US, UK or Australia best for MBA

[abhishekmishra7]

Hi Guys n Gals,

I have 2.5 yrs of work exp in IT industry and want to do my MBA abroad.
But I wish to join the MBA course which is of shortest duration.
The pros of US is that the degree is good but course duration is 2 yrs (a bit too long). On the other hand MBA in UK / Australia is 14-16 months long but employment opportunities are lesser after the course completion.
Can any of u all offer some gyan on this ?

Abhishek

[Suvrat]

Originally Posted by abhishekmishra7

Hi Guys n Gals,

I have 2.5 yrs of work exp in IT industry and want to do my MBA abroad.
But I wish to join the MBA course which is of shortest duration.
The pros of US is that the degree is good but course duration is 2 yrs (a bit too long). On the other hand MBA in UK / Australia is 14-16 months long but employment opportunities are lesser after the course completion.
Can any of u all offer some gyan on this ?

Abhishek

I think US is the best bet bcoz of its streamlined work permit system. As u must be aware that UK is tightening the HSMP norms so I think it wud be hard to get a work permit. Dunno much abt Australia but I as far as I know work permit after MBA wud be hard to get , much tougher than getting work permit for tech/science background guyz.

I wud suggest u to look out for US/Canada

[itsrahul]

Originally Posted by abhishekmishra7

Hi Guys n Gals,

I have 2.5 yrs of work exp in IT industry and want to do my MBA abroad.
But I wish to join the MBA course which is of shortest duration.
The pros of US is that the degree is good but course duration is 2 yrs (a bit too long). On the other hand MBA in UK / Australia is 14-16 months long but employment opportunities are lesser after the course completion.
Can any of u all offer some gyan on this ?

Abhishek

This is a dillema which many people face.
My 2 cents:
US - No doubt is the best place for an MBA if you are talking about employment opportunities. Plenty of good and established (old) schools and hence strong alumni networks. But not the place to go if you want a shorter MBA program.

UK (Europe in general)- The experience will be totally different from a US MBA. If you are looking for class-diversity and a short program, then Europe is the place to go. One problem with Europe is with employment opportunities. Its not that there ain't enough opportunities in Europe, its just that employment becomes a problem because of
a) language - you need to be familiar with the language of the land.
b) EU norms directing companies to prefer EU people over non-EU people.

Australia - Don't know much but from what I have heard, employment is a concern here. There ain't as many job options as there are in US/Europe.

The bottomline while making a decision is your need for an MBA. Why MBA? What is it that you want from an MBA program? What kind of post-mba career are you looking at? What kind of lifestyle do you want to lead?
If you have clear and honest answers to these questions, then I don't think you will have too much difficulty choosing an MBA program.

[itsrahul]

Originally Posted by Suvrat

I think US is the best bet bcoz of its streamlined work permit system. As u must be aware that UK is tightening the HSMP norms so I think it wud be hard to get a work permit.

I am not sure if HSMP and work-permit are directly related. HSMP is mainly for people who are Highly Skilled (i.e. already posses the skills that would get them a job) and want to Migrate to UK. Thus it is mainly for people who have completed their degrees from outside UK and want to work in UK and then settle down there.
If you do your MBA from a good UK school, getting a work-permit should not be a problem.
I don't think changing the HSMP laws has had any bearing on UK's work-permit laws.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Suvrat]

Originally Posted by itsrahul

I am not sure if HSMP and work-permit are directly related. HSMP is mainly for people who are Highly Skilled (i.e. already posses the skills that would get them a job) and want to Migrate to UK. Thus it is mainly for people who have completed their degrees from outside UK and want to work in UK and then settle down there.
If you do your MBA from a good UK school, getting a work-permit should not be a problem.
I don't think changing the HSMP laws has had any bearing on UK's work-permit laws.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

All the people who have passed out of a UK univ will get a 1 yr work permit. But if anybody wants to work beyond that the easiest way was to get an HSMP visa which like H1 is not tied to any company. This visa is for all ppl who want to settle in UK and not just for people who have done their degrees outside UK.There is a certain list of colleges passing out from which automaically qualify for HSMP. But due to change in HSMP provisions it'll be harder to get an extension for more than 1 yr after passing out and consequently people mite have to come back. Even people passing out from Strathclyde (which is in the list of colleges of HSMP) are facing problems according to a recent TOI report. UK was an excellent option but now due to these changes it's beceome a bit risky

Incidentally France has relaxed Visa norms a bit by adding Compitences et Talent .

Here is the link which talks abt this:French woo the youth with new visa norms-Career & Business Life-New@ET-News-The Economic Times

[itsrahul]

Originally Posted by Suvrat

This visa is for all ppl who want to settle in UK and not just for people who have done their degrees outside UK.

That's my point - if you do not want to settle in UK and just work there for some years, then HSMP does not come into picture. How is US different from UK here? Your H1 also expires after some years and you need an extension.

Originally Posted by Suvrat

Incidentally France has relaxed Visa norms a bit by adding Compitences et Talent .

Here is the link which talks abt this:French woo the youth with new visa norms-Career & Business Life-New@ET-News-The Economic Times

Another very recent development (an indian official working in french embassy told me) is that French ministry has passed a law that permits spouses on dependent visa to take up jobs commensurate with their skills in France. This will be a big boost for married guys looking for an MBA from France.

[Suvrat]

Originally Posted by itsrahul

That's my point - if you do not want to settle in UK and just work there for some years, then HSMP does not come into picture. How is US different from UK here? Your H1 also expires after some years and you need an extension.


Another very recent development (an indian official working in french embassy told me) is that French ministry has passed a law that permits spouses on dependent visa to take up jobs commensurate with their skills in France. This will be a big boost for married guys looking for an MBA from France.

The diff here is that if there is no HSMP then u r tied to one company and there is no flexibility to change the jobs. If u don't get another job quickly enough u r in dire starits and have to come back. In H1 u r not under that much pressure to continue with the same company and losing job won't make ur position that awkward.

[abhishekmishra7]

Originally Posted by itsrahul

This is a dillema which many people face.
My 2 cents:
US - No doubt is the best place for an MBA if you are talking about employment opportunities. Plenty of good and established (old) schools and hence strong alumni networks. But not the place to go if you want a shorter MBA program.

UK (Europe in general)- The experience will be totally different from a US MBA. If you are looking for class-diversity and a short program, then Europe is the place to go. One problem with Europe is with employment opportunities. Its not that there ain't enough opportunities in Europe, its just that employment becomes a problem because of
a) language - you need to be familiar with the language of the land.
b) EU norms directing companies to prefer EU people over non-EU people.

Australia - Don't know much but from what I have heard, employment is a concern here. There ain't as many job options as there are in US/Europe.

The bottomline while making a decision is your need for an MBA. Why MBA? What is it that you want from an MBA program? What kind of post-mba career are you looking at? What kind of lifestyle do you want to lead?
If you have clear and honest answers to these questions, then I don't think you will have too much difficulty choosing an MBA program.

hi rahul,

i wish to join the MBA session in spring next year ... fall 2008 is too far away ...
are there good enuf universities / seats available for the spring intake ?