One Person Boutique vs. Corporate Finance arm of Accountancy Firm

Hi all,

I have a career advice question.

Background:
Current MSc in Finance student looking to break into IB in the near future.
In the coming weeks, I will likely receive two offers from two firms in my mid-sized European city.

Firm A is a basically unknown one person boutique looking to expand, founded 1-2 years ago, headed by a person with +10 years experience in an EB. We get along very well, the recent deals seem to be interesting and I know it will be incredibly hands on. I really like the idea of working here. 15min commute.

Firm B is a little known accountancy firm, founded ~6-7 years ago, with +100 offices, backed by PE and I would be working in the corporate finance division. Probably a ~20-person team. No information on previous deals, is that a red flag? All the partners are accountants, I'd also sit the accountancy exams, whereas in the other firm I would not. 1.5hr commute twice a day.

What's my goal?
My goal is to work in one of these firms for 6-12 months and successfully lateral into a bigger MM investment bank. Which of these firms do you guys think will be better suited for that transition and which do you think will be a better learning experience?

My gut has been telling me the one person boutique is a better option but I'm not sure if it being so small & lesser known will be a problem.

I would greatly appreciate your feedback and advice.

Thank you!
 

Which firm should I go for?

Firm A (One person boutique)
78% (7 votes)
Firm B (Corporate finance arm in accountancy firm)
22% (2 votes)
Total votes: 9
2 Comments
 

Is the ib looking to hire more employees in addition to you? Do both offers pay the same? Do you have any connections to MM investment banks now through your msc or will you need to start those from scratch?

 

Quo aut consequatur accusantium aut sit et sit eveniet. Sint dolor architecto maiores soluta veniam. Ipsam dolorum eum commodi iure est neque.

Ut magnam laudantium optio consequatur recusandae. Est aut qui molestias officia quae iure quis. Fuga sint voluptatibus unde quia omnis et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (24) $180
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (82) $151
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”