Boutique PE Fund of Funds vs. Institutional Investment Consulting*

Hi WSO,

You guys have been great in the past with questions, so I'm hoping for a little advice. I've been working at a top 3 investment consulting firm (mid/front office role), and passed the first 2 levels of my CFA. I've been offered a position to move over to the direct consulting side (and possibly AM side for outsourcing institutions down the road). I'm also interviewing with a $10B PE FoF/hybrid (they do FoF, secondaries, and co-direct investments) investing in the buyout/VC and small allocation to distressed - I'd be a general analyst working across all investments.

I'm planning on going back to B-school regardless in 2-4yrs (undergrad was very non-target). Which do you think would be the better route long-term to get into a direct fund role? I had been hoping to move to either a HF/PE fund down the road, or even a mutual fund if possible, but haven't had much luck (even getting in the door for ER interviews).

3 Comments
 

This is an easy one (assuming equally stable firms, etc.), take the PE FOF/hybrid role - you should not take a consulting position if you want to do investments. It will be difficult to ever get to a direct role regardless, but at least if you go work at the hybrid you could get exposure to secondaries and co-investments, build some relevant skills and relationships and at least be able to stay on the investment side. Some of the secondaries/co-invest shops also pay well in relation to the work/life balance, at least once you get past the Analyst level.

 

Molestiae omnis quia atque rerum et nulla reprehenderit. Dicta illum et est et nesciunt et tempora ab. Natus facilis ad eum fugiat facere.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (51) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (26) $182
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”