role implies that you will be assigned to one of the industrial competence centers (i.e. Oil&Gas, Automotive, Transportation, Energy & Infrastructure, Financial Services, etc.). So you will not have a generalist but rather specialist track with a clear focus on the certain industry from the day one. This means that assignments in PE will not be that common. Have you actually identified which industry are you interested in your application or is it mentioned in the job description?

Regarding your second question, you are absolutely right - the pay in Jakarta is way lower than in Singapore as well as the living costs. Bain has fix salary ranges for every specific office. Even though you might be staffed in Singapore or any other SEA countries, but if you are based in Jakarta, you will get the salary of this office.

I hope it brings more clarity. If you need help to secure an offer, drop me a line!

Best,

André

Answer 4

Dear anonymous,

Congratulations for the offer! Regarding your questions:

"Industry consultant" usually means that you will be assigned to a specific industry as in an expert track. Hence it's likely that you won't be exposed to PE/VC, but I would suggest to reach out the HR about this. Once that you receive an offer, you have some negotiation power.
I confirm that salary in Jakarta is lower than other offices (especially compared to Sigapore, that have one of the highest salary worldwide). I know that it can sound unfair, but the salary depends on the office where you are enrolled and not where you will actually do the project. Even if you do a prject in Signapore with a team from the Singapore office, you will receive the salary of the Jakarta office.

Hope it helps,
Luca

Answer 5

Agree with Luca

Answer 6

Hi, I confirm the salary depends on the firm and on the geography (mainly due to the purchasing power and to the top salary among other firms in the country)

Best,
Antonello

Answer 7

Hi, Great question. Sharing my perspective having considered exits at various stages. I would say it all depends on... (read entire answer)

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Answer 8

Hi! I wouldn't worry about them reneging on the offer. Through the background check, they rather want to understand... (read entire answer)

Hi! I wouldn't worry about them reneging on the offer. Through the background check, they rather want to understand whether you purposefully tried to hide something or lie in t... (read entire answer)

Answer 9

Hi there, The timeline you've outlined for the application process at firms like McK, BCG, and Bain is quite accurate... (read entire answer)

Hi there, The timeline you've outlined for the application process at firms like McK, BCG, and Bain is quite accurate. Typically, the recruitment process from submitting your re... (read entire answer)