Do ESADE MFin grads struggle to find jobs in Spain without speaking Spanish, or do most aim for London/Frankfurt instead?

Question

S Raghav · Accepted Answer

Not speaking Spanish is definitely a limitation for ESADE MFin graduates trying to build a career in Spain. Most local banks, consulting firms, and corporates expect at least conversational Spanish since client interaction is central to the job. Without it, roles in Madrid or Barcelona are much harder to land.
That said, ESADE&rsquo;s MFin is highly international, and many graduates don&rsquo;t stay in Spain after finishing the degree. The school has strong recruiting pipelines into London and Frankfurt, where English is the working language. Graduates regularly join firms like Goldman Sachs, BNP Paribas, Barclays, and Deloitte in these cities.
So while Spanish is important for local opportunities, international students don&rsquo;t usually get &ldquo;stuck.&rdquo; If the main target is London or Frankfurt IB/AM, ESADE&rsquo;s brand and alumni network provide enough leverage even without Spanish.

B.K Sharma · Answer

A common misconception is that ESADE grads all aim to work in Spain after graduation. The reality is many internationals look abroad precisely because of the language barrier.
&bull; In Spain, Spanish is almost always required for roles at Santander, BBVA, CaixaBank, or Spanish corporates. Without it, internationals find only a handful of openings. &bull; Multinational banks and consultancies do recruit in Spain, but the positions are limited and usually go to bilinguals. &bull; London and Frankfurt are the natural alternatives. ESADE has solid placement links there, and alumni have landed at places like JP Morgan, UBS, and Rothschild. &bull; Another route for non-Spanish speakers is Paris, where ESADE has a decent footprint too, though competition with French schools is tough.
So yes, jobs in Spain are harder without Spanish, which is why many ESADE MFin grads either take language classes early or focus their job hunt on other European hubs.