14 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I worked in Dubai and know people at all firms.

Don't come to Dubai as your first job. Even if it is with a good firm - unless you have an explicit agreement that you can move internally to a London office, you will find it incredibly difficult to transition to a London based PE role for many reasons which make perfect sense, most importantly market coverage and the fact that they have a HUGE pool of talent with European deal experience to pick from. 

Dubai experience is also sadly discounted somewhat by London/NYC, even at top firms. It really only makes sense if you are a consultant or in a very particular role (e.g., you work at a US/Euro PE shop or HF and are based there - increasingly common).

There is very little risk in doing an internship imo, and getting a good name on the CV. Should help you secure a FT gig in London at a BB/EB, which should be your goal.

 
Pepper Jack

I worked in Dubai and know people at all firms.

Don't come to Dubai as your first job. Even if it is with a good firm - unless you have an explicit agreement that you can move internally to a London office, you will find it incredibly difficult to transition to a London based PE role for many reasons which make perfect sense, most importantly market coverage and the fact that they have a HUGE pool of talent with European deal experience to pick from. 

Dubai experience is also sadly discounted somewhat by London/NYC, even at top firms. It really only makes sense if you are a consultant or in a very particular role (e.g., you work at a US/Euro PE shop or HF and are based there - increasingly common).

There is very little risk in doing an internship imo, and getting a good name on the CV. Should help you secure a FT gig in London at a BB/EB, which should be your goal.

Interesting take; agree with you. Think still worth to do the internship 

 

Hello Jack, thanks for your enlightening response! Do you think ESSEC ESCP EDHEC are all targets there and is it necessary to speak Arabic? Much appreciated

 

Ab ut accusantium excepturi ea id recusandae. Consequatur voluptatum voluptatibus consequatur eos natus dolor. Et omnis dignissimos et quo id nesciunt velit. Et hic est voluptatem. Et enim molestias tenetur molestiae.

Tenetur in praesentium quae sunt. Similique eum fugiat pariatur qui assumenda quo facere. Qui optio nihil distinctio aut beatae qui.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”