Advice please: what prospects do I have for securing a consulting post in Dublin?I got a 2.1 from a top 20 UK uni in 2000 and have worked for two FTSE100 plcs. I finish a part-time MBA (good but not great UK school) in a few months. My wife is taking up a great job in Dublin, and I've agreed to be the trailing spouse. I'm not BBBM material, but believe I could crack Big 4, PA, and happy to go to smaller firm as long as it's in Dublin.So here's how you can help- what's the market like in Dublin- who are the players- what should a fresh MBA with 7 years postgrad work experience expect to earn?Anything else I should know before I start my applications?Your responses appreciated - and I'll drink a whiskey for you.

The irish economy is tanking hard, primarily due to exhuberant growth, misplaced capital and short-termist investment. I suspect with sinusoidal flows in capital (assets and human), the prospects for a soft landing are looking slim with a hard landing and painful recorrection in asset pricing inevitableZB

Ah, bless - it's ZB - clocking up the hits on www.thesaurus.com again!

Ah, bless - it's ZB - clocking up the hits on www.thesaurus.com again!

All the major players are there, having set up offices when labour was cheap there about 10 years ago. Pay rates in consulting are still probably 20% below UK levels, with a cost of living that is as high as most parts of LondonFew companies are hiring, as the Irish economy is now looking at a recession that is likely to be as prolongued and painful as the 1980’s. There’s nothing to stop you joining the London office of any of the companies you’ve listed, and really pushing for a high travel role. You could then base yourself in Dublin a few months later. There will be tax implications, but as income tax is much lower in Ireland than in the UK, this should not be a concern.The key benefit is that Dublin airport, largely thanks to Ryanair, is now one of the best connected airports in Europe, so a weekly commute should be eminently possible.

As a resident Paddy, who's worked for three consultancies in 8 years here, I've a good understanding of who is doing what at the mo. The market is down, but not as much as others on this post seem to have made out. Basically, FS has taken a big hit - for example, ACN had 100-150 consultants in AIB 12 to 18 months ago and now I'd say they are down to no more than 20. PS, of course, will take a hit as the Irish Government reins in expenditure - if you believe the promises!Firms that are hiring at present include BearingPoint, PWC and Deloitte. ACN less so, KPMG has a very small practice. Not sure about IBM at the moment. Then you have some Tier 2 consultancies who are hiring - including Prospectus (Strategy), Mazars, Fujitsu, Grant Thornton. There are some specialist consultancies - including Pinnacle (FS - would be surprised if thay are hiring), Genesis (small strategy and sports consultancy) and others into areas such as outsourcing (inc. Sogeti).Good luck!

"- what should a fresh MBA with 7 years postgrad work experience expect to earn? "About £50K / Euro equivalent

Yeah, 50k sterling that wouldn't be far off the mark. Maybe a tad more (£55k max) if you could get a Manager role.