Hi,I am currently applying to graduate consulting positions, and although ive got far with some (got Capgemini assessment day in afew weeks) I was rejected straight away by many (mostly strategy firms)I know in the current economic climate its going to be hard to secure anything, so was thinking about doing an MSc in International management at one of the business schools of Barcelona. Will this be a great benefit when trying to apply for consulting jobs in the future, or just a waste of time and money? I dont want to live in the UK much anymore anyway, so see this maybe as a possible chance to enter the Spanish market.Basically, how will such a degree be looked upon? does it have to be from one of the top rated business school to be of real worth??Any advice/ insight greatly appreciated.Thanks!

If you're looking at graduate positions in mainland Europe then it is worth doing a Masters. This is simply because the default education path for many years was straight to undergraduate Masters if you were studying at an established university. Although the system has changed and many more people only study to Bachelors level now, some stereotypes remain.The better-rated the school, the better in this environment. Graduate employment is a problem in Spain, so the bigger the advantage you can buy yourself, the better.

Try looking at degrees (esp. Masters esp. Management) from the knowledge it provides you with for your career (not fashionable in the recent past was it!)In this way you can not only exchange it for experience in the years ahead but you can facilitate the management of this by regulating when, and how, you do this yourself.There are many other considerations that defy a short termist, league table-driven mentality. Geographic location is an obvious one. Some quick answers that might/might not help:- it will be of some benefit- it will take up some time but the main determinant of whether it is wasted is most probably you- if you consider it as a medium term investment you could well make it profitable but it is not just about money- looked upon by who? - the last question is the sort of thing people ask at the bottom of a market (i.e. very short termist). It also makes you seem quite 'wrong side of the shop window'.P.S. Anyone still reading this message? If so Happy 2009 to you all! and good luck with it cos.