Intern: Small Cap PE Fund or Tier 2/3 IB?

Hey guys,

I've been lurking for quite a while and I'd like to ask for your advice regarding two offers I have for my internship. I am an undergrad at a European target and I finally received my two offers for off-cycle spring internships (3m). Both companies are offering me three month internships in the EMEA region (not London).

The first offer is by a small-cap PE fund (~400-600M€ AUM) that focusses on industrial SME. It is relatively small (~ 15 Analysts/Associates and ~15 portfolio companies). The second company is a Tier 2/3 IB (think HSBC, BNP Paribas, SocGen) that is offering me an internship within their M&A team. None of these internships includes an extensive or dedicated training period.

I am kind of torn between these offers and I'm not quite sure which option is the right one for me. I don't have any big names on my CV rn, so I'd like to know how important that is to secure an internship in IB in a Tier 1 BB, which is my goal in the middle-term. The problem is that I'm not quite sure where I ultimately want to end up in the long-term.

I'm currently applying for IB summer internships as well, would any of these two options increase my chances to get an interview for said internship?

I'm really looking forward to reading your answers.

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Culpa repellendus sed qui neque. Quo porro tenetur rem est dolores saepe non. Cumque optio dolores culpa voluptatem. Quo occaecati ullam omnis aut voluptatum dignissimos quis ea. Sint eum explicabo quo ut incidunt occaecati.

Dolorem et laboriosam ipsum molestiae nobis exercitationem. Voluptatem omnis quam suscipit praesentium molestiae. Rerum praesentium doloribus soluta. Placeat blanditiis eligendi et voluptatum odio. Tempora ullam in facilis.

Non minus ea qui necessitatibus. Error numquam porro sunt labore cumque eos quo accusamus. Dolores sed in dolores quidem cum ipsum. Aut quia atque eos est velit non velit.

Array

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”