[quote]As a rule of thumb, schools discourage students from taking an exchange if they need to find a job. That's one reason why the exchange generally happens after the summer internship: students with offers can take the exchange, leaving the careers team to focus on fewer people. Very few schools (Chicago, Insead, Harvard etc) have careers staff focussed on supporting job hunts in other countries. On my exchange, I found the careers team were polite but always put their own students first. I got a great review of my resume. I was able to access the alumni database while a student. I could attend most, but not all, events organized by the careers team (often only when not enough of the home-school students wanted to attend).&nbsp;<div><br></div><div>You also have to consider the visa situation and the domestic market. Canada loves foreign talent because it can be paid a discount. The USA doesn't. UK recruiters know what an MBA is; many French ones don't.&nbsp;</div> [/quote]<br><br>Stuart, could you explain the part where you say foreign talent can be paid a discount in Canada, but not in US. And how that translates to the markets in the UK and France too?

Unlike the US, Canada is open to turning talented foreigners into permanent residents. There is a high supply of such talent in Canadian business schools, so they clear off the market at a low market price. In the US, there is a low demand for such talent and regulatory burdens. There is, in effect, no US market for turning talented foreigners into permanent residents other than the black market for marriages of convenience.&nbsp;

So, I think the factors to weigh up are:<div><br></div><div>1- How high are regulatory barriers (Low in Canada, medium in the Uk and France, high in the USA)</div><div><br></div><div>2 - How high are the cultural and linguistic barriers (You could use the International Mobility score of the FT to calculate national averages)</div><div><br></div><div>3 - How understood is the MBA (High in English-speaking countries, low outside)</div><div><br></div><div>4 - How good are the schools perceived to be (You could use the Recommends score of the FT to calculate national averages)</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>

[quote]IESE, HEC and Esade are substantially better for international mobility, and for employment, than IE. IESE is worth the wait, but go to Esade is they don't admit you. Or take a semester full-time to perfect your French before starting at HEC. [/quote]<div><br></div><div>Hello, Duncan, thank you for your insights.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Can you comment on my choice based on my backgrounds:</div><div><br></div><div>10 years in hospital, international marketing and bd. wanted to move to France or major European cities for a job in consulting or healthcare industry. have some knowledge of French and also interested in learning it.</div><div><br></div><div>Also accepted to US schools but seriously thinking not go to the US given the current situation and perspective immigration policies. Accepted to HEC &amp; IESE. plan to apply IMD after I learnt more about it. my question is:</div><div><br></div><div>1, you said IESE is worth the waiting, does that mean IESE is way better than HEC. I know you mentioned this, but in what way? career service, job placement, brand recognition, or salary perspective?</div><div><br></div><div>2, HEC has been rising in the past 2 years and it reached no.9 from 16 last year on FT while IESE has been staying at 10+ steadily. what is the most important factor that led to this change? EMBA ranking or improvements in other area?</div><div><br></div><div>3, In terms of mobility within Europe, how do you rank the three school? IMD&gt;IESE&gt;HEC?</div><div><br></div><div>4, I've been talking to alumni from 3 schools, I do feel that IESE and IMD offer better alumni networking and career service, just based my personal feeling from the conversation.</div><div><br></div><div>5, If my first choice is Paris, does that mean HEC is much better than IESE and IMD given its reputation in France.</div><div><br></div><div>Thank you very much for you insights if you could comment. have a good day.</div>

Sorry, but there's no simple answer to all these questions. Of course rankings have to make schools commensurable, but in reality the same schools are differently valuable to individual students. Schools improve themselves in different ways, including performance that is exclusively focussed on gaming the rankings. Obviously, for most people wanting to work in France HEC is a better choice than IESE or IMD but for others those schools might have educational advantages. HEC is a bit like Stanford: hard to get in but easy to graduate from. IESE and IMD are unavoidably hard work after you arrive. Any grande Ecole is great for the socialisation of engineers into political hierachies; IESE and IMD is better for autonomous leaders.