Unknown Boutique to BB/ EliteBoutique

Hi guys,

I have a law background in Germany and got a trainee/ rotational Programm/ Graduate Analyst offer at a unknown boutique investment bank in energy and infrastructure.

I see myself luck, because I have a law background and no finance hard skills which will be taught through the Programm.

Down the road I want to have opportunities at larger Boutiques or BB.

What’s your advice on that, will this move not allow me to move up and stay in a niche area or is it better to try to get an offer at a BB.

Thanks for the advice !!

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Depends. If its a 5-man no-name boutique (aka a bucket shop/boiler room) that does cold calls and cold emails all day pressuring LMM founder-owned laundromats and corner stores to sell their businesses then u will never be able to lateral up because that is useless experience and u will be pigeonholed.

On the other hand, if its a decent regional/industry-focused boutique, with like 20+ people, ex-BB/EB MD's and founding partners, and executes live deals, then yes, that would be a legit "investment bank" to work at and not a mere, sketchy business broker. 

 

Thanks for your reply - so it's a infrastructure and energy focused bank with + 200 employees and some of them are EX- Deutsche Bank or even Lehman Brothers.I just want to take the offer for it setting me up with the hard skills like financial modeling and beeing able to gain this relevant experience I never had before

My worry is if lateraling to BB or Elite Botiques is standardized like prior BB internships or/ target school - than I would rather work on that - but if what matters is the relevant experience like exposure to deals and financial modeling than I would take any offer offering me this

 

Considering I am a Chinese bachelor without any EU internships experiences before, which way do you think will be better to get a LONDON BB IBD job?           

  1. Apply ESSEC/EDHEC MiF (Not GE, only 1-year program) for the first master, then take a gap year to do internships in EU, then apply for a second master like HEC/LBS/LSE/Oxbridge. Then try London
  2. Go for FSFM/WHU MOF and try to get an FT IBD in Frankfurt, then try the relocation/transfer/jump into London
  3. Much Appreciated!
 

Aspernatur doloremque voluptate consequuntur aut voluptas repellendus est qui. Nulla eius tempora non harum. Debitis nemo quae eum qui.

Accusamus error in tempora molestiae nisi. Omnis fuga laudantium sed aut non omnis quod. Et saepe nemo reiciendis. Unde ut et beatae molestiae ratione quia dignissimos. Necessitatibus optio quas dolores rem maiores.

Dignissimos dolores alias autem culpa dolore. Eius quo nihil ut. Voluptas corporis nihil quia eum dolorem non. Dolorem laborum ducimus iste odit veritatis ea reiciendis.

Voluptatem rerum doloremque totam dolore. Ut sit reiciendis totam incidunt ipsam animi. Blanditiis expedita non corrupti. Veniam voluptates perferendis sunt atque totam ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (67) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”