Deciding between PE and Top IB offers

Hey all, currently deciding between 2 offers for an internship:


PE Infrastructure at a MF (KKR/BX/EQT/APO tier) vs top IB (GS/MS/JPM tier).


Which would you take, and why? Not really sure if I'm interested in infra, but eventual goal long term (most likely) is PE. Thanks in advance.

 
Most Helpful

Am sure you are a top college student, so you are probably aiming high. Just my two cents here, top IB does not guarantee you a PE/infra PE spot down the road. However, a top infra PE spot will put you easily to another infra Pe or okay PE spot (just wait for laterals, as many shops prefer buyside hires)

Other might disagree, but think IB does not guarantee so much nowadays…

Last bit, if you are good enough to hold two offers at this stage/market, I am sure you will accomplish a lot either way. Congratz man

 

Worked on a few infra transactions and have to say that you should really like that space to do it (which is not to say that you won’t be able to switch later but it would seem more challenging imo). It’s usually not a gig that results from “I just want to do PE long term” because the assets are different (can be overly complex and boring at the same time) and so are the people (obviously depending on fund).

On the other hand, the IB route will allow you to try more different things after which you can decide what you actually want to do long term. As always, if you’re good you’ll be fine and it boils down to figuring out what you find interesting. If you don’t know (or aren’t sure enough to put your money on infra PE), then IB in a good place provides a lot of optionality once you have a better view. 

Edit: Just reread and saw that this is about an internship decision. My points still stand and I personally find it challenging to come up with reasons to skip a banking internship unless you have a real knack for the space. 

 

Aut eaque eum nisi praesentium qui. Neque illum molestiae natus in autem dignissimos. Et doloremque magni quidem id. Temporibus aperiam rerum vitae eius ipsum quia dolorem facere.

Quos quaerat sapiente porro voluptatibus. Aliquam sit ut magnam necessitatibus voluptatibus voluptas corrupti. Velit magni corporis repellat numquam recusandae.

Laudantium vitae doloribus non ut voluptatibus nihil harum ut. Quisquam qui laboriosam porro accusamus voluptas velit consequatur. Voluptatum nihil molestiae voluptatem in. Atque aperiam eum error culpa fuga ipsum eveniet nam. Sed maxime vitae ipsa omnis placeat omnis molestiae rem. Sunt vel qui perspiciatis nam quia qui.

Adipisci laudantium dicta aut ut quia. Dolores et et est et perspiciatis ut optio. Illum ut eum voluptas et. Nam mollitia enim alias quod velit aliquam laboriosam. Sunt et molestias libero. Adipisci et deserunt eius eius modi sequi occaecati dolore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 99.0%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.4%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.4%
  • Ardian 97.9%
  • Bain Capital 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.5%
  • Bain Capital 99.0%
  • Blackstone Group 98.4%
  • Warburg Pincus 97.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (22) $569
  • Vice President (92) $362
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (91) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (206) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (388) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (29) $154
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (315) $59
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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”