Strathclyde MBA vs Birmingham MBA (Job opportunities)

natha

108 65

Posted May 04, 2022 17:04

Hello! For someone who would rather work in the city of Birmingham instead of Scotland/Glasgow, should this be a defining factor to choose Birmingham over Strathclyde? Would companies in Birmingham rather employ Bham graduates over Strath graduates?

Birmingham is a huge city and there tends to be 3x more job openings/roles compared to Glasgow (I searched using indeed, glassdoor & linkedin). I am wondering whether the careers team of each school will have stronger connections to companies that are situated in their respective cities.

Although, according to FT rankings, the programs both rank 29th in Europe but Strathclyde MBAs earn about $8k more than Birmingham MBAs.

I really love Strathclyde but this aspect of job opportunities has me worried.

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Duncan

14.013 15.475

Posted May 04, 2022 19:24

I live in Scotland, and previously lived in Birmingham, so predictably think it's better in Scotland.

Glasgow and Birmingham are similarly sized (around a million people) in large conurbations (West Midlands/Central Belt) each containing a few million people. Unemployment is far higher in Birmingham, so there's more competition for jobs. West Midlands also has more universities and top business schools than the central belt (Birmingham, Aston, Warwick, and Nottingham and Oxford are not that far, and there's also BCU and Warwick's UCB site in Birmingham). I'd say that the turnover of labour is also much faster in England than in Scotland, and that could explain the greater number of vacancies.

Since most people are only looking for one job, I don't think these differences are really significant. Focus on the school with the most people in the sector where you want to work. Other things being equal, the higher salaries at Strathclyde are attractive given Scotland's lower cost of living. Rents in Birmingham are 25% higher, for example.

I live in Scotland, and previously lived in Birmingham, so predictably think it's better in Scotland. <br><br>Glasgow and Birmingham are similarly sized (around a million people) in large conurbations (West Midlands/Central Belt) each containing a few million people. Unemployment is far higher in Birmingham, so there's more competition for jobs. West Midlands also has more universities and top business schools than the central belt (Birmingham, Aston, Warwick, and Nottingham and Oxford are not that far, and there's also BCU and Warwick's UCB site in Birmingham). I'd say that the turnover of labour is also much faster in England than in Scotland, and that could explain the greater number of vacancies. <br><br>Since most people are only looking for one job, I don't think these differences are really significant. Focus on the school with the most people in the sector where you want to work. Other things being equal, the higher salaries at Strathclyde are attractive given Scotland's lower cost of living. Rents in Birmingham are 25% higher, for example. 

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natha

108 65

Posted May 04, 2022 20:18

Thank you so much for this clarification Duncan. Your help on this forum is highly appreciated!

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