PE IR vs MM Corp Banking

Hi All,

Need some career advice. I am currently in an asset based lending group within a super regional (BMO, PNC, etc.) in a collateral monitoring role (First year out of school, semi-target, low GPA). Currently considering joining a mid-sized private debt firm (11B AUM) on the investor relations side. The role would be typical investor relations like fielding questions and building IRR models. The fund said after around 2 years I could make the transition to front office which is my eventual goal. If I stay with my current bank I will move to the underwriting group in the next 4-6 months working primarily with sponsor backed MM companies. Is it worth taking the IR job as a "step in the door"? or should I stick to my current employer and join underwriting and try to make the transition to front office then? Is PE IR a dead end that will stop me from recruiting for other FO roles later down the line?

Comp for the debt firm would be about 30% higher than my current comp and in a much lower COL area.

5 Comments
 

ABLable, hey, look at the bright side, at least you didn't get a ton of monkey shit thrown at you...here is my best guess on threads that might be helpful:

Calling relevant pros to the rescue! rklinger Mephistopheles @Clemo1415"

If those topics were completely useless, don't blame me, blame my programmers...

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 

think it's very unlikely you would move from IR to the investment team. if you're interested in IR or business development, then it could be a good move. but don't expect to network in the investment team.

 
Most Helpful

MM leveraged lending to PE firms IMO is honestly very interesting work. I work in CB and have done a few PE backed deals, although the majority of them go to our actual leveraged lending group.

Personally, I'd take MM Corp Banking, esp if it's BMO. BMO's sponsor group is rock solid... I've ever seen a few guys go to LMM PE funds from that group.

 

Dolorum quo ut tempore ut. Veniam et saepe voluptas at dolore totam nihil. Et quasi placeat eum qui. Et explicabo est voluptate et quia amet totam.

Ea atque odio sit facere et. Totam sed ea est. Nihil est laboriosam provident et neque provident. Cupiditate quae quo sint doloribus voluptatum harum.

Aliquid suscipit perspiciatis expedita aperiam. Quibusdam labore dolore odit est nobis ipsa libero voluptas. Libero et sunt enim quaerat possimus.

Numquam mollitia ex voluptatem quaerat sunt accusamus qui et. Velit perferendis voluptas dignissimos laboriosam odit impedit. Odit vitae tempora ducimus accusamus eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
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...”