PWP vs MS London (SA 2023)

Hi everyone. I was fortunate enough to have received offers from MS and PWP for SA 2023. Would really appreciate if anyone can provide any colour on both offices.

17 Comments
 

PWP London is a strong office with good pay and culture and solid deal flow, but if I were you I'd definitely take MS. In the end, if you care about optionality or exits, European PE and especially MFs show a strong preference for GS/MS over just about any boutique. That being said, MS London has a really intense and sweaty culture because the group is so lean relative to their deal flow, so be prepared for that.

 

PWP, if it were GS or JPM I would say that exit ops are worth it over the extra sweat (+chances are difference in sweatiness likely negligible between the three). MS is too sweaty in London for its exit ops to make up. You will still get your day in front of MFs and it is much more about interview versus your bank after the initial resume screen.

 

Exit opps will likely be better for MS, but keep in mind that the data on exits is biased. People who go to a boutique like PWP are more likely to be career bankers and obviously, the number of people is FAR lower than at MS. I have several colleagues and friends who are/previously were at MS London and they all HATED the place. Extremely brutal hours and horrible culture. If you want a long-term career in banking, I would probably go with PWP. If you just want good exits and can survive a couple of years in hell, then I would go with MS. With that said, PWP is still a solid place and you will get interviews at reputable funds. 

 
Most Helpful

MS London is stronger, but buyer beware. The culture there is horrid, arguably the worst among notable London groups. PWP London has a better culture, and punches above their weight for exits. MF is harder from any boutique, but PWP does place into MF quite well for a boutique and consistently places across UMM.

If you think you can handle the culture and wlb, go for MS. Otherwise, if you are willing to sacrifice a bit of exit opps and brand name for better culture, go for PWP.

 

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