UBS vs Jefferies London 2021

OK. So I don't work at either of the firms and heck not even in the same geography. And I chose to work at an EB - so again no affinity towards BBs or MMs.

I spoke with multiple VPs at Jefferies London and was pretty open about what I wanted and what I could expect to gain etc.. And this is the info I got. I'll list them out and let you decide what you want.

All the below points are said by these VPs and I haven't added anything.

Rationale to join UBS or any similar level BB over jeff:

1. Only if you want to go to MF PE. At these BBs you end up getting 1-2 large deal done in 2 years and that is something MF PE look for. Even then, your chance from ubs would be pretty limited as you'd be down the pecking order of BB analysts. However it's better than to be at Jeff for this purpose.

Rationale to join jefferies:

1. Better comp. All cash no stock. However there's claw back associate level and up on bonus, but only if you leave to a competing bank. Not if you leave to PE. Also placement at MM PE is very good too.

1. Much better place if you want to be a career banker. Eat what you kill kind of place. Much better support when you get senior as well.

1. You'll be worked hard, but has a better collegial environment, which makes it quite bearable to work with. Also in some of the teams, the seniors are also quite cool and regularly take analysts out for drinks on weekends.

1. I am not sure if it is for an internship or full time. But if it's an internship, just know that at jefferies, there's already already an FT position with your name written on it. So unless you fuck up, the offer is yours. Not sure what's the conversion at UBS

1. Some teams do really top notch work. Ex: hc, tmt, p&u, levfin. You'll do much more intersting deals here. Hence better exposure. Also you'll have a lot more responsibilities as an analyst. Hence better and faster learning curve.