Guildfordboy

Hi All,

Can someone share his/her experience working in Canada with a UK MBA? is a UK MBA highly recognised? or a person with a Canadian/US MBA has better chances?

Will appreciate any responses.

Thanks.

JonboyE

It will help, for sure, but it supports other skill sets. It can also be a door opener - I have seen jobs advertised as "must have xxxx (Canadian qualification) and/or MBA" so it gets you past the initial screening.

In my experience employers will want to know what your MBA was "in" e.g. an MBA in accounting finance or an MBA in construction management. My MBA course was very general but my dissertation was based around inventory management so I say I have an MBA in logistics and this seems to keep everybody happy. Some employers get very focused on where the MBA was from, so you need to be able to talk up your business school (unless it's Harvard of course).

Southcote

I hope it is, but would be interested in the responses

Canada2006

The feedback I had from one recruiter was that MBAs were "ten a penny" - little interest for him.

Of course, NA MBAs are two years and European ones one year. I think that there is more emphasis on "numbers" in a NA MBA. Be able to talk up your school - where are they in the FT/economist rankings? Are they AMBA accredited? How many of the teaching staff came from NA?

In my opinion, MBAs can be a door opener, a nice to have, they don't hurt - but it's you and your experience that will get you a job. My MBA has helped me (in Europe) put the pressure for a higher salary, but I don't believe that it has directly brought me a job offer.

calgarylady

Are you planning to go for an MBA or you are already studying. If you are looking for a good business school to study and you are moving to Canada then you need to ask the question of accepetability . For me am currently an MBA student ( distance learning) with Leicester Uni and am moving to Calgary in Nov , so even if UK MBA's are/ are not recognised it doesn't matter to me cos am already in it and intend to complete

Guildfordboy

I'm actually finalizing my MBA in Finance with the University of Leicester, I will be done at the end of this year and planning to move in the financial services industry in Toronto, since that is where I believe I will be able to get a decent job that is in line with what I'm currently doing right now in Guildford.

calgarylady

Interesting! are you running the full time programme? Ya Toronto will be your best bet I suppose. Am heading to Calgary cos OH is in the Oil and gas industry and thats where he will most likely get a job and hopefully when am thru with studies I hope to get something there.

Atlantic Xpat

It's all a matter of context IMHO. If you've gone from a Bachelor degree to an MBA with little work experience between then the quality of your MBA might be more of an issue. If you are an MBA (however newly minted) with 10years work experience then it's more a nice to have and a door opener than prerequisite. Your work history will be the important thing to a potential employer more than the MBA.

I have another perspective - I'm doing a part time MBA here as much for the networking opportunities it brings as for a sense of self development or any career benefit. I'm fortunate that my employer pays for the tuition but sure as hell getting it is not going to improve my ration and benefits one iota. It's interesting looking at my classmates on the MBA. There's a significant number who are either straight out of a BComm or with 1 or 2 years experience only. Personally I think that they are wasting their time as they don't have the life or work experience to really contribute to the course and benefit them more. However the MBA programme is itself a business and if you've got the smarts and the coin then welcome onboard!

geo4

MBAs here, as with everywhere else in the World have become extremely commodified. It really depends on the hiring manager as to whether they will feel it adds any value whatsoever. I've personally worked with many MBAs, MAs and even PhDs who were, to put it mildly, f**king useless.

I would say that in my experience they are also more concerned with the branding around the MBA, i.e. which school was it from?

Having said that it would be recognised at least as much as one from a US or Canadian school.

Guildfordboy

I'm also on the distance learning programme, I'm currently writting my final dissertation due September 30, 2008. I cover the MBA costs from my earnings so I choose to work while studying. Calgary I hear is good and there are lots of Oil & Gas jobs, so I believe you are heading in the right direction.

geo4

I could have just co-signed what you said.

JonboyE

I agree, and it is a shame that virtually no one will have heard of two of the best business schools in the UK in Cranfield and Henley.

geo4

I got mine here:

http://www.universityofnigeria.com/

JonboyE

Accounting 419. I like it.

Judy in Calgary

You know, I've just realized that I missed my calling. To think that I've been spending my time writing Wiki articles .......
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