Trending Content - Investment Banking Forum
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
October 31, 2026
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
High Finance Applications
Guaranteed
Get at least one offer GUARANTEED
- 1:1 support
- 92% success rate
- 2,000+ mentor network
- Unlimited Live bootcamps
- AI for resume + LinkedIn
- Networking automation tools
- HireVue simulation tool
- Full course library
- Private Slack community
- 20hrs of mocks
- + much more...
All of them are MMs (SocGen, BNP etc). Exit opps can be decent and lead to MM PE shops or corporate roles. Have a scan on linkedin to see where exactly
Stay away unless you’re french, culture sucks
do you have to be ethnically French to fit in with the culture? I have studied French for years so I can speak it pretty well but I’m not from France
What’s the culture like? “Sucks” isn’t much of a description. Not trying to be annoying, just want to get a balanced view
désolé, j'ai sniffé de la cocaïne et mangé toutes les baguettes. Oui oui oui. c'est la vie. Ce n'est pas étrange qu'Emmanuel Macron ait baisé son professeur et elle a soixante-dix ans. Comme ci, comme ça.
Sacre bleu!
Yep, agreed French culture sucks for others
I'm an Italian looking forward to work in france, could you explain why the culture in these places sucks?
It is very hard to blend in unless you're French - language, culture, the whole thing.
You'll need to have worked with them to know.
Lazard is a French bank...think about their hours...
Not sure what the logic behind this one is but most banks of that calibre have shit hours, regardless of their nationality.
Soc Gen has some of the lightest hours on the street so that's not a good comparison
I think Lazard is considered to be American.
I think so too, it was founded in New Orleans?
lazard has laz in the name the frenchies are lazy
ILLUMINATI CONFIRMED
Lloyd Blankfein's first name ends in d, surname starts with B, and siphoned off more than 1M before exiting GS.
1MDB CONFIRMED
French banks in the US (Credit Agricole, SocGen and BNP) are well known for their financing groups as they have big balance sheets. SocGen is very strong for project finance/energy/utility space and have a lot of deals in those industries. Hours and holidays are definitely a big + for French banks, also exits are a - if you absolutely want to go the PE route. Although, if you want to do non-traditional buyside such as project finance / infrastructure PE / something more debt-related you could consider working for a French Bank.
French banks in London/New York/Paris? There's quite a big difference between the locations, especially in the MM space.
SocGen London?
.
Not to hijack this, but are Japanese banks like this too?
As a client, its fucking impossible to get anything confirmed with them from the US since they have their lazy ass Paris offices to report to. Everything takes DAYS.
terrible cultures. If you’re not White, French and Male good luck progressing
I hear they only recruit Foreign Nationals. And that you don't need to know french going in. They will teach you french as a part of basic. The exit opps aren't as good as some US outfits. You will primarily will be working in Africa or the Middle East. And if you get wounded you automatically get French citizenship.
Nisi dignissimos nesciunt nesciunt ratione magni corrupti voluptatibus. Delectus voluptatem iste dignissimos cumque ex ea.
Nam officia velit qui. Veniam et similique nesciunt non perspiciatis. Aliquid non suscipit sequi quos. Placeat ad tenetur corporis aut ut est. Cumque magnam quas temporibus ut iure in. Sed minima ipsum deleniti et odit nemo.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Vero aut suscipit veniam voluptas. Aut voluptatem ut praesentium omnis officia voluptas exercitationem. Qui dicta nobis odio fugiat unde quae. Est ipsa et ut consequuntur. Fugiat vel facilis minus quasi quibusdam atque.
Voluptatem incidunt quia culpa unde temporibus aut. Sit voluptatibus tempora aliquid quis itaque unde non sunt.
Minima itaque enim aut culpa occaecati. Maiores et eum itaque ullam quis aliquam consequatur atque. Facilis ut quia non blanditiis.