Hi. I have applied to both and expecting a good outcome very soon. I would like to understand which one has better post-MBA prospects.
Brief about me: am into the financial services industry and want to work in a corporate advisory role (M&A) either with Big 4s or IBs. Which of these colleges have better prospects from this perspective?
Language is the barrier for me and I am learning German since I want to stay in the DACH region post-MBA. Any thoughts?

[Edited by iamvc_07 on Jul 20, 2020]

You want to do M&A work in the DACH region, and don't speak German? Surely it's obvious that you should be learning German full-time, not enrolling in an MBA? 

Thanks Duncan. I have already started learning German in parallel and want to make sure am well prepared. 

Any thoughts on schools?

I think a part time MBA could fit around a full time language course. WHU and Mannheim should be on your list. 

Some more info about me. Am from India and if I do a part-time MBA (while I stay in India since getting visa for part-time MBA is difficult), I suspect moving to a front end advisory role will be quite difficult.

I reached out to WHU and Mannheim. WHU said No given my Exp level - I have 12+ years of Exp. Mannheim is still on my list.

[Edited by iamvc_07 on Jul 21, 2020]

You can get a visa for a full-time programme at a language school or Studiumkolleg. Honestly, think about the M&A process. How can you possible do this in Germany without a high level of fluency in the language? I think it would be better for you to learn German and then do a masters taught in German. 

Understood. I think, I broadly agree with you. Am focusing on German and hoping to be B1/B2 by Nov-end. Does that suffice?

Of course not. Could someone with B1 or B2 language skills in your working language work on M&A? 

Got it. So it needs to be C1/C2 to achieve that level. I will now aim for this and work on my applications in parallel. Thanks for your guidance.

I think most foreigners with C1 English can't work with the specialised vocabulary, and may struggle with acculturation. In an English-language cohort filled with foreigners, you might not develop either. I suggest you speak to your local DAAD office about pathways to a German-language masters in finance. 

Sure. This is helpful, Duncan

adding my couple of cents to this thread - from my experience in the Netherlands, this industry (M&A, IB, PE) is very small, and for recruitment they are focused either on freshmen without experience, or on people with relevant experience, i.e. career changers are not focus groups.It is true that traditional post MBA industries (consulting, IB) do require fluency in local language. I had B1 level of dutch, and I got an answer that a candidate needs to have native level of dutch to be considered.

Thanks. I do have experience working in the financial services industry; although am looking for a front-end role now. I agree on the language requirement and since I want to stay in the DACH region, am learning German and hoping to achieve fluent level by the end of this year and then transition to a front-end advisory.  

I'm theoretically considering these schools as well but I will also apply to ESMT. Very interested in living / working in the DACH region and can speak German at the B2 level. For the most flexibility in the region, which is the best school? I could also apply to a Swiss school as well. 

Since RSM is not in the DACH region, ESMT has the edge over it.