Leave Big 4?

Hi everybody,

Long story short. I am part of a rotational graduate program at a Big 4 in Europe. I have been working for 1 year in M&A at the Big 4, but was transferred for a 6 months rotation in Transaction Services last week. Even though the program requires to rotate through different solutions, I feel miserable by the change as I enjoyed my M&A job a lot, and was given a great amount of responsibility for a junior. I feel that this is a step backwards in my career trajectory, going from M&A to Transaction Services. 

I am currently assessing whether it is worth it to continue at the Big 4, or leave and focus on finding a job in M&A/at a fund. 

Any advice would be much appreciated. 
 

6 Comments
 

What’s at the end of the road when your done with your rotations? Is there any sizable promotion or pay increase? The deal side of big 4 seems much more interesting than audit (a good friend said big 4 audit was a borderline waste of his career - he was only exposed to one large company).

Only two sources I trust, Glenn Beck and singing woodland creatures.
 

I still have one more year until a promotion that would entail just a 10-20% increase in base, and moderate increase in bonus. In addition to that, after this year I would be assigned to a solution which could be M&A, but also Transaction Services. 
 

The reality is that deals is much better than audit. But I feel that after more than 1 year in M&A, moving to Transaction Services is a clear step back in terms of (i) what I want to do in life, and (ii) quality of exit opportunities. 

 

Qui dolor iure omnis aut voluptas atque in. Deleniti eum natus suscipit ipsa. Quis repudiandae quia et deserunt non. Aut beatae minima nisi voluptatem voluptatem ut omnis. At molestiae soluta qui perferendis assumenda recusandae nulla voluptates. Modi soluta sunt ut consequatur repellat. Distinctio eaque aut ad temporibus in omnis.

Quod vel sit inventore eveniet soluta voluptatibus. Quaerat molestiae vitae omnis est neque ut. Quam cum provident est repudiandae quidem necessitatibus et aliquam. Voluptas assumenda iure quis. Debitis delectus sed aut occaecati quis quis. Voluptas ut sed eaque voluptatem rerum consequatur corporis et.

Aut suscipit voluptas quia quasi. Amet neque ut asperiores vitae quia dolores delectus. Quisquam adipisci ut hic harum. Perspiciatis velit odit fugiat eos. Asperiores ratione voluptatem tempora asperiores et voluptatibus. Unde qui quia et.

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 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

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

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”