english speaking consulting firms in germany

Question

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has some updated information on management consulting firms in germany that hire international non-german speaking people. I am currently trying to assemble a list of those so it would be great if someone already did it. My understanding is that the big firms only hire Germans or possibly international people with native german level. So I guess it would be mostly smaller firms.

My German level is at C1 right now.

So from what I know from my science institute, 20 % of people who finish science phds in germany go to consulting and half of them are not German nor do they speak it at high level, so I am sure there are a lot of smaller companies that hire them; I know only of a few good ones, and I am just starting to track these phd people down, so I was wondering if someone already did the work and is happy to exchange info..

Also, if some non-german speakers are planning to do consulting interviews in germany, I would be grateful to hear about their experience so far.

Many thanks,

Sinisa

Answer 1

Hi Sinisa,

all the candidates I helped recently for consulting interviews in Germany were fluent in German – I am not sure if there are any companies hiring candidates not fluent with the language.

If you just speak English, the best options relatively close to Germany would be London, Amsterdam (certain companies only) and Middle East.

Best,

Francesco

Answer 2

Hello!

You would have a chance with MBB, but only if you are recruited as an expert hire. This would counterest the lack of local language.

Is it the case?

If you are a graduate, I see it complicated, since the pool of talented German-speaking candidate is huge, so you would really have to be a very very excepcionally good case to surpass them.

Hope it helps!

Clara

Answer 3

Hi Sinisa,

I am born Ukrainian and came to Germany for studies and then successfully built a career in consulting after graduation. Speaking German at least at B2/C1 level is an absolute must to enter consulting as most of the interviews will be held in German. So you need to practice your interviews and cases also in German. It's tough, but manageble since I went through it on my own 8 years ago.

Feel free to drop me a line and I can share my expierience and give your actionable recommendations.

Best,

André

Answer 4

Some inhouse consultancies in Germany have English as their official language: for sure DHL consulting and I think also E.ON inhouse consulting

Answer 5

Hi Sinisa! i've had the same issue 6 years ago, when I was applying for McKinsey in Germany.

My German was good, but I've never before worked in German (I was born in Russia and was mostly speaking English for work). So, I had to step up my game and really focus on German before my interview. Overall, I feel like it would be a disadvantage if you cannot express yourself freely during the interview, so definitely try to improve your German before you walk in into those interviews.

Best,
Daniel

Answer 6

Hi Sinisa, I confirm you should show fluency in German. Unfortunately, most of the clients want to speak only in German, therefore the language is a mandatory skill for consultants.

Best,
Antonello

Answer 7

Hello Sinisa,

Unfortunately Gemany is one of those country where the native language is mandatory. You should try to apply for countries like Netherlands where english is enough and you could have the chance to improve your German at the same time.

Best,
Luca