Bank HQ vs. American Bulge Bracket coverage in Southern Europe

Second year M&A analyst at one of the big 3 banks. Got an offer to join an American Bulge Bracket in their IB coverage team in my home country in Southern Europe. 

Would like to hear thoughts on whether it makes sense to do such a move at this point.
Does a country coverage team really give great exit opps, or is this not the case / not as much as working in London?

I have compiled a list of pros and cons (see below) but I am still struggling to really wrap my head around this, hence would like to hear views of others as well. 

Pros 

  • Much better brand name
  • Higher all-in comp (base in line, bonus much higher)
  • Rare opportunity: very competitive to get a spot at a BB in that country

Cons

  • Worse culture, more hierarchical with more pressure / stress and longer hours
  • Coverage instead of product - am afraid I will spend a lot of time doing bullshit marketing / "relationship building" work
  • Lose all the goodwill generated at my bank (currently well known as top performer)
  • Small office (c. 15 people) with many associates / VPs already (might indicate chance of delayed promotions)
  • If I wait it out another year before going back to my home country. I would make much more in the long term if I move in 1-2 years to this or another BB - probably enough to buy a very nice apartment. 
1 Comments
 

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