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Which McKinsey Office would offer Visa sponsorship and is lenient regarding language requirmenets?

Hello All!

I'm currently a third-year undergraduate at IE Business School and doing an exchange at Cornell. I received a referral from an Associate at the McKinsey Milan office. I'm legally authorized to work in India and Spain. 

However, my main question is which office to focus on regarding the Business Analyst role. Which one would offer a visa sponsorship to an undergrad? In my mind, I had Nordics (Copenhagen, Stockholm) or the Middle East (Dubai, Doha). My main concern is the language and visa requirements. 

May I kindly have your valued opinion? 

Thank you in advance!

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Top answer
on Mar 01, 2024
#1 rated MBB & McKinsey Coach

Wow, you've got a very international situation going on over there. 

Basically, you should prioritise the locations for which you have a good story to explain why you would work there. 

In that sense, Spain and India make the most sense. 

Theoretically, you could make the case for US because of Cornell, but since it's only an exchange program, your story might not be strong enough to get you to pass screening. 

ME is an option just because they tend to accept international profiles, but you don't seem to have any obvious connection to the US. Same with the Nordics, only that they seem to be tougher on screening foreigners than the ME offices are. 

Here's a guide you might find useful about how to prepare your application package:

Best,
Cristian

on Mar 01, 2024
#1 Coach for Sessions (4.500+) | 1.500+ 5-Star Reviews | Proven Success (➡ interviewoffers.com) | Ex BCG | 10Y+ Coaching

Hi there,

Q: My main question is which office to focus on. Which one would offer a visa sponsorship to an undergrad?

Normally you can be considered for an invitation in a country where:

  1. You have working rights
  2. You can speak the local language
  3. You can show some kind of connection

The Middle East is an exception for #2 as you don’t need to know Arabic to work there. It is also usually easier to get a job there compared to other countries in terms of #1 and #3. For these reasons, it is often a good area to target if you don't want to apply in your home country. Whether other countries could be suitable depends on whether you satisfy the above requirements for them.

Good luck!

Francesco

Pedro
Coach
on Feb 29, 2024
Bain | EY-Parthenon | Private Equity | Market Estimates | Fit Interview

Without work authorization, I would focus on offices that tend to take expats - that's the Middle East, and Singapore could also be an option.

Hagen
Coach
edited on Feb 29, 2024
#1 recommended coach | >95% success rate | most experience in consulting, interviewing, and coaching

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

  • First of all, McKinsey will do its very best to ensure you will be able to work in the target office, irrespectable of the region or country.
  • Moreover, language requirements are typically indicated on the respective recruiting websites.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Ian
Coach
on Mar 03, 2024
#1 BCG coach | MBB | Tier 2 | Digital, Tech, Platinion | 100% personal success rate (8/8) | 95% candidate success rate

Hi there,

Remember that this will change based on firm, role, recruiting channel, etc.

Given you can work in India and Spain AND you are studying in Spain, then that would, of course, be the most logical place to apply. 

Middle East is another one that could work, but if you don't have any ties to the region why would they pick you over someone else?

Make sure you're networking and uncovering which office likes you the best. Move with the current so to speak (but, I remember applying where you have working rights and your resume matches)

How to Get a Consulting Internship - Tips and Tricks
 

Application Tracker – Keep Track With This Free Template
 

The Most Common Pitfalls in Case Interview Preparation

Dennis
Coach
on Mar 04, 2024
Roland Berger|Project Manager and Recruiter|7+ years of consulting experience in USA and Europe

Hi there,

which language are you concerned about? You speak English which opens up a variety of options, although not all of course. 

If you can envision yourself living in an ME environment, it would probably make the most sense to apply there, both economically as well as in terms of application requirements (i.e. lower barriers for visa and work permit). Once you have been with a firm for 2 years and you have established a good standing, things like internal transfers to your desired country location can become a topic.

So it is important to get a foot in the door somewhere first, even if it is not your ideal location, if your desired consulting time horizon is something like 5 years or more.

Best of luck

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