Moving to another geography in PE

Hi everyone

I work for a UMM/MF at one of their offices outside of the US & Europe. I joined the fund as an intern straight out of college and was recently offered a full time analyst position. I have 1 year of experience.

I've always wanted to move to Europe (I hold a passport from an EU country) but now that I have this full time position I don't know if it's the right decision. I would like to work in PE if I move there

For starters, my PE firm doesn't allow transfers from my office to European or US offices so that's outside the table. I was thinking that I have some other options but I don't know if they realistic

1) Find a position at a PE/VC fund through a portal such as PER. This seems very challenging as I did my undergraduate degree in a non US/European university and I don't hold a masters. Is it still doable?

2) Work 2 years at my current fund and apply for a masters in finance at LBS/HEC/LSE and then recruit for PE. From what I've heard, most people graduating from these programs recruit for IB so I'm not sure if I would get what I want out of those programs. I definitely prefer to stay where I am rather than working in IB

3) Work 4 years and do an MBA. This is the most logical career path. However, I've heard from former associates from my office that took this path that i) US/European funds consider that associate experience in PE outside of developed markets is not valuable given market differences ii) Senior associate positions are rare in Europe and most spots are filled by people with return offers

What do you think? What would you do in my position? Any other ideas?

1 Comments
 

Distinctio eos qui odit qui voluptatum. Eum labore ipsa cupiditate sit. Hic vitae quia sed porro.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.2%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
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...”