can you always go back?
is it always possible to rejoin IB if you leave for PE Corp dev etc? what happens if people dont like their next gig 1 year down the line? 5 years..?
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bump - left the buy side for consulting and also curious
I think this would be highly subjective - it wasn't possible for me. I tried going back after many years and it somehow didn't work out. you are too senior to be in a regular intake, I didn't go for an MBA (so that HR line was closed as well), and my experiences slowly went towards PE/VC/corp fin/etc.
couldnt u just go back to analyst/associate? I know that would suck but If it is what you want...
how long were u out and in what type of role?
Going back to analyst wasn't realistic because I had been promoted already at that BB (they let my entire department go, I already had so many years in BB I didn't mind). at that point you are too senior to be an analyst, realistically. you'd be downgraded so much they wouldn't do it. I left for approx. 4 1/2 years, I think, but was promoted several times in that time frame.
wow were you at DB Houston or something?
No. NYC and London.
What you are referring to is sometimes called a boomerang employee. staff who leave (for whatever reason) and return. What is common for some employee types (ie contractor), is less common for FTE and even more rare in some departments or roles (returning to a higher position within IB at the same bank is not that common). I don't believe I could recall even one person in my network who left IB and returned to the same group/BU after a few years. It would highly depend on each individual and what kind of experience was gained and how.
If you leave as an analyst, you MAY be able to come back as an associate after a couple years but would be tough without an MBA. If you're hoping to leave as associate and come back as a VP or director in 5 years, not happening.
I know an analyst left after 2 years did nothing for a year and came back to another bank as an analyst
did nothing for a year?
Possible, especially if you acquire sector expertise (eg tech M&A as a CorpDev professional at a large tech company). What will be hard though is the mentality switch from buyside to sellside. Also depends on how much experience you have prior to sellside
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