How to get into distressed PE from IB M&A?

Thinking way ahead (I'm in college) but I'm starting to get interested in distressed PE and was wondering on possible paths to eventually get there.

My SA is in IB (M&A) so I'm just wondering how I might go about eventually getting into distressed PE from my current position. Would it help to do a restructuring internship before graduating? Any suggestions/ideas are welcome

525 WSO Academy Private Equity Session Reviews: 4.82/5

Class of '30 Jul 2026 Cohort

5.00/5

Private Equity Other

“Javier Barrena provided really detailed walkthrough on how he approached a similar tasking before, and although I entered the session not knowing how to approach this case study at all, I have a much clearer picture now. This session was extremely effective, and it's fortunate that he had the availability to do this despite my case study task coming in at a very last minute.”

Pontifical Catholic University of Peru

Class of '18 Nov 2026 Cohort

4.56/5

Private Equity Mock Coffee Chat

“Jorge was very practical and generous with his time. He gave me a clear action plan: tighten my elevator pitch to under 2 min, do a weekly modelling case study, and prep technicals, market questions and behaviourals. His networking advice (always ask each contact for 1-2 more names, track fund closes to spot hiring windows, a list of London infra headhunters) was very actionable. He also referred me internally to Nuveen within a week. Only point to improve: I’m still waiting for his feedback on the case studies I sent.”

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How to get into distressed PE from IB M&A?

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