Is it easier to get into a tier 1 in a different country?

Ok - lets assume i am a consultant at a big 4 with 3 years experience and a solid degree.

Tier 1 strat's dont want to speak to me here - but I am bilingual in other languages... so if I went for example, to Argentina - or Dubai, would it be easier to get into McK / Bain from there?

I know for a fact that for Acn and EY, New York and London are the most sought offices. Does my reasoning apply?

If you speak the languages and can sell your pitch well, its extremely possible. The competition can't be as intense there as it is here.

What is a more important question in this case, is whether Tier 1 experience from a 'Tier 2' location (not meaning this in any derogatory way whatsoever) will be of help in your career if you return here.

I'd be interested in any opinions people may have on this topic.

debate!

I believe consulting for Mckinsey anywhere in the world is better than for PA in london. ( Not trying to be arrogant)

I agree, on purely professional terms.

However there are other apsects. E.g. Standard of living in the country where you move to.

Value of their money (if you work in Thailand or Romania, your savings will be worth little back here).

And say you do 3-5 years at BCG in Hungary and come back to the UK - will your experience help you sell your CV to the Tier 1 strategy firms, or even the boutiques? Or will you only have the option of joining a firm like PA or E&Y, in which case why bother?

If you can get in to any company then there are always opportunities to transfer internationally assuming you cut the mustard. However, each company will have its own internal view as to which geographies are up and coming and those that are perceived, rightly or wrongly, as being a bit of a backwater. In that respect, you should really research the size of the office and types of clients in each country you're targetting to see if it fits the general global profile. I know in my company, for example, Argentina would be considered a bad choice, whereas the boom in the Middle East could actually give you some really good work experience in say Oil & Gas, Financial Services and a few other industries (that's not to say it's easy to apply there, there's loads of internal applicants who'd love to move out there from the UK).

Oh, and you can't be "bilingual in other languages" - you can be bilungual or multilingual!