Quant Research Offers in London vs. Amsterdam

Hello everyone,

I've recently received 2 offers for quant research jobs at boutique funds, one in London (~$2B AUM) and one in Amsterdam (~$300MM AUM). The offer in London is for a discretionary macro/equities firm looking to go systematic, meanwhile, the firm in Amsterdam does managed futures and would be classed as a quant firm.

My main issue is assessing which one helps me achieve both short and long term goals. Short term ones being: getting 2-3 years of experience under my belt, building up a track record in terms of generating alpha, moving more towards a systematic PM role, and move to a tier-1 hedge fund. Long term ones being: opening up my own shop. Some considerations to make: the research I'll do in London is considerably more structured than the research in Amsterdam, in that I would have way more freedom in terms of research ideas in Amsterdam. The role in Amsterdam carries significantly more risk due to some funding issues (I've been told that these issues are under control, plans are being made, and that I shouldn't worry about it, but I have had a bad experience with "just trust me bro" in the past with a potential job, so once bitten twice shy and all).

On the compensation front, I'd be paid slightly less in base in London, however, I was told that there was a lot of room for growth after my EOY review. The Dutch firm has a shaky record in terms of pay rises and bonuses regardless of individual performance. From a networking standpoint London is clearly better, but that's not really a point I want to focus on here. I've tried to give as much context as possible without naming the firms or using identifiers which give away who they are.

A bit about myself: postgrad in maths from a target school and a quant research off-cycle internship at a tier 1 bank. Doing a PhD is a realistic option for me but I think with how the job market has changed over the years, having actual experience and publishing papers on the side is more valuable.

Any valuable insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!