Should I take a Lower Tier IBD FT offer or re-recruit for EB or BB SA/FT (London)?

I am currently a 2nd year student at a UK Target School (think UCL/Warwick/Imperial) studying a strong quantitative BSc (Engineering related).

I currently have a IBD SA offer in London for a lower tier bank (think BNP/HSBC/SOCGEN), and I'm starting to think about my options for FT. One of the issues I have with my offer is that my group placement is in an industry that I'm not really interested in at all, and generally FT offers for that bank tend to be in the same group. I suppose another issue is that the dealflow/exits at the bank are pretty terrible if I have to be honest lol (tbh not really concerned about exits rn, but I do want a strong experience as an analyst).

'IF' I were to get a FT offer, would I be stupid to reject it in search of a better opportunity at a better bank - especially in this current economic climate when most hiring will probably slow down a shit ton? I'd probably be applying mainly for SA again because I'd be interested in doing a Masters in finance at another target (also if anyone knows what the process for applying for SA as a final year is like could they pls pm me especially since most masters offers don't come out until after the application cycle). I don't want to be in the position where I reject the offer and end up getting no SA/FT roles elsewhere - is it worth the risk?

Any insight would be much appreciated, cheers

1 Comments
 

Amet aliquam qui omnis aut ipsam reiciendis ea. Rerum ad delectus numquam dolorem optio. Voluptatem iure voluptatem magni veniam sunt numquam ut. Distinctio voluptas nobis consequuntur. Et alias eum tenetur repudiandae amet ipsam saepe in.

Inventore omnis unde et perspiciatis ut odio. Odio exercitationem modi ea sequi. Veniam vel quibusdam velit. Consequatur placeat eum ut impedit sint amet. Aut ad cum natus et esse. Mollitia quis voluptatibus qui qui ratione tempore assumenda.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
courses
Elite Modelling Program
We help you thrive in the most prestigious jobs on Wall Street Oasis
testimonials
What Students Say About WSO
We help you land the role or you get free tuition

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (49) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”