Dear All,I have just been offered a position in the Middle East in strategy in a recently established consulting firm. I am quite young to the consulting industry.Am I harming my future employment potentials in the UK if I relocate there? The money is good and I want to get a bit of experience living abroad? So what will the big names, or established boutiques think of this, when I do intend to return?Thanks

Dont really get you it sounds like a strategy interview missing information. You said you are young and you have concerns for firms when you come back. Does it mean at the moment you dont have any consultnacy experience or you dont have any with well established names. If that is you concern then the question is how much of learning are you going to get from ME. Also if you have experience from the big names then is no issue for you because is a plus to your CV. Good luck

Depends where you’re going. If you’re in UAE or Saudi then there’s loads of multinational clients with pots of cash that will look good on your CV whoever you’re working for. The market for consultancy is still in its infancy in the Middle East so big names aren’t as much of a first choice as they are in the West so you can still work at a very high level whilst working for a smaller company. If you are to be based in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait or Oman then I would think twice, only because most of the money/ action is in Saudi and UAE. Finally, there’s so much churn in the consulting industry as they all poach good people in the Middle East, so even if your first stop isn’t what you hoped, likely you can move to whoever you want much easier than in your home country.In short, go for it. The consultancy market is more interesting in the Middle East and it’s sunny and tax free!

Agree and disagree with you having experienced the market i will tell you that is not easy to move to another organisation then you will have to terminate your current VISA and look for another one. Saying that if you are lucky like UAE you immediately get another visa but SAudi they can be strict at times and you might find it hard to get another visa. Good luck

Hi everyone - would anyone be kind to let me know of any good consultancies that I can apply for to get a job in Mid East or consultancy recruiters- I have 4 years experince in Consulting + 7 years in industry. That person who was offered job - who were you offered with. PLEASE HELP! Thanks

Hi....There is actually alot of good names in the ME.You can find McKinsey, BoozAllen, Mercer, Axon, AT Kearney,BCG,....The best way is to look in the site of the big names, look up their location, then call their office. I would call the office despite them telling you to direct applications via mail. Say you want to find the name of the person for the covering letter. If you have four years of consultancy experience, then it's a huge plus. Also, look at the career finder tool of this site. I think "Euro" concentrate on the ME. Generally, western educated people, ones who also speak arabic, are hugely sought after. Dont forget though, UAE, and Saudi are places to go for. If in UAE, dont' necessarily opt for dubai. Abu Dahbi is not a bad place either. Good LuckP.S. You could also try MESA. They are OC&C associate partner in the ME. Good, fast growing firm. www.mesadvisors.com

Thank you for reply. Yes i can also speak basic Arabic. thanks again for the advice I really appreciate it.

Looding....Where are you originally from? How come you speak basic Arabic? Are you Iranian by any chance?

Hey Tremendous,No Im not Iranian. Im Bosnian originally but have studied Arabic part time in my free time. Why do you ask?

Bain is also currently trying to set up an office in the UAE, so you might check them out

I hear on the grapevine that PA Consulting also looking to set up there soon.

Re: visa comment above, it is true in Saudi that it can be hard to move. The UAE (Dubai in particular) have Freezones where most of the consultancies are - means you can move freely between companies provided there are no major exceptions.

Hi,Are firms offering accommodation/vehicle allowance along with the base pay in Dubai? The rocketing rental market and lack of public transportation pose obstacles for people planning to move there. What is the general structure of compensation? Any salary ranges (entry-level preferably)?Thanks, appreciate your help. -K

a fren of mine got offered as an assc prof at one of the colleges in dubai and received the following:(i) huge salary(ii) huge bonus(iii) house(iv) children study allowance at one of the int schools(v) carand few other non monetary benefitsMy point is; if an academician can get the above, you can definitely can expect more for professional management consultants.

and .............. as for the long term and other benefits:(i) the learning opportunities are huge as the regions (on macro basis) and the companies (on micro basis) are growing exponentially (ii) the demand for consultancy is very high over there. for example, consultants from adl south east asia spent 1/4 of the time in me.(iii) they really respect foreigners. a fren of mine who works in an airline industry complains about the aggresiveness of amirates airline in poaching their pilots away. it is hard for them to compete especially when the pilots are treated with 1st class treatments, car with a driver etc etc in dubai.(iv) if i were you, i would definitely accept the offer with the following plan: work at srat firm for few years in me. find opportunities in cf or pe/vc as well. at the same time establish good business contact with the me businessmen and investors. following this i will set up my own company or a pe/vc firm with the me investors as my partners.i have seen this kind of things and one of my good example, without being specific, is about a pe/vc firm that had launched a takeover for a bank in one of the south east asian country. there are many investors from me who look for people with talents, drive and proven professional abilities and experience as partners. they have the monies and the contacts and they normally prefer to be the shareholders instead of the do-ers and this, to me, is a huge opportunity.

Re: KB above, most firms offer a housing allowance but it generally doesn't cover the cost of housing. It's actually more beneficial to have the money as part of your wage as this will be more variable in the future and bonuses will likely be linked to basic wage. Re: Salary bands, depends on the company. Most are similar to the West (most of the global brands have similar pay scales) but are tax free, so if you're a higher rate tax payer in the UK, you could be 40% better off, certainly if you include national insurance.