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Why Do An MBA In Europe (UK, France, Spain)?

Our friends from BusinessBecause.com are back with another guest post. Editor, Maria Ahmed, explores whether it still makes sense to consider an MBA program from the UK, Spain, France, Switzerland, Germany or for that matter, any European country.


Why do an MBA in Europe?

by Maria Ahmed

 
BusinessBecause | Maria AhmedWith all the doom and gloom coming out of Europe, does it still make sense to do an MBA there?

The answer is: it depends! Even in the current climate, there are still plenty of examples of Indian nationals who have used an MBA from a European school to go on to great roles in leading firms or start their own companies in the “old continent”. Read on for some examples of Indians who are making their European MBA work for them!

Post-graduation employment is the top concern of most people applying for an MBA abroad. It’s worth considering that there’s a lot of variation in unemployment rates between European countries. In Spain it’s an eye-watering 23.6%; in France, 10%; the UK, 8.3%;Germany, 6.7% and Switzerland, only 3.1%.

One major challenge if you want to break into a job market other than the UK, is the language barrier. While English is the global language of business, in practice you need a decent knowledge of the local language to land a job in France, Germany or Spain. All good business schools offer language training alongside the MBA but you need to be prepared to study hard!

Another point to note is that there’s a shortage of people with an engineering background in Europe in general, and the UK in particular. If you have a first degree in engineering, supplemented with an MBA, it’s a great combination to land a job in project management, analysis or operations. You may not get to a front office or strategy role straight away, but you’ll be off to a great start.

And let’s not forget, doing an MBA in Europe is a great thing in itself! You’re building an international network, learning about a new culture, and boosting your business skills and knowledge.

The costs of full-time MBAs in Europe vary a lot. The costs of the MBA programs mentioned in this article can be found on each business school’s profile page on BusinessBecause. You can also check out the MBA rankings table on BusinessBecause to compare post-graduation salary increases of different programmes, job prospects, and several other criteria to take into account alongside the tuition cost.

So, as promised, here are some success stories…!

Debarshi Das graduated from the full-time MBA at France’s EMLYON in 2010. His first degree was a BEng in Chemical Engineering from Jadavpur University in Calcutta after which he worked in increasingly senior roles as IT consultant for Tata Consultancy Services, Thomson Reuters and Actis. Following his MBA he made the switch out of IT, into the role of Senior Business Analyst at medical devices firm Abbott Vascular in Belgium.

Over in Switzerland another techie, Nitin Misra, is using the MBA at the University of St Gallen to learn about the challenges tech companies face in integrating business, technology and design. St Gallen is a great place to do this, as the University has a prestigious Design School as well as a business school. Nitin earned a BSc in Computer Science from Northern Maharashtra University and worked in project management and consulting roles for HCL Technologies, Accenture, and Oracle Corporation. He wants to return to the IT industry with cutting edge business ideas to boost his career.

Vishal Desai, whose first degree was a Bachelors of Engineering in Computer Science from Mumbai University, has no regrets about opting for an MBA at Manchester Business School. Before he started the 18-month MBA in 2009, he had worked for software firm Amdocs in India for five years, ending up as Product Lead. While on the Manchester MBA, Vishal did three major strategy consulting projects: the UK National Nuclear Labortory; iPlato, a mobile healthcare technology firm; and pharmaceuticals giant GSK. He is now a Strategic Marketing Manager at electronics firm RSComponents, based in Oxford. This transition from a tech to a strategy role, and from India to the UK would have been  impossible transition if he hadn’t studied in the UK and built a network there.

Finally, there are also examples of Indian MBA grads taking the bold step of setting up  their own businesses in the UK.

Kerala native Manoj Krishnapillai graduated from the MBA at Lancaster University Management School in 2010. He had already set up one very successful business in India, while studying a Masters in Electronic Science at the Mahatma Gandhi University. His video and photo-sharing application MobMe was named by the Wall Street Journal as one of India’s most exciting start-ups in 2008.

While at Lancaster he teamed up with two fellow students – an MBA and a PhD scientist – to develop an eco-friendly water purification technology. Their business plan reached the finals of the Rice University Business Plan Competition in Houston, Texas, and Manoj is now working on the enterprise full time.

From water treatment to ethical handicrafts… Aston Business School MBA Swati Randev Verma has two degrees in Microbiology, but she’s on a mission to launch her e-commerce social venture, Ahem Asmi. The not-for-profit social enterprise will give small-scale handicraft producers from India a global platform to sell their products. She’s using her MBA to build and test her business model, and is negotiating with NGOs, factories and smaller handicraft makers in India for the launch of Ahem Asmi when she graduates this summer!
 


Author Bio: Maria Ahmed is Editor of BusinessBecause.com, a professional network for the business school world. Check out BusinessBecause for interviews with all the people mentioned in this story, and useful information about MBA jobs, MBA rankings and fresh daily editorial.
 


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Sameer Kamat
About Sameer Kamat
Founder of MBA Crystal Ball. Author of Beyond The MBA Hype & Business Doctors. Here's more about me. Follow me on: Instagram | Linkedin | Youtube

41 thoughts on “Why Do An MBA In Europe (UK, France, Spain)?”

  1. Hi Sameer,

    I need a little help on figuring out options for my masters degree in Europe. I have done my grads in Statstics and done a Pg diploma in Marketing and Advertising post which i have worked with top ad agencies in Media business handling roles for the last 6 years. I`m interested in getting into sports marketing/ management, but And don`t see much options to get a specialized degree in India, looking for options in Europe.

    Kindly help.

    Reply
  2. Mahavir: One of our MBA consultants is an INSEAD graduate who moved into sports management after a stint in a top management consulting firm. INSEAD isn’t really known to be a program for sports management.

    Same way, you could consider any top bschool and aim to get into the field that you want.

    Reply
  3. hey i have completed b.com. how is post graduate diploma in international business? im damn confused about what to do… suggest me something. or is it worth doing mba without work experience

    Reply
  4. Hi, i have comleted 1.5 yrs in IT as s/w developer and now wants to persue MBA either in Traval and Tourism or Finance. Please tell me how to start with procedure for getting admission into MBA schools in France/Spain/Hungary/swiss. Also my budget for tution fees is about 10 Lakhs/year.

    Reply
  5. Thomas, the cost of attending a good B-school in India is around 22 lakhs. If you go abroad, the MBA fees go up.

    There are many that offer cheaper MBA degrees and make it easy to get into their programs. But do your research on why they are doing so and what it’ll do for your career.

    Read this book –> Beyond The MBA Hype. It’s meant exactly for folks who are facing the dilemmas you’ve shared.

    Reply
  6. hi..now m doing engg in tamilnadu and i want to MBA in germany whether i know german language for doing mba in that country

    Reply
  7. Hello Sameer,
    I am a civil engineer working for the past 4 yrs in Construction industry of which 1 yr was spent in Madrid, as I am working in a Spanish MNC. I am planning for a MBA, but I am in a dilemma whether infrastructure professionals stand a good or equal chance w.r.t finance/IT/consulting professionals going for MBA..??
    Moreover, will it be worth opting a Spanish business school in current scenario..??
    Thanks..!!

    Reply
  8. @Naveen: Knowing the local language in a foreign country is always an advantage, if not in the class, then in your interactions outside the bschool environment.

    Puneet: A career change gets riskier the more you move away from your immediate line of expertise (and your home country). So choose your post-MBA goal and geography carefully.

    Reply
  9. Hi Sameer,

    I’ve been working as a software engineer for the past two years and I’m keen on going for an MBA sometime next year. Good colleges in US are damn expensive and don’t think I’ll be able to afford them. What are the other options worth considering? Fine with any location (Europe, Australia, Canada, Singapore etc). Also, is there any link where in I can see tuition fees for the top schools around the globe.

    Thanks!!
    Shreejit

    Reply
  10. @Shreejit: If financing is a constraint, Indian MBA programs can offer the best RoI.
    We don’t have a listing of tuition fees, as it gets too tedious to keep updating it. Other sites will have the same issue of keeping the list up to date. Best option is to check on the official site.

    Reply
  11. Hey Sameer,

    What about us Commerce grads with 7 odd years of Marketing experience (on the agency side).
    Do France/ Spain offer opportunities in strategic marketing consultancy domain?

    Regards.

    Reply
  12. @Manas: Marketing is a global function, so sure there are plenty of opportunities across the world. However you’d have to also evaluate if the cultural disconnect could be a challenge, specially if you are in a client facing role.

    Reply
  13. hi sameer,
    I’ve completed my bachelor degree in business management, before pursuing my degree i’ve worked for three years. And now I’m looking forward to join one year MBA in IPAG business school, France or in other European countries. will i get good job in france after completing my degree? also now i’ve started learning french.
    Thank you

    Reply
  14. Hi sameer,
    I have completed degree in law and have 4 years experience in social development sector (ngo) including 2 years experience with United Nations in India.
    I am looking for an MBA in ireland or swetzerland…plz suggest some good Institutes..
    For your information, I am interested in MBA in International relations.

    Thanks

    Reply
  15. @Allen: Sorry, bro, I am not knowledgeable about that MBA program. In fact, to be brutally honest, I’ve never heard of it before.

    @Anshul: The biggest name in Switzerland is IMD. Check it out. Ireland has Smurfit (Dublin), but I’m not so sure about the quality, market value etc. So you’d have to do your own research.

    Request: Please don’t post further queries on this blog. Post them on our forum.

    Reply
  16. HI Sameer,

    Am an IT Program Manager with 11 years experience based out of India.Am 35 years old now.I have a strong desire to do a full time MBA.What are your suggestions for on pursuing a fulltime MBA and which school suits my profile best .

    Thanks in Advance

    Reply
  17. Hi Sameer,

    I am an engineer with 2 years of experience in the technology sector and two years in the non profit sector. Would you recommend an MBA from Europe if I intend to work in India on completion of the course?
    Thanks in advance

    Reply
  18. Hi Sameer,
    H r u? Hope u will be fine with good health.
    I hav completed MCA dgree abd have 2+ years of exp as an oracle DBA. I I hav a desire to do MBA. So plz guide me what are ur suggestion to do?

    Reply
  19. hello sir.,,
    i have completed my master in pharmacy.,,due to lack of jobs over here..,am planing for international mba in france.,,is it better to do over there after that can i get any job over ther?please say clearly

    Reply
  20. Hi Sameer,

    I have a total of 6 years of experience, 4 in IT (software development) and 2 years as an third party auditor for multiple ISO standards in one of the biggest audit firms.. I now feel, I will have to work on joining a good MBA program.. preferably in India / abroad. Can I request you to suggest – 1) Will an MBA suit me .. considering my current job? 2) If yes, what stream can I opt for ? 3) Can you suggest some schools in India apart from ISB, IIMs and XLRI that can give me a good placement after graduation?

    Reply
  21. Hello
    I am planning to do masters in management form France as I have 1.5 years of exp. Can you suggest which will be a better option Neoma, Audencia Nante or kedge or skeema.

    Reply
  22. Hello Sameer Sir,
    I have done B.Tech. in mechanical engineering pass out in 2013. I have no prior work experience as i could not procure a satisfactory job. Can you please guide me about the Foreign Universities that provide MBA without any work experience?

    Reply
  23. Hi sameer

    i have completed my bachelors in electrical engineering and currently working as IT consultant . I have 2 yrs of work experience and planning to do MBA from europe. can u please suggest me about the education and jpb prospects post graduation and i am interested in international business specialisation.

    Reply
  24. Hi Sameer,

    I am in a big need of your help. Here is my situation, I am currently in Rennse France with my husband. I got offer for MBA in international business. I have done physiotherapy from India and worked there for 4 years and then went to Newziland and did some certification there and currently in france wtih my husband who works here. Not able to find a job here, very difficult. I cant spend more time in studies now.Need a job.
    I ended up doing 1 year MBA. Could you please suggest if this is the right step for me or not?

    Priya

    Reply
  25. Hi Sameer,

    I am a very typical case of a “what to do and how to get better job”. I have admission offer at NEOMA BS in Paris, France. My question is, I will be turning 40 while I will be finishing my MBA. I have experience in sales (entry level) and as a workforce analyst. Do you think if I can make a career change or Is it worthy doing MBA in my case?

    Reply
  26. i want to know about the scope of MBA IN CLOUD COMPUTING…
    should i go for mba in cloud computing or shold i go for mba in project management,or supply chain management

    Reply
  27. HI Sameer,

    I have done my BE in Bangalore. I have around ^ yrs of working experience. Now planning to do MBA in Germany from IUBH. Is this a good move/choice in terms of getting a good job prospect.

    Reply
  28. I have an experience of 3 years in IT industry(B.E (IT)),planning to do MBA from europe,I have got admission in universidad europea de madrid ,wants to pursue MBA in sports management .
    I had few queries regarding the 1) current job scenario in spain ,2)how good is the course

    Reply
  29. Hi ,

    I am from bangalore .I have Completed by Engineering in Electronics and Communication . Have around 4+ Years of experience in Sales and Marketing ,currently working for a software firm .
    I want to pursue MBA in Europe ,can u please let me about the approximate money required to complete mba and how are job opportunities after MBA in Europe(Particularly in UK). I am interested in international business specialisation or international marketing,what would u suggest.

    Reply
  30. Hello sameer,

    I am a recent graduate in Automotive Engineering (B.ENG HONS ) from U.K with no relevant work experience.curretly i am exploring my higher studies options other than MS in engineering.
    Now thinking of doing P.G preferably MBA or supply chain management & logistics. What would be your best advice ?

    Regards,
    sahil

    Reply
  31. Hello Sameer

    Please giude me – I am a working professional with 10years of professional in IT. Currently i am a Project Manager. I want to go for an MBA which can give me a placement as well. I have come to a news/rumour that europien schools have stopped assisting in placement in europe and they ask us to come back to our country.
    Also can you suggest for good 1 year MBA program which are value for money.
    Last one :0 — there are many program which does not neeed GMAT. Can you let me know if they are worth joining. If yes can you please recommend some.

    Thanks and have a nice day

    Reply
  32. Hi Sameer,

    I am a Btech. from NIT and working as a Business Analyst in an IT MNC in Bangalore. I have 3+ years of work exp. I am extremely interested in pursuing an MBA from Europe( Rotterdam Erasmus, Mannheim Germany, Emlyon France are on my list).

    Can you give me suggestions in terms of the post- mba job market and relevant opportunities in these countries? Are there opportunities for part-time jobs for sustenance till you end up getting ‘the perfect job’?

    Regards,
    Ritam

    Reply
  33. Hi Sameer,
    I am right now perusing the final year of busines management bachelors degree. I am further intrested in pursuing Masters in International business or MBA in the same field. I am kneen on giving gmat right after my graduation, but the only thing that I am confused about is whether to choose a B-School in the US or Europe. I am aiming for HEC Paris. But after doing a bit or research I hace gotten to know that the European MBA placement ratio is lower than the American placement ratio.
    Now I am confused. And another issue I am worried aboutnis, wether I should work first for a year or two and applg further or right after graduation?
    Guidance will be helpful.

    Regards
    Ishita.

    Reply
  34. Hi Sameer ….i am an architect working since last 5 year now in my field.
    I wish to do luxury brand management at one of the European schools.what are my chance of getting a job in Europe in luxury sector once i am done with my MBA.

    Thanks

    Reply
  35. Hi sameer ,
    I did my bachelor of technology in Electronics and communication engg , and i completed my m.b.a in Marketng and H.R (dual programme) , i did complete my m.b.a recently and am looking forward to do my another masters in Spain (i dont have any work experience), can you suggest me some good universities or B-schools in spain with the subject or course that i should be taking . awaiting an early reply. Thnq in Advance.

    Reply
  36. hi i am looking for mba in sport management by distance learning and i had 9 Year of experience in handling client services.please suggest.

    Reply
  37. hi sameer , i have just completed my 12 standard from commerce stream and got a 92% . I have decided to go to netherlands after my graduation or post graduation whichever may be more beneficial . I am getting admission in delhi university for doing b.com . Can i go to netherlands and find a job after doing bcom or should i do a course like BCA ( bachelors in computer applications ) and MCA (masters in computer application) , integrated programme in 5 years and go in the IT feild ? I also want to know that can i find a job in netherlands if i do a course related to commerce feild or will i have to switch to IT feild .

    Reply
  38. I’m pursuing civil engineering final year in tamilnadu and I would like to continue my master degree in mba at Poland,Is Poland good for mba?

    Reply
  39. hi sameer i am sanjay completed my BE in mechanical stream and have 2 yrs of work exp..i want to do mba in france and i already applied for colleges..can i know that what will be the future for mba 0r msc in management and is it worth doing mba or msc in france and what in need to do for landing a job there after my masters…let me know the difference btw mba and msc in management

    Reply

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