Hi, long-time follower of WSO here.
Currently based in London at a sell-side bank doing ER, and I have a good chance an offer might be coming for a large AM in Copenhagen to work as a senior analyst at an equity fund. Never been to the city, so have a few questions --
-What's the life like in Copenhagen? I don't speak the language. I've also heard that it's tough for expats for making friends, dating and relationships. I'm single and all my friends/family are here in London and I just love the diversity, nightlife and culture here. Life is good here, I work maybe 50hrs a week.
-What's the comp like for AM equity analysts (non-HF) in Copenhagen? I have 6-7 years exp on both sell-side and buy-side. Currently on the sell-side ER and the comp is fine USD~110-120k base.
-Is it a bad career move? I mean it's not London/NY/SF. Would it be possible to move back to London or to NY? I did 2yr sell-side ER + 3yr HF L/S and now back in sell-side ER as the HF wasn't for me.
Appreciate your thoughts as always!
Hey astfin-juki, I think you deserve a response...heck, everyone does. We're listening, sorry about the delay ...my best guess at places on WSO that could help:
More suggestions...
Hope that helps.
From my visits to Copenhagen, its beautiful, cold, and very expensive
Hey! Wanted to respond to you as I'm someone who used to work/live in London for 10 years and moved back to Scandinavia during covid to see how it's like living at home (born and raised in Scandinavia). Did this for a year now and I'm ready to move back to London ASAP. Major culture shock.
I deal with a lot of buyside clients from the region and the level isn't the same to what you're used to in London....
Standards are lower, people are less ambitious and hungry to do well, mistakes are tolerated, you feel like your colleagues go to work just to have a "hygge"/"kos" - concept of having a cozy/snuggly time at work. No culture of camaraderie, no after work drinks, as meeting people outside work hours is weird. They're big here on kindergarden-stuff and having a baby can be an excuse to not attend a client meeting, emails etc., because they need to play with their child, which means childless colleagues end up doing more work. This is surprisingly tolerated and you can't say anything against that.
Taxes are also higher so you end up earning less than in London. Food, drinks, bars and restaurants are also expensive and you won't be able to go out as much as in London.
These are just my 2 cents.
Thanks! It's a step-up as I get to move back to the buyside in a well-regarded fund (strong outperformance). But here's my internal debate --
Even though its back on the buy-side, is it a bad career move given it's in Copenhagen? I.e. will being based in Copenhagen put my career in bad light?
I really like the social aspect of London. The open-ness, diversity and desire for new experiences. I worry that being in Copenhagen culturally will make me unhappy and lonely. As I get older, I've come to realize there's no point in having an amazing job but no life outside that.
top tier chicks
How's the dating scene in Copenhagen? Towards foreigners who don't speak the language, meeting new people etc.
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