Interview in London vs FFM

Is it only me or are interviews in LDN, and processes in general way easier compared to Frankfurt (perhaps all of mainland europe)

In germany I applied to a european balance sheet bank and they gave me 3 rounds with 2 1h interviews each where I was absolutely grilled on technicals, guys started asking me about PIK interest and how IFRS 16 would specifically impact company X's performance. Apparently some of the MM which are big in sellside PE require you do like 3h modeling tests or some shit.

In London I got an offer for 2 BB internships with just 1 online test (which takes about 15min and is rather easy to prepare for), 2 phone interviews which were basically just a chat about the weather and some motivation and an AC with a small case study (again not too terrible to prepare for given the large amount of resources out there) and 2 more interviews which again were basically just the "tell me about a time" questions. 


Does anyone else feel the same? With these super in depth technicals I felt as I had no way to prepare for everything they might ask while with the behaviorals if you had your standard set of 10 or so stories lined up you could basically apply them to any possible question.

 
Most Helpful

Same in the Nordics. Three-hour interview sessions with modeling tests, and deep technical and market questions. Some banks even give over-the-weekend case studies.

Top tier BB in London was the simplest interview I ever had - the biggest challenge is getting the interview in the first place. 

 

definitely but I feel with the tests you can REASONABLY well prepare so I kinda also liked that more than in Germany but here its way more focus on certain unis so a tradeoff i guess

 

In voluptatem repudiandae nihil consectetur in commodi. Ut et eum omnis natus natus sit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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

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...”