London VS Toronto, which would be better in the long term?

Hello everyone. I really need help in deciding in which direction I shud push forward. Apologising earlier for the long post and thanks in advance for reading it :)

So quick background I am an ACCA (for those who don't know what that is it's like being a CPA in US/Canada), I am currently working in Audit for the past 1-year as an Advanced associate at EY (it is a big 4 in accounting firm). I am going to write my GMAT soon but can say I am aiming to get 700+ (which I think I can get), I also hold two Bachelors degrees one from my home town Hyderabad from Osmania University, India in International finance and accounting with a 3.90 GPA another one is from Oxford Brookes University (this is a special degree that is available to ACCA people by giving a research paper) and I have a masters degree from the University of London in Professional Accounting (the same case as Oxford Brookes degree but take about a year to complete). I turned 23 years old this year.

So, my question is, I wanna get into Private equity or start with IB then PE. But I am confused about in which city to pursue this, Toronto ticks many boxes for me like in respect of visa policy, living conditions, inclusion etc..(you know the usual). but the main drawback I feel is lower pay, fewer opportunities, and higher tax rate, always better to have a business in Canada for a higher quality of life than employment income. Now London has better job prospects better pay compared to Toronto and with my current qualification, I will be a competitive candidate (as ACCA is not much recognised in Toronto and all my other qualifications are of UK). Now I know as an immigrant I can't just walk in a country and get a job in an industry like this hence that's why I am going to a B-school if I decide to pursue London I am aiming for London business School (LBS) will do a master in financial analysis (won't qualify for an MBA but will do one in future) a course designed for early-career people to get in IB and PE industry. If I choose Canada I will go for the Rotman MBA program since it doesn't require 2 years of experience (Rotman is one of the biggest MBA programs in Canada)

So this me wanting to migrate from India and also work in PE

So do you think I shud go for Toronto due to the welcoming immigrant nature and the comp is not really that bad and I will manage, its a better city for starting a family, or I shud go for London cause better opportunities/pay and better synergy of my existing qualification would give me edge over other applicants and all this overlooks the racism in London, an expensive city, small country size etc and lower economic growth? Cause studying in these B-school are expensive and I feel I have a better chance of getting a hefty scholarship in the UK compared to Canada. The third option I am considering since I am relatively young go to London earn get experience in the field and if I don't feel like living there bounce with 7-10 years exp to Canada cause if I choose Toronto first then I cant go back to London option, but if Toronto is not that bad I prefer not spending 7-10 year in a country where I won't be living in. what are your views?

10 Comments
 
 

Tax rates aren’t much different and you save 30% in Toronto compared to london, salaries are also the same. So Toronto is cheaper. Going to business school is pointless unless your going through a drastic career change, a lot of Canadian funds as far as I know have been taking on more auditors and so on and they also have UK offices so they will be familiar with your qualifications so nothing to worry about there. I say Canada, but I’m biased, I hate london for high cost of living and shit pay and crazy hours I hear from people in industry, which doesn’t feel compensated well imo.

 

Thank you for taking out the time to reply, I have taken the living cost into consideration and you are right in that aspect, but I believe compensation is higher in London, even when checking the employment reports toronto comp doesn't even come close to london, please do correct me if I am wrong. 

 

No problems. Comp is basically the same earning 100k CAD or there about base in Canada is equivalent to £60k. Just last year base across the roles in london for incoming was £50k for an analyst, london maybe 5-10k CAD more but the difference is still negligible when account for how cheap Canada can be in comparison and the services you get are basically just the exact same.

 

Thank you for your reply, and yes I believe LBS would be a great move and it was what I am trying to achieve. Hopefully, I Ace my GMAT and almost secure my seat at LBS

 

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