PE Recruiting in Europe and Asia

Does anybody know how PE megafund recruiting works for Europe & Asia? I heard it is a lot less structured compared to the U.S. Any insights on this would be greatly appreciated.

 
Best Response

I cannot say about Europe, but in Asia its quite structured. The megafunds (KKR, TPG etc) all run processes and have tons of applicants from the banks and other PE shops. The process can take a while from what I understand and there are definitely fit questions and modelling tests. They do have annual intakes like in the US and are structured similarly.

However, the real question I have to ask you is (at least in Asia) is: what is your edge? Funds in Asia are localized and if not they are localizing very very quickly. The big funds all want natives of Asia. So KKR (just as an example) wants Chinese (not Taiwanese or HK'ers) in Beijing/Shanghai/HK for China deals. Native Mainland Chinese with banking/consulting experience and a top degree or MBA. Not fluent speakers, but natives. Ditto in India. They want native Indians, who call India home. Ditto in Japan, SE Asia. SE Asia sometimes is still an area where the odd non-native can get in and work out but it is becoming less common, specifically Indonesia.

The other question is that on a fund level, I do not see many funds in this part of the world making outsize returns. I think that there is too much cash flying around (KKR just raised $6bn, CVC 3.5bn, TPG 3.3bn, Affinity 3.5bn, Bain 2bn) and that's just to start and does not include Carlyle who is still in the market and Baring ($3bn) which is just launching. Work hours here are long since personal and business mix a lot so your MDs/Partners will be doing all kinds of things to win deals, which means more stuff passed down to you. Long work hours, not outsized returns... Why do you want to be in Asia?

Not trying to discourage anyone at all, but just asking. Maybe you are Asian and want to move home or get closer to your (or your family's) culture. Maybe you want an international experience. Maybe you just love Asia. I don't know, but its just something to think about...

Good luck

I used to do Asia-Pacific PE (kind of like FoF). Now I do something else but happy to try and answer questions on that stuff.
 

At what level? Entry level is not as structured while pre/post MBA is similar to the US. Entry Level: connections helps A LOT. Otherwise you need to attend a top target. Different megafunds have different lists. BX recruits regularly, and SilverLake is mainly recruiting at Wharton & LSE (if from europe). KKR fancy Tsinghua (a top Chinese college) while TPG & Carlyle are basically connection hiring.

Experienced level is the same as mentioned above. Headhunters will do the job. And yes, you have to be a native Chinese/Indian to break into the junior level unless you are relocated by your megafund in the US, which is not your case anyway.

 

From my perspective, currently an analyst and having spoken with recruiters, colleagues who made the jump, and those that didn't, it is quite different from the US.

I'm speaking from an MM perspective primarily as that's where my interests lie, but recruitment is on a much more ad-hoc basis, and you become an interesting candidate after at least 2 years of experience in M&A, anywhere up through to the more senior associate level, and it is really done dependent upon business need.

 

Beatae qui modi ab iste sunt et debitis. Fugit consequatur illo omnis facere tempora. Dolores est qui iure corrupti qui voluptas dolores. Earum eaque eum perspiciatis inventore enim optio. Deserunt deleniti laboriosam aut omnis est. Magni quam rerum eos saepe aut blanditiis nihil. Labore corporis iste non non debitis sed.

Voluptas ipsum qui repellendus quisquam similique inventore. Voluptates vel a non quae architecto. Minima est aut fugit et voluptatem. Voluptates laboriosam labore officiis a aut sequi. Facere dolores nisi natus odio. Quod sit fugiat veritatis molestiae aut quisquam voluptates laudantium. Voluptatem enim debitis autem reiciendis ut.

Impedit soluta dolores rerum error. Quasi officiis magni delectus dolores qui odit sed odit. Sapiente omnis non eum et. Aut praesentium voluptatibus esse qui et est vel.

Magnam molestias et quas magnam rem. Quas maxime atque consequuntur. Ex quo non culpa. Voluptate non natus exercitationem. Eius velit est voluptatem quisquam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Warburg Pincus 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (21) $586
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (89) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (386) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (28) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (313) $59
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”