Hello, I am looking into:
- Skema’s MSc Audting, Management Accounting & Information Systems
- IESEG’s MSc International Accounting, Audit & Control
- Renne’s MSc International Accounting, Management Control & Auditing

All 3 programmes look promising. I intend to specialise in Audit and I found these 3 in France. I am confused which one of the programs to choose. If anyone has experience from one of the schools and if anyone has completed one of these courses, can you help in explaining which school you went for and why?
Grateful

Where do you want to work? Which of those schools has the most alumni in the countries or firms you want to work in? 

Post completion of degree, i’d like to work anywhere in Europe, not necessarily France. I am open to jobs anywhere however i have a few companies like grant thorton, the big 4, Mazars, pepsi, IBM, LV etc in mind that i’ll rigorously target. Though i am not going to limit myself to these companies only. My preference is to get the ideal role instead. I am trying to contact alumni on linkendin. Everyone has good things to say so i’m really confused overall. Skema says 98% of their students get jobs soon after and have partnership with a few renowned companies including big 4. Renne’s mentioned a nice variety of companies including big 4. Ieseg has mentioned a good average salary for their alumni with mention of some companies and PWC. Alumni that i contacted can only speak about their experience in one particular school. So i am not able to figure out what other elements should i look into. Skema’s rating is overall better but a few students have given really bad reviews on the school generally. The programme i want to do is not clearly explained on their website and when i contact the admission office, they explain things differently from what’s given on the website. I am trying to contact more alumni to understand the barriers they faced. Mostly didn’t learn french because they were open to get jobs anywhere in Europe. They have had some difficulties but nothing they couldn’t handle. Renne’s program is a wee bit expensive from the rest so i am guessing it’s more renowned and well rounded. 

  

Study where you want to work. The work opportunities are limited for people who don't speak the local business language because so management documents and meetings happen in the local business language. I struggle to think that most people who take these programmes without speaking French or another mainland European language will find work in the EU. Certainly, Europe has profoundly national labour markets. 

PS There's no apostrophe in Rennes. The possessive would be Rennes'.  http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/apostrophe/possessives 

The IESEG course stands out to me because it's in Paris. If you insist on not learning French prior to your degree, your job hunt will be aided by being close to international transport links. 

PS It cannot be a coincidence that the schools you mention are all headquartered in provincial France. Why not arrive early and take a semester studying French intensively? 

[Edited by StuartHE on Aug 28, 2021]

Study where you want to work. The work opportunities are limited for people who don't speak the local business language because so management documents and meetings happen in the local business language. I struggle to think that most people who take these programmes without speaking French or another mainland European language will find work in the EU. Certainly, Europe has profoundly national labour markets. 

PS There's no apostrophe in Rennes. The possessive would be Rennes'.  http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/apostrophe/possessives 

The IESEG course stands out to me because it's in Paris. If you insist on not learning French prior to your degree, your job hunt will be aided by being close to international transport links. 


PS It cannot be a coincidence that the schools you mention are all headquartered in provincial France. Why not arrive early and take a semester studying French intensively? 

Maybe there is some misunderstanding here? The appropriate suggestion isn't mearly that you should start learning French: you should have learnt French to a professional level before starting your degree. The number of accounting and finance jobs available without local language skills is very limited.

Not too discount Duncan's advice - it's usually absolutely critical to speak French at a fluent level if you want to work in a professional career in France, but three things would improve your chances at landing a job where French is not prioritized as much:

- going to a better school (HEC, Insead)
- studying a more general degree (a Master's in Management)
- expecting a weaker salary upon graduation

A better school would help get you in front of more internationally-oriented firms, which tend to, at least for some roles, be open to non-native speakers. Doing a general degree would give you more flexibility in terms of the functional roles you could look at. Expecting a weaker salary might mean working for startups that are internationally-oriented.