Analyst experience versus Brand name

I have been trying to secure an IBD internship at a BB in London, but unfortunately that hasn’t worked out so far. And as I am already graduating this year, I am now shifting my focus to positions within my own country (mainland Europe) in the hopes of lateraling to a BB later on in my career.

Recruiting nationally has been going quite well so far, but I am in doubt about which analyst position would be the best to choose in order to improve my changes of lateraling to a BB in London later on:

 - An M&A analyst position at the HQ of the biggest national bank in my country

 - An M&A analyst position at a regional office of a lower tier international bank (think HSBCBNP Paribas, RBC etc.)

I know that working at the national bank will give me more transaction exposure. The bank has been the best performing M&A advisor in my country for many years (in terms of deal volume and deal value) and it has been involved in most of the major national M&A transactions. The lower tier international bank does such a small number of transactions each  year that it doesn’t even show up in any national league tables (both deal volume and deal value). So based on that I lean towards a position at the national bank.

My only concern is that the name of the national bank carries less ‘value’ when recruiting in London as compared to the brand name of the lower tier international bank.

So my question is: should I go for the best analyst experience where the chances of working on actual transactions are very high, or should I go for a position that carries a better brand name but offers less of an experience?

Any insights would be welcome, thanks in advance!

4 Comments
 

Autem sit eum eum et quia blanditiis ab. Et quia qui dolor rem assumenda. Sunt error dolorem voluptatem mollitia id. Quia beatae qui et fugit.

Reprehenderit ut suscipit voluptatum qui laborum est omnis. Sit laboriosam qui eius aut. Pariatur voluptatibus perspiciatis aliquid.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
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

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...”