PE VP with the opportunity to move to London from NYC for a few years
Have been offered the opportunity to help grow out one of our business units in Europe for a few years (with the opportunity to stay longer if it's a fit) and I'm open to trying it out. Single and no family to consider. I've never really explored London and love being in NYC (US citizen). Obviously varies across firms, but how does the work culture differ in London? And how the cities compare from a WLB / QOL / dating / raising a family perspective. Would love to hear from people that have worked across both. Thank you!
Have you spent time in Europe / UK before? Did you like it? It's going to really depend on your personality.
One person's experience having spent time in the UK / Europe - there is more sub rosa "classism" in the UK than there is in the US. It can be very isolating especially if you have a rich ecosystem of friends in NY already.
The one thing whatever you do - if you choose to explore, make sure to basically get as close to a guarantee as possible that you can come back. If there is no guarantee - I personally would not touch this - way to much downside. Keep in mind that the longer you stay in London/Europe the harder it will be to come back stateside naturally (network, recruiting, relevant experience / knowledge) which matters more and more as you get to the more senior mid-level / senior roles.
If you are early year analyst/associate - yes by all means, life is short - give it a shot!
London is an absolutely premiere city comparable to nyc in nearly every way and that's from Someone who's lived in nyc 14 years
If you do come, hit me up (also a London based PE professional)
Londoner here. Most finance (IB/PE) folks live in Central/West London with a few living in South London. If you work in PE/HF, then your office will most likely be in Mayfair/Victoria with the occasional few being in the City and maybe a couple in Canary Wharf (namely Brookfield). The ecosystem is a bit smaller here versus NYC/Chicago as majority of people here make friends with people who they went to school with whether it be private school or college/university. The British/Europeans tend to be more cliquey and a large part of them live in South Ken, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Fulham, etc. In terms of making friends as an expat, your best bet is to make friends at the office and hope they introduce you to their wider friend group. Another thing to note is that it's a small ecosystem here and majority of the PE/HF folks hang out at private members' clubs aka 5H, Annabel's, Oswald's, ME, Arts Club, etc. or around different bars and pubs in Mayfair/Chelsea.
Pros: London is a cleaner city, especially if you live Central or West. Would not recommend City of London or East London as its not as aesthetically pleasing unless you are more edgy/alternative then Shoreditch/Angel works too.
Work culture: Depends what fund, if it's a U.S. fund then prepare to work as hard, you do get more vacation days and most people are off travelling in July/August, flights are shorter and cheaper aka St. Tropez is the equivalent to Hamptons for Londoners.
Comp: Usually there's some form of a haircut compared to the U.S. so do not expect the same comp unless you're at Warburg Pincus or Apollo or at another prominent U.S. fund. Also don't forget taxes, which take up a large chuck of your pay (they might rise too depending what happens politics wise). Plus you get paid your salary once a month at the end of the month (not bi-weekly).
Rent: Rent is expensive but not as expensive as NYC - you may feel the weight of rent on your wallet more depending on your total comp.
Food: Food is decent, different options, and also if you're a fan of pubs it's great too. Lots of people grab drinks after work on Thursdays and Fridays.
Cons: Since you're a U.S. citizen, you will have to pay double taxes aka both UK resident taxes and U.S. taxes. Buying a house or property here is expensive unless you buy one outside of London (good luck getting a new build). Don't forget there's this whole entire thing of leasehold versus freehold as in you can purchase a property for 2M but on a leasehold meaning you own the property for XYZ amount of years and you also don't actually own the land underneath. You also need to put more effort in making friends, unless you become friends with other expats/Americans because Europeans tend to be more reserved as in people will not socialize or be super open to people who they just met.
TLDR: London is a super cool city, very international and diverse but be prepared for a different culture/way of life.
Calling a person alternative is quite frankly proposturous
Alt ppl literally call themselves alt...
Ummm, I mean't alternative as a style, not sure if you're familiar with the neighbourhood's (Shoreditch) history. Although its become more gentrified in the years, and there's Shoreditch House, which is pretty popular.
Agree with the above except Angel and Shoreditch being edgy/alternative. These places have been gentrified for decades at this point. The “edge” has moved further east to Dalston/Hackney.
What's the meaning of "alternative", gentrify & edgy (unfamiliar because of the part of the world I come from)
I mean if your comparison is Chelsea / South Ken then Shoreditch / Angel definitely qualify as relatively edgy. But yeah it's not anywhere near Dalston / Hackney.
I lived in NY for close to 10 years and coming up on 3 years in London. Still spend a lot of time in both. NY comps would be:
- Chelsea / South Ken = UE/WS / West Village
- Shoreditch / Angel = Williamsburg (probably East W at this point with how gentrified prime W is) / Greenpoint
- Dalston / Hackney = Bushwick
Am a European that lived in NY for close to 10 years and coming up on 3 in London. 100% agree with this take.
The double taxes is not exactly accurate though as there are UK-US tax treaties that ensure you don't overpay. Given the relatively higher federal tax rate in the UK (note there is no state/city tax like there is in NY -> all-in taxes in London and NY are materially equivalent) you are unlikely to be liable for the excess US federal tax as your UK burden is high enough. The US tax thing is only really an issue in places like Dubai or Monaco.
Other than the tax point, any idea why comp is structurally lower? The funds aren't smaller, the management fees aren't different, so the GPs are just taking more of the fees because the labor market allows them to?
Any thoughts on relative difficult between US and UK of starting your own firm? There's a pretty robust ecosystem of first time funds and independent sponsors in the U.S. that grow up to become successful in short periods of time if the returns are there. Does that happen in the UK much?
I love London and would love to work there but also struggling to justify the comp cut / walking away from the white hot center of finance in NYC
NYC is just materially more expensive. Restaurants, leisure,…
Interested to hear what you ended up deciding to do
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