Rules, case themes, and preparation

• Brazil's internship law (Lei 11.788 of 2008): an internship (estágio) is a supervised educational activity for enrolled students. University interns may normally work at most 6 hours a day and 30 hours a week, an internship with the same employer may last at most 2 years, and interns get 30 days of rest after a year. This is why many Brazilian internships are part-time and run alongside classes.
• Work permits in general terms: Brazil's work visa (VITEM V) needs prior approval from the Ministry of Justice, started by the employer in Brazil; Mexico's immigration institute (INM) issues visas based on a job offer from an employer established in Mexico; Chile's migration service requires temporary residence for paid work to be requested from outside Chile.
• This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the official pages and ask the recruiter early.

Typical case themes

• Mining: Chile was the world's largest producer of mined copper in 2024 (US Geological Survey), and Chile and Argentina are major lithium producers.
• Agribusiness and land use in Brazil: BCG notes that the Cerrado produces about a quarter of the world's soy and that about 88 percent of Brazil's electricity is renewable.
• Banking, fintech, and payments, such as Pix, the instant payment system created by Brazil's central bank.
• Nearshoring in Mexico (factories moving closer to North American customers), and retail, where Bain reports fast growth of discount stores (reported).

What to prepare

• Note each firm's window: in Brazil the main processes for students ran in August and September in 2026.
• Practice a full case in Portuguese or Spanish and another in English, and practice English reading and numerical tests.
• In Brazil, plan an internship during your degree; it is often the main route to a full-time offer.
• Learn rough figures for your country, such as population, main exports, and main crops or minerals.
• Read one recent public report on your country from each firm you target.

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

• Bain Brasil: 2026 selection process for students and recent graduates (press release, 28 July 2026, in Portuguese) (official): https://www.bain.com/pt-br/about/media-center/press-releases/south-america/2026/bain--company-abre-inscricoes-para-processo-seletivo-voltado-para-estudantes-e-recem-formados/
• BCG Brasil: application process (in Portuguese) (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/brazil/application-process
• BCG Mexico: careers (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/mexico
• BCG: International opportunities, application timing and languages by country (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/united-kingdom/international-opportunities
• BCG Mexico: Women@BCG boot camp (2024) (official): https://careers.bcg.com/global/en/locations/mexico/womens-boot-camp
• BCG: Offices (official): https://www.bcg.com/offices/default
• Bain: Offices (official): https://www.bain.com/offices/
• Bain: Mexico City office (official): https://www.bain.com/offices/mexico-city/
• McKinsey: Careers in Brazil (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/br/careers/careers-in-brazil
• McKinsey: Careers in Hispanoamerica (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/locations/south-america/careers-in-hispanoamerica
• McKinsey: Business Analyst Intern, Brazil (job posting) (official): https://www.mckinsey.com/careers/search-jobs/jobs/businessanalystintern-37776
• Kearney: Locations (official): https://www.kearney.com/about/locations
• Oliver Wyman: Americas locations (official): https://www.oliverwyman.com/our-expertise/global-locations/americas.html
• Roland Berger: Brazil (official): https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Locations/Brazil/News/
• Roland Berger: Mexico (official): https://www.rolandberger.com/en/Locations/Mexico/
• Arthur D. Little: Locations (official): https://www.adlittle.com/en/locations
• Strategy& Brasil (in Portuguese) (official): https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/br/pt.html
• KPMG Brazil: Offices (in Portuguese) (official): https://kpmg.com/br/pt/about/offices.html
• EY-Parthenon Brazil careers (in Portuguese) (official): https://www.ey.com/pt_br/careers/parthenon
• Falconi: History (in Portuguese) (official): https://falconi.com/historia/
• Integration Consulting (official): https://www.integrationconsulting.com/
• Visagio (official): https://www.visagio.com/
• C&M Consultores (official): https://cmconsultores.com.co/en/
• Montblanc Consulting (official): https://montblancchile.com/en/home/
• BCG: Brazil, a changing world is a historic opportunity (November 2025) (official): https://www.bcg.com/publications/2025/a-changing-world-is-a-historic-opportunity-for-brazil
• BCG: Shifting dynamics of nearshoring in Mexico (September 2024) (official): https://www.bcg.com/publications/2024/shifting-dynamics-of-nearshoring-in-mexico
• Brazil: Lei 11.788 of 25 September 2008, the internship law (in Portuguese) (official government source): https://www.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2007-2010/2008/lei/l11788.htm
• Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs: work visa VITEM V (official government source): https://www.gov.br/mre/pt-br/embaixada-varsovia/visto-de-trabalho-vitem-v
• Mexico INM: visa by job offer, FAQ (in Spanish) (official government source): https://www.gob.mx/inm/documentos/preguntas-frecuentes-para-solicitar-visa-por-oferta-de-empleo
• Chile National Migration Service: temporary residence for paid work (official government source): https://serviciomigraciones.cl/en/residencia-temporal-permit/subcategories/remunerated-activities/
• Banco Central do Brasil: about Pix (in Portuguese) (official government source): https://www.bcb.gov.br/estabilidadefinanceira/pix-sobre
• US Geological Survey: Chile minerals (official government source): https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/chile
• Universidad de Chile: 2026 academic calendar (in Spanish) (official): https://uchile.cl/presentacion/asuntos-academicos/pregrado/calendario-academico/calendario-academico
• Reported: UN ECLAC, critical minerals and the energy transition (December 2024): https://www.cepal.org/en/insights/critical-minerals-energy-transition-and-electromobility-economic-development-opportunities
• Reported: Mexico Business News, Bain on discount retail growth in Mexico (June 2026): https://mexicobusiness.news/ecommerce/news/mexico-discount-retail-set-8-annual-growth-bain-company