Language, work permits, and a checklist

• McKinsey's careers FAQ says certain locations require local language proficiency. BCG's careers FAQ says most roles need working English, and that some offices also ask for fluency in the local language.
• For example, BCG Greater China asks for Chinese and English at a professional level, with Cantonese preferred for Hong Kong.
• Ask the recruiter early which language each interview will be in. If the answer is "both," practice cases in both languages, including the math out loud.
• If you apply to an office where you do not speak the local language, ask whether the office has roles that work mainly in English, and expect that answer to vary.

• This is general information, not legal advice. If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the country where the office is, you will usually need a work permit or visa, and the rules differ by country and change often.
• There is no single official directory of work-permit rules for every country. Use the official immigration website of the country you want to work in. Examples: the European Commission's EU Immigration Portal, the UK government's visa checker, USCIS for the United States, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
• Ask each firm at the start of the process whether it can sponsor a work permit for your role and office, not after the offer.
• Some regional guides in this library describe specific rules, such as nationalization rules in the Gulf and the Employment Pass in Singapore.

Checklist for any country

• List every firm with an office in or near your country, using the official office pages.
• For each office, check the job search for entry-level roles and internships.
• Find each office's application window or rolling process, and put the dates in your calendar.
• Read how office preferences work for each firm before you apply.
• Check which language interviews are held in, and practice cases in that language.
• Check whether you need a work permit, and ask the firm early whether it can sponsor one.
• Talk to at least two people who work at, or recently joined, a firm in your country.
• Contact your university consulting club and career center.
• Learn the main industries and public priorities of your country, because local cases often use them.
• Prepare market-sizing numbers for your country, such as population, households, and income, and practice with the Global practice cases in this library.

Last reviewed: 2026-09-28. Sources, official pages first. "Reported" means a secondary source, not the firm or government itself.

• McKinsey: Locations (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/locations
• McKinsey: Careers FAQ (which office to apply to, local language) (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/frequently-asked-questions/careers
• McKinsey: Students (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/students
• McKinsey: Application deadlines (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/students/application-deadlines
• McKinsey: Recruiting events and initiatives (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/mckinsey-recruiting-events-and-initiatives/overview
• McKinsey: Search jobs (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/search-jobs
• McKinsey: Careers in Greater China (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/cn/careers-in-greater-china
• BCG: Offices (official): https://www.bcg.com/offices/default
• BCG: Careers FAQ (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/work-at-bcg/faqs
• BCG: Application FAQ (office preferences) (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/interview-process/application-faqs
• BCG: International opportunities, including Greater China languages (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/united-kingdom/international-opportunities
• BCG: Events (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/events
• Bain: Offices (official): https://www.bain.com/offices/
• Bain: Find a role (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/find-a-role/
• Bain: ADvantage program (office preferences) (official): https://www.bain.com/careers/work-with-us/internships-programs/advantage/
• Kearney: Locations (official): https://www.kearney.com/about/locations
• Oliver Wyman: Global locations (official): https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/global-locations.html
• Roland Berger: Offices (official): https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Offices/
• Arthur D. Little: Locations (official): https://www.adlittle.com/en/locations
• L.E.K. Consulting: Global offices (official): https://www.lek.com/global-offices
• Deloitte: Offices (official): https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/offices.html
• Deloitte: Job search by country (official): https://www.deloitte.com/global/en/careers/job-search.html
• EY: Locations (official): https://www.ey.com/en_gl/locations
• KPMG: Job search by jurisdiction (official): https://kpmg.com/xx/en/careers/job-search.html
• PwC: Office locations (official): https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/about/office-locations.html
• PwC and Strategy&: Careers by country (official): https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/careers.html
• Accenture: Locations (official): https://www.accenture.com/en/about/location
• European Commission: EU Immigration Portal (official government source): https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/migration-and-asylum/eu-immigration-portal_en
• UK government: Check if you need a UK visa (official government source): https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa
• USCIS: Working in the United States (official government source): https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states
• Government of Canada: Work in Canada (official government source): https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/work-canada.html
• Reported: Yale Office of Career Strategy, networking and informational interviewing: https://ocs.yale.edu/module-2-networking-informational-interviewing/
• Reported: Stanford Alumni Association, cold contacting an alum: https://alumni.stanford.edu/career-connections/cold-contacting-an-alum-here-s-what-you-should-do/
• Reported: MIT Career Advising and Professional Development, informational interviews: https://capd.mit.edu/channels/network-conduct-informational-interview/