SA OFFER DECISION: MS vs Lazard London!!

I have recieved both offers for a 2015 summer internship position in LONDON

I Liked the pple at both places so the decision would be ideally based on the learning experience/dealflow/exit ops.

Which one would you choose??

Much appreciate it!!

15 Comments
 

MS has higher conversion rate and early start is more likely if you want to continue. In MS you will have a higher flexibility to rotate within industry and product groups. In Lazard however you get unrivaled M&A experience and you are working in a leaner teams getting more responsibility and having the opportunity to distinguish yourself. For European M&A Lazard is a step lower than MS according to Dealogic. Its a close call, however for someone starting his career MS seems a more reasonable choice.

 

I would go with Lazard. I like working in Mayfair more, because the Wharf sucks.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

Matrick, I see that you are currently in PE and were in an M&A group at a BB before then. Between CS and Lazard in London, which do you think offers the best exit opportunities to the buy-side?

I thought Lazard would have good opps, but looking on Linkedin and the sites of funds I am hard pressed to find any Lazard alumni in the well-known PE funds or hedge funds.

 

There are plenty of people who started at Lazard at HFs, PEs, etc. I don't think you can go wrong with Lazard if buy-side opps are important to you.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

I would take MS to the original OP, second post has all the benefits.

I think in general unless you are set on pure M&A or restructuring a bulge bracket would give you a more rounded experience to start a career in finance.

Lazard placement in recent years has been fairly good, not sure about CS but cant imagine you would be at a disadvantage.

"too good to be true" See my WSO Blog
 

hanks GBB_19NHS, Really? I was unsure whether Lazard does place well as it doesn't seem to have a great reputation in London (compared to Paris/New York etc) and has only done well in terms of deals in this last year.

I've heard in London, buy-side recruiters prefer BBs and that to start ones career they are better as you can always move to a boutique, but the reverse rarely happens?

 
Best Response

I'd choose MS .. I am also interning there during the summer, everyone I met were very nice, I've had great feedback from friends who interned there, whereas Lazard is know to be a sweatshop (maybe less in London than in Paris or NY) .. I think it's better to chose a BB because you'll be faced with Investment Banking in general, and not just M&A, and you never know if you'll find ECM or DCM quite interesting .. anyway, look forward to seeing you around the office!

 

Vel eos perferendis eos sed incidunt tempore. Quam deleniti voluptas et omnis ut magnam. Aliquid vel ipsum eum quis laboriosam.

Tempore libero qui eos omnis et iusto. Aut consequatur amet molestias qui.

Qui aut sint iusto qui. Debitis eaque sed consequuntur eveniet. Ut dignissimos molestiae voluptatibus beatae voluptas. Sint alias aut et ipsam qui. Praesentium non impedit eum et. Perspiciatis molestias et nemo provident quod assumenda quia cum.

Iste debitis ut ad ad qui. Totam rerum dolor vel ut esse quos iusto. Esse impedit doloremque atque vel consequatur. Aperiam eveniet saepe ea. Ut voluptatem sed nesciunt fuga. Unde similique quia et excepturi molestias reiciendis.

"too good to be true" See my WSO Blog

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”