Shell vs RWEST - no idea which one to choose

Been a huge fan of WSO for a few years now, would greatly appreciate some help!

I have two grad job offers and no idea which one to go with;

Shell as part of their Commercial scheme, so two 18 month rotations (36 month contract), first one will be in Supply operations and 2nd rotation I can choose where I want to go.

Pros:
Great Pay
Freedom to move around the company and internationally
Good job security after grad scheme

Cons:
Small chance of moving into trading (highly competitive internally)
Very long contract 36 months as a grad
I can potentially be put into the management side of supply (the suck)

RWE S&T as part of their energy trading grad scheme, three 6 month rotations (18 month contract). RWE S&T is big on Power and Coal trading, growing in Gas trading and an ok presence in Oil.

Pros:
I can choose my own job rotations and locations
Great mix of prop and physical trading
Start trading after 2 years
Great future pay prospects

Cons:
LOW pay for energy trading
No job security after the 18 month contract
Not great for Oil trading but big on Power, Coal and Gas

Would really appreciate some input. Cheers!

 
Best Response
vkoolio:
Been a huge fan of WSO for a few years now, would greatly appreciate some help!

I have two grad job offers and no idea which one to go with;

Shell as part of their Commercial scheme, so two 18 month rotations (36 month contract), first one will be in Supply operations and 2nd rotation I can choose where I want to go.

Pros: Great Pay London based Freedom to move around the company and internationally Good job security after grad scheme

Cons: Small chance of moving into trading (highly competitive internally) Very long contract 36 months as a grad I can potentially be put into the management side of supply (the suck)

RWE S&T as part of their energy trading grad scheme, three 6 month rotations (18 month contract), first rotation is in New Business Risk (no idea what that will involve). RWE S&T is big on Power and Coal trading, growing in Gas trading and an ok presence in Oil.

Pros: I can choose my own job rotations and locations Great mix of prop and physical trading Start trading after 2 years Great future pay prospects

Cons: LOW pay for energy trading No job security after the 18 month contract Swindon (bit of a shithole) Not great for Oil trading but big on Power, Coal and Gas

Would really appreciate some input. Cheers!

Go with RWE, it sounds like that will suit you best given all you have told us about your background, your interests and your career goals

 

I probably should have said something about myself!

I have a masters in Chem Eng and interned at Exxon and IBD BB. I know a decent amount about the physical & prop side of oil and gas. I wanted to start of in the operations side of trading, dealing with shipping, blending and scheduling, which Shell offers but they have separated this part from trading where as RWE hasn't. So my main problem with RWE is that they are very focused in coal and power. I don't really know much about these markets but from what I have read coal and power aren't as exciting. Also, Swindon is a major shithole to live in...

So it is either I take the job I want to do now in a supermajor I want to work for against a job I aspire to have but not the products I want to trade.

 

My fear with coal is that the growth is limited, with European shale gas taking off, it seems in the next 5-10 years gas will begin to replace many of the Coal plants in Europe. I am more excited by LNG which is set to grow substantially in the next few years with the new potentially arctic routes between europe and asia, which Shell has a good slice of the cake in. Is it generally heard of for people to move from corporate role to physical trading?

I should point out, RWE does do gas trading but it is very weak, the gas-oil indexation helped them net a tidy loss of about $1bill. But the oil & gas team is pretty small and very difficult to get into. RWE does very well in CO2 emissions trading, which is set to grow.

 

Minima occaecati odio explicabo magnam. Inventore sed qui ex labore et. Eaque inventore maxime et voluptatem. Ex amet accusamus eaque autem.

Corrupti laboriosam illum voluptas eligendi autem voluptatem culpa. Illum deleniti illum beatae sunt esse ratione earum. Consequuntur corporis reprehenderit nulla cum. Aperiam minima laboriosam veniam ut.

Veniam voluptatem occaecati dolor est voluptatem. Sint maiores nam dicta ipsum facere deserunt. Consequatur tenetur et eveniet ipsam rerum. Doloribus dolores eius rerum consectetur tenetur. Corrupti adipisci suscipit porro animi error error dolorem voluptates. Est quisquam ea ex quia.

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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
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...”