Hi,

I am an Indian Engineer with 6 years of experience in business development & a few years in project management. I applied & received an admit from Durham, was rejected by Manchester. Waiting on Edinburgh BS. My intention is to move into a technology company such as Amazon or work for consultancies such as Accenture, EY etc. in UK.

I would like to know your comments on current hiring trends in UK for Indian MBAs. I contacted a few recent alumni from UEBS & Durham, while some stayed back in UK, others moved to their old employers in India. One commented to me that a one year course does not help with transition to another country and look elsewhere if I intend to continue working in the country I study. I intend to work in UK atleast for a few years after the course. How is the current trends for MBA hires in UK for offshore candidates with Brexit & COVID?

Look forward to your kind inputs.

My sense is that the UK hiring market is very much more dynamic than last year. Last year hiring in consulting was especially reduced, with finance being a little less hit. The big difference remains between schools and candidate types rather than between countries, with the best school continuing to perform strongly and career changers having a longer job hunt.

The UK still is a strong choice for international students who cannot work in another European language, and generally with better salaries and weather than Canada. This post is a good reminder of the underlying situation: https://find-mba.com/board/general-forum/best-mbas-for-international-students-placement-35651 

This is the first hiring cycle after the end of the Brexit transition, and a big shift is that many more SMEs are now visa sponsors since EU and non-EU applicants now need work approval. By April we would not expect most of a UK MBA class to be placed even ina good year. Alliance MBA will be the bell-weather there, and we will see whether it has weaker than normal placement. 

The big difference between the short and long courses is that the longer courses, at London and Manchester, are aimed at people making bigger transitions. Actually they tend to have slightly slower placement than the one year degrees because those students tend to be making smaller transitions. Either way, next year will be very different. Student quality will be higher next year. 

The UK is still one of the better choices for students from Asia looking to transition abroad, given they relaxed the post-study visa requirements in 2020:

https://find-mba.com/articles/revived-post-study-work-visa-boosts-attractiveness-of-uk-mbas

That said, the better schools are more likely to lead to a successful country transition (see the 'International Mobility' score in the FT ranking for how schools stack up on this metric).

My sense is that there's a lot of variability in terms of Indian students trying to make that transition. Beyond looking only at the MBA 'degree,' employers will also look at their backgrounds, work history, and cultural aptitude / how well you interview. So I suppose in your case it will probably come down to these kinds of factors as well. 

Gentlemen, thank you for your replies.

I have been reading on UK schools and discussing with alumni from several UK schools.
I got rejected from Edinburgh, however Durham awarded me a sizable scholarship, Gods grace in these testing times. Even though I am delighted on an admit from Durham, I am still concerned on the opportunities in UK. Since I intend to switch country, I am a bit apprehensive. I am not sure if things would get better in a year (course duration) due to COVID and If I have to look for alternate opportunities in industrial sector where iam presently employed, being a traditional field, I think opportunities would be way less for offshore candidates in UK. A quick search indicates that Germany has twice the opportunities in my field than does UK. which brings me to another question.
I have worked for 2 years in a German organization and my German is a bit dusty, but Iam level A2. I have applied to & is expecting a response from Pforzheim/ Esslingen. I understand that German knowledge is critical and the brand Durham is light years ahead of the other schools. HHL said they received superior candidate's applications.
But, In a worst case scenario, I would only be making a country transition. The 2 years german MBA  may hopefully give the time to weather the covid storm & the stayback is not very much different from that of UK. I note that salaries difference may be often > 25%. I wish to join MBA this year itself.
I know that Durham would be a blindshot bulls-eye in this case, but given the unprecedented situation, would like to know your thoughts if you were in my shoes. 

Greetings,
Apologies on writing an essay for a question, would appreciate your kind inputs.

Unemployment is low in the UK, especially outside London. It's really hard to hire good people right now. I don't think a year makes a big difference. 

If you arrive with A2 German then by the end of a English-language MBA you will not be able to work in German. Your opportunities will be more limited than in the UK, since English is the business language here. HHL MBAs earn 25% less than Durham MBAs (https://rankings.ft.com/rankings/2858) so, even with fluent German, the outcome is worse. 

PS As a foreigner, I'm not sure if you'd rather be in Saxony or Durham.  That seems the big difference. 

[Edited by Duncan on May 12, 2021]