FO in EM vs. MO in London

Hi there,

I am undecided between what's best for a long-term career in IB/PE

The dilemma: FO role in my home country (emerging market) vs. MO role in an IB in London (and then try to network or work it internally to get into FO).

I give importance to:

  • learning + developing technical skills (FO in EM > MO in London)
  • network and geographical exposure (MO in London > FO in EM)

Long-term going with the FO role in an EM may create an attractive international background for applying to US MBAs, which would 100% open the possibility for IBs in US/London, but I would preferably also want to avoid going back to my country considering that my uni is still a semi-target. 

The motivation is that for 1-2 years, meanwhile the market is hard, I may be able to stay in my country and at least build some experience and polish my technical skills, which is better than doing FP&A due to market conditions, but on the other side, the geographical aspect may make the EM experience not as relevant setting me even at a higher disadvantage for lateraling to a FO role in London.

Advice/Perspectives?

3 Comments
 
Most Helpful

was in a similar shoe before: MM in London vs BB in HK (im asian). Ultimately i chose the mm offer and here is why:

I think ultimately it is easier for me to lateral from London back to asia in the future and it is almost impossible to do the other way around unless in a more senior position and actually an asset to the company. However, I didn't have the desire to go back to my country in the next few years.

In your case, i think since you mentioned that you want to go back to your country in a few years it is better to take that offer. The experience you get from FO roles is gonna be greatly different from MO role you get here. Plus internal mobility is also quite hard.

 

appreciate the view

Just one tweak, I don't want to return to my home country, at worst it's just a temporary career move to focus on building technical skills. Long-term want to stay in London.

 

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