Can I switch office before start date (BB)?

I did my SA stint at a BB (M&A) and received an offer for the same team/office which I later accepted.

Since then, I have started to change my mind due to personal reasons (girlfriend, family, personal development etc.) and now want to start at a different office instead. I have also networked heavily with two teams in that office and have learned that two MDs (one is even the head) are willing to back me, but both recommended me to first initiate a conversation to request a change as they did not want to be involved in internal politics. 

Where do I take it from here? Is it worth the risk?

9 Comments
 

It’s 2 different stories if trying to move from regional > NYC vs. other way around. If the latter, then I think it’s an easier conversation of wanting something different.

In either case I think it’s unlikely since even if the new MDs push for you, the original group would be pissed and may try to block the switch. Some more context would be helpful to give better advice.

 

Thank you. In my case, it would be regional to NYC. Would I risk losing my offer you think?

 

Yes I think you risk losing it. NYC likely already has all the bodies the office needs. Plus, every other regional intern wants to get to NYC, so you will be lumped in with them. Agree with the below poster who said to stick it out through the 1 yr mark.

Regarding your other superday, if you get that offer for nyc, you are in a better position to ask, but need to go into that conversation 100% ok to go with the lower tier bank. Also do not name the lower tier bank you get the offer from.

 

Gonna go ahead and say no, and I would probably not ask this as you will really piss off your current team (as both MDs are implying). It kind of sounds like you are in regional office and want to go to NYC, this is a Judas-level move to most regional offices and could get the entire FT offer pulled. You should just move internally at the 1 year mark.

To be clear - if you had a really compelling reason (i.e. immediate family member is very ill and need to be closer to home) they would proably work with you, but girlfriend/personal development is not really a good enough reason.

 

It's a difficult move to pull off unless you have an extremely compelling reason. Once you initiate the conversation about transferring, you have to legitimately be prepared to walk away. The way I see it there are only two outcomes: You either transfer successfully or you walk away, and you have to be able to accept either outcome. The worst situation would be if you talk to your group about transferring and you're unsuccessful but still decide to return to your existing group.

In that case, it would be difficult to maintain a good relationship with your current group if they know you just want to leave

It's ultimately a gamble and it's impossible to have all of your basis covered, so think about what's important to you

 

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