Big 4 M&A/CF Salary/Progression (with ACA)

Hi all,

I am due to start a graduate role in M&A for one of the Big 4 (London). It is a 3 year scheme where I will (hopefully) have achieved my ACA qualification during the period.

Does anyone have any idea about both career and salary progression within the M&A/CF teams at a big four, including bonuses for those divisions. Obviously it is not the same as BB IBs however I just wanted to get an idea as I think its important to keep in mind.

There seems to be a lot of conflicting information online... Thanks for any help.

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I have seen the following exits immediately after qualification to the following places: - Lateralling into larger banks Analyst programs as Analyst 2s (I've seen both BB and EB) - Lateralling to MM /LMM Banks as a Senior Analyst or Associate - LMM/MM PE as an Investment Analyst/Associate

If you stay on for a few years post qualification to get to Manager, I have seen the following: - LMM/MM PE Investment Associate/Manager - Various Banks (BB/EB/Boutiques) at Associate / VP depending on the firm

This is by no means an exhaustive list but these are the exits I've seen from my friends and colleagues.

Source: I left to a boutique after qualifying in the Big 4 and have friends who have made the above moves.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 03 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • 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 97.9%
  • 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 (15) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”