Worth it to go from back office to middle office?

I'm currently an AD in the back office of a BB IB. I have an offer from a different BB IB to go to their middle office. It's a $15k raise which is fine, but what I'm really wanting to know is does this help my prospects of moving into IBD/FO? Or is the middle office really just the same as the back office? The recruiter wants to make it seem like it's a good "next step" if I want IBD/FO but I'm sure they all say that. 

4 Comments
 

If you're gunning for FO IBD, I don't think it helps very much given the additional time investment, waiting a year or two, and restarting the recruiting cycle. I'd say it's more worthwhile to invest more time in networking and seeing if you can land a front office IBD role at a boutique or LMM shop. That said, if you're open to eventually moving into corporate finance, then MO would be a constructive move forward.

Happy to talk through this more if you DM me

Created a 1-step skincare solution for men. Purchase + reviews appreciated: www.w34th.com
 

To give you better advice I need the following:

What does AD stand for and what kind of position are you in now?

What kind of role would you be moving to?

Which firm are you at right now, and which firm would you be moving to? 

Quick and dirty answer, you should try to move to front office at your current institution. Some firms, however, like Goldman Sachs, do not believe in this kind of mobility so it's impossible. I know that Citi is good with internal moves (even from back to front office), so giving me the answer to the questions above will be really helpful.

 

AD is associate director level. I would be moving into a position with the same corporate title but in MO instead of BO. I would be supporting reorgs, corporate actions, and M&As. 

Without naming company names, my current MD bluntly said that there is no path to the FO from where I am now without a full time MBA regardless of how well I perform. The recruiter at the potentially new firm said that there is a path from MO to FO and I would be interacting with them on a daily basis. Again though, recruiters say a lot of things.

This would be a no brainer move, but I own a house in my current city and would have to sell it and move to a higher COL city for the MO role, and I'm taking the GMAT in September and was planning on applying to MBA programs here. So it's basically move and don't start the MBA next year or stay here and do the MBA route. 

 
Most Helpful

Facilis nemo eos quas debitis. Pariatur quos cumque aperiam consectetur eum ut rerum.

Consectetur deleniti ut sit natus quibusdam iste. Quia quasi voluptas accusamus numquam dolorum aspernatur. Distinctio labore officiis cum dolore illo. Corrupti omnis totam minima animi est voluptate. Illo mollitia quos voluptate.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (48) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”