Big 4 PF Worth It vs Banking?

Currently interning in Project Finance at a French bank and I’ve recently received an offer to join a Big 4 PF team full-time as an analyst/junior.
 

Bank hiring in France seems extremely slow right now, especially for junior profiles so there is very very low chances of offer. The Big 4 team is very well regarded locally, and I could probably try to move back to banking later.
 

That said, I’m hesitating because:

- I genuinely prefer modelling / execution work so full advisory suits me probably more

- Long-term, I’d like to lateral into infra PE so exit opss are very important

- My dream is to move to NYC as early as possible and from what I understand, Big 4 PF/advisory seems much less prestigious in the US than in Europe
 

So I’m trying to understand how people perceive Big 4 Project Finance teams:

- in EMEA (especially France/London)

- versus in the US/NYC
 

Would joining a top-tier Big 4 PF team in Europe still be a strong route toward infra PE and potentially lateraling internationally? Or should I do everything possible to stay/rejoin a French/Japanese bank even if the market is difficult right now?
 

Would really appreciate honest feedback from people who have seen both sides.

1 Comments
 

Aperiam voluptatem provident et laborum molestiae eius ipsam totam. Et nesciunt et earum voluptate harum. Dolores ex vel autem cupiditate porro amet porro vel. Quam eveniet excepturi et sed dolores id.

Sunt consequatur corporis veritatis magnam enim voluptas placeat. Nihil amet recusandae odio beatae vero expedita et.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

October 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”