Tier 2 Australia vs. MBB South East Asia

Hi there,

I'm based in Australia, worked for BCG Australia, and know MBB intimately down here, so let me help :)

1) Pay/perks - generally higher in Australia

2) Worklife balance - much more emphasized in Australia. They take weekends seriously (we rarely worked weekends), they strive to meet personal KPIs during the week (i.e. teams hold you accountable to meeting 1-2 personal life needs each week), they're conscious of burnout (at BCG for example you get 2 free "ME" days each year), etc. 

3) Culture - More flat and "conversational" in Australia

4) Projects/Industry - Australian work involves Mining, Oil & Gas, Energy, Public Sector/Government, Telecomms, Financial Institutions, Consumer Products. They're also quite strong in Technology advantage (Platinion/GAMMA)

SE Asia would have a lot of finance, oil & gas, mining, manufacturing.

Hi,

Working for MBB anywhere sets you up with a brand name to leverage globally. Also remember getting in to any MBB office is extremely difficult, just because it is in Vietnam doesn't mean it will be easier to get into

Pros 

Lots of fun projects with interesting problems to solve

Great team mates and client exposure

MBB brand

Cons

Long hours

Some cultural/language requirements

Limited industries served

Q2

There will definitely be a difference in culture and project work vs Australia - the industries are quite different, people and culture are different and lifestyle is quite a bit worse. But MBB as a whole works in the same way across the board

Q3

Transfer - assuming you are from Australia or have very strong ties to the region, if you have a strong performance record you can transfer after a minimum of 2 years

Best,

Udayan

Hello!

A priori, I would say you should jump to the Tier 2 in Aussie to MBB in SEA. 

• Pros: MBB is a brand, regardless of the region. Hence, once you belong to the brand, many opportunities open: 
  • Alumni
  • Networking
  • Exit opportunities
  • etc.
• Cons: Austrilian lifestyle is amazing, and this is something you are not going to replicate in your next job if it´s in SEA. Furthermore, I woud have doubts also regarding who will pay more. 

In any case, I think it all comes to seeing what you prioritize and what´s your end goal. If you want to proceed in consulting, MBB move makes sense. However, if you like what you do and you see growth opportunities there too, is a great option as well. 

Hope it helps! 

Cheers, 

Clara

Hi,

1. Pros / cons

- Pros will be working in an emerging market with lots of growth and interesting projects. Growth will translate into more career opportunities than slower-growing markets.

- Cons will be lower pay (ex Singapore) than in Australia and likely longer working hours than tier 2 in Australia 

2. Differences in work culture, project work

- In addition to the obvious cultural differences, I think you can expect more working hours and less pushback from partners to clients as they are still building the client base and trying to "impress clients" with the good work they can deliver for the client base.

3. Ability to transfer back

- If you perform well, you will always have a good opportunity to go back to Australia. Good consultants will always be in demand especially as you rise the ranks of the firm and you have a proven track record. 

-A

Hi there,

Some thoughts on your questions:

(1) Pros: MBB give you more options later compared to tier 2. Plus, SEA is a booming place, with a lot more exit opportunities esp in the tech space.

Cons: In general SEA office work longer hours compared to Australia. Also you might travel more. So physically might be more tiring. 

(2) There would be some culture difference btw SEA and Australia. E.g. in SEA the senior leaders (partners, principals) are more accommodating to clients, i.e. less push back. Within SEA countries the project work and firm culture won't be too different. 

(3) If you are a top performer, it is easy to transfer back. I had a few ex-colleagues who moved to Australia after a few years. In some industries esp mining, it is quite common to have joint team from both SEA and Australia, and that'd be an easy way to build connection with Australia office and partners. 

Hope it helps,

Emily

Hi there,

Below you can find some comments on your questions:

1) Plus: I agree with Emily that SEA has strong growth potential which can positively correlated with your opportunities to grow in the company

Minus: expect a far lower salary than Australia, unless you can target Singapore; also working hours are probably going to be worse

2) In terms of project, I would expect many to be related to market entry and growth strategy

3) Not sure about the transfer from SEA to Australia, but in Europe it is not so easy to move from lower-paying countries (eg Italy) to higher-paying countries (eg Switzerland) due to demand and supply. However if you are (i) a top performer and (ii) have connections in your target geography this can help a lot

Best,

Francesco

Dear A,

If I were you, I would definitely go for MBB in SEA, preferably Malasiya, and then try to transfer to Sidney after couple of years. Regarding advantages and cons, the projects in MBB will be international than in Tier-2 company. 

Of course, it depends on what Tier-2 company do you have in mind, but generally speaking, you will have more international exposure at MBB throughout the whole region. Maybe, you would also have a chance to work in Australia out of your SEA office. 

A for SEA office, it has better exit options and longer working hours, as well. 

Best,

André