PIMCO vs Bain

Dear fellow Monkeys,

I have in my hands a wonderful problem, I have two offers: one from PIMCO for an Account Analyst role and one from Bain for an Associate Consultant role and I would like to hear your thoughts on which way to go.

Personally all I care about is maximizing earnings out of a 40 year career. I don't mind long hours nor do I mind travelling (yes I'm that much of a tool). While I do prefer finance and investing I find Bain to be quite an exciting place as well so not a strong preference either way.

The PIMCO offer would be in a major financial centre, think London/NY while Bain would be in a European city that has a much poorer job market outlook, think Madrid/Paris/Milan. Ultimately I only care about location insofar as it will impact my networking and exit opportunities.

As it stands PIMCO offers more money to begin with though I'm unclear as to potential progression and whether Bain might top that in the long term.

Any opinion that you might have will be highly appreciated.

Thank you fellas

8 Comments
 
7xEBITDA

I believe the account analyst position is more of a client service role than anything where you'll get a real set of transferable skills, while Bain could prepare you for anything from corporate strategy to private equity.

Also PIMCO's not a place I'd want to touch right now.

Yep, take Bain and don't look back. Bain is an awesome place to start a career, and having the name on your resume opens doors down the line

 

thank you very much guys I appreciate your input. I suppose it needs to be said that in the Bain office in question:

1) exit opportunities are somewhat limited in the country due to lack of large organisations able to afford hiring an ex consultant

2) there will not be much of an opportunity to see different practices. Entry level consultants are usually staffed on a practice once they come in and they will most likely spend the rest of their time in Bain stuck in that practice.

3) there is no opportunity or indeed limited opportunities for consultants to work in different offices whether it be permanently or temporarily

4) compensation for entry level consuntalts is roughly the same as other countries but then grows much slower about 10% a year and there are no significant jumps from one level to the next

is Bain a better option even knowing all of this?

 

Voluptatem sequi illo qui inventore omnis. Error rerum recusandae ipsa optio neque alias voluptas. Hic sunt sint est non qui.

Est voluptatum corrupti quidem doloribus est pariatur. Tempore ut nobis iusto eos sapiente et et. Laborum mollitia modi debitis molestiae voluptatem cum. Vitae ex placeat corrupti ut eligendi perspiciatis illum. Et reiciendis animi aut.

Possimus labore minima ea laborum delectus. Excepturi est quam tenetur dolore quia illum voluptatem. Repellendus ut voluptate numquam aspernatur itaque sit. In inventore dolores vero enim esse doloribus id qui.

Get busy living

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 (66) $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...”