I am fluent in both English and French in addition to my native language. Should I aim to work in Paris or London? Which city will provide me with a higher disposable income?
| +197 | Americas M&A League Table Q2 Updated | 79 | 3h |
| +131 | Restructuring: Anti-climactic Experience | 34 | 1d |
| +102 | IB Net Worth / Savings Check | 49 | 25m |
| +91 | Woman who emptied Knicks trashcan on street then stole it was DEI exec, worked at JPMorgan Chase | 24 | 13h |
| +80 | Stop sleeping on UBS - it’s pretty good | 26 | 2h |
| +52 | 2026 VAULT PRESTIGE RANKINGS | 29 | 1d |
| +39 | AI + Financial Modelling | 12 | 1d |
| +30 | Hardest interview experiences? | 16 | 23h |
| +28 | Summer before college | 17 | 13h |
| +26 | Current State of UBS in North America | 8 | 2d |
Career Resources
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
Pretty sure London is better on all fronts (be it WLB, culture, comp, opportunities, etc.). For culture it is quite subjective but I think French culture is way more stiff and hierarchical than anglo-saxon work culture. Not to say that Paris is a bad place, still a premier financial centre but I think London wins hands down.
Agreed, except for pay which is higher in Paris
True
Interesting, maybe at junior levels but I think it plateaus much more quickly no (at least that is the preconception I had regarding continental offices in general)? And including French taxation it can't be that much better of a deal? Genuinely curious, my only true datapoint was internship pay which is beyond garbage at most places in Paris.
?? That is just wrong lol. What are your data points?
Cannot comment at the senior level but for juniors, salaries are higher in Paris while taxes are somewhat similar. CoL is lower. If you factor in participation/intéressement, there is no match.
I had offers in both cities and friends working in both as well. Even weak banks such as SG offer c.100kEUR packages.
Analyst TC in London at PE (& therefore I assume IB too) is ~£100-150k. Assoc 1 promotion ~£230k ($300k) + co-invest/ carry.
No friends I know in Paris make that much and London taxes are probably lower. France is basically a socialist gulag.
Ok man - thanks for the valuable insight.
SG is not weak in Paris mate. Worked at a US BB in Paris and from what I have seen, SG fares much much better than the US counterparts in Paris. Both in advisory and in financing.
yeah that's true. They're pretty decent in the EMEA league table
Don’t chose on a marginal 10m income... wtf.
London is the best city unless you hate the world outside France or can’t live away from Your family
Both suck.
based
Pay in London is a bit higher if you compare positions at similar bank. Some boutiques like Messier & Associés can pay 70k+70k bonus (two years ago so might have increased), which is fairly decent
Both disgusting cities with tons of annoying joggers
looking at your comments, the only disgusting thing is you lol
you criticise everything
based
Quidem omnis temporibus deleniti exercitationem eum. Eligendi harum atque voluptatum ut repellat officiis voluptatem.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...