I'm starting on the Insead MBA this fall. I'm a finance guy but my goal was to get into consulting after the program. But after some networking I've done mostly online I'm a bit more excited about private equity to be honest. However most of the people I've talked to did their MBAs at US schools (Harvard, Stanford.)

How realistic is is to aim for PE after Insead? I'm also open to VC firms. What should I be doing now and later this year to improve my chances?

It's possible. Private equity is not a big industry and just because of the size the specialized firms don't recruit a ton of MBAs. You might want to connect with a bigger finance firm that has a private equity practice and see what you can do to get your foot in the door.

My sense is that there is a demand for European-educated PE managers. I don't know how big the demand is, though.

Why don't you connect with some Insead alumni? Certainly there are grads who are working in the field.

It's not a huge industry and in general it will be more important for you to speak the language for local PE outfits than for other jobs.

If you're looking in France, you will absolutely need to speak French fluently. If you don't (if English is the only European language you speak) then UK / London should probably be your focus.

Thank you both. I will try to connect with some alumni, that is a good idea.