London Big-4 Consulting vs Singapore MBB?

Hi,

Sharing a perspective on this having worked in Singapore T2 & MBB, and also having spoken to people who worked in London consulting

• Prestige/branding
  • MBB > Big 4, really it is true
  • I myself experienced this and saw the difference after I switched to MBB, in terms of the number of opportunities / headhunters approaching me
  • There are some corp strat in my region that will only hire ex-MBB, and not T2/Big 4
• Project types
  • Singapore is part of the SEA system, and SEA is very much still a growth market, so you can expect a higher chance of doing an interesting project
• Growth
  • MBB vs Big 4: Better and more opportunities in MBB for sure in terms of the consistency of quality of people and global network
  • Location specific dynamics: In a developing consulting market (SEA) you could expect more autonomy and taking on more responsibilities at the junior level vs London
• Travel
  • This is one key difference that is related to location
  • If you join Singapore, you will likely travel alot for work to the SEA region

Hope this helps to shed light for those facing a situation like this!

Hello,

MBB is absolutely a better choice than Big-4 for strategic consultancy. You should consider the Big-4 offer only if you have a strong preference for London.

Best,
Luca

It´s a double YES!

1st of all, MBB is much better than BIG4 Consulting in multiple KPIs (salary, prestige, aluni network, exit opportunities, etc.)

2nd, Singapore it´s a dream location -if you have availability of course, and don´t have any ties to other places such as family-. Taxes are much lower than in London, so your neto will be very generous. 

Hope this helps!

Best, 

Clara

Hi,

I would definitely choose MBB in Singapore:

• MBB is much much better than Big4 (Salary, career growth, learning curve, exit opportunities - absolutely everything)
• London is one of the worst locations for consulting (Low salaries due to Brexit even at MBB, not even saying about big4)

Best

MBB in Singapore hands down. Lots of interesting projects, much better exit opportunities and if you do well you can always transfer to London office in a couple of years

Hi Michael,

congratulations on your offers! MBB would make much more sense if you are location-agnostic, the main reasons are the following:

• Better exit opportunities. Many consultants stay just few years – exit opportunities are thus very important in particular at the beginning of your career
• Stronger alumni network. Not only you will have better exit opts, but you will be able to connect with MBB alumni for the rest of your life which is a great asset
• Project types. Projects are more strategy-based, less implementation based

Besides that, in Singapore you will have a far higher pay due to the lower taxes and all the economies around here are booming.

Best,
Francesco

The short answer is yes.

You are much better off in the long run starting at MBB in Singapore. Unless you have an immediate need to live in London it is a no brainer, and even then you can probably transfer within a few years out of Singapore if you have good personal reasons.

Take the MBB offer.

If I were you, I would choose MBB in Singapore. Obviously MBB>>Big4, and Singapore is an amazing country and is much ahead in every aspect.  The projects one would get in Singapore would actually be the projects rest of the world would have in the future. Plus, one would be close to the Asian market which is growing at a much faster rate.