Canadian IB or American IB and exit opps

I have 2 questions about how Investment Banking works in Canada vs the States.

What I've been reading on many posts is that in Canada, the general route is career banking while in the States it's IB to PE/HF. I'm a Canadian citizen at one of the best Canadian schools for IB which sends people to NYC, LA and Toronto.

I have two options for a career in finance:

The first option is to work at a Canadian Big 5 in Toronto. Promotions are common, job security is higher than NYC/LA and most people here at career bankers. The tradeoff is that comp is 20-30% lower (I think? Correct me if I'm wrong).

My second option is working at a BB in the States and leaving to PE/HF as career banking isn't seen the same way as it is in Canada. In PE you get less security and chance of moving up though you get much better comp.

I'm torn between the two because Canada seems safer but the State has more opportunities and jobs in general. Is the safer job worth the smaller comp?

My second question is what people go into after both of these paths.

Once you get to VP/D/MD in Canada, do you stay until you choose to leave or are you sort of pushed out after a few years? Where do the people who get pushed out of Canadian IB go when you're an analyst or when you're an MD?

And my question is the same for the States. Once you exit to PE, do you stay until you choose to leave or is there a "life expectancy"? Do most people head to Principal/MD when in PE? What about people who get laid-off in PE/HF where do they usually go?

An answer to any of these questions would be greatly appreciated.

(Also yes, I know this is thinking really far in the future and yes I know these questions probably seem stupid to many people here)

 

A tenetur suscipit recusandae est saepe quaerat. Vel cupiditate ipsum et. Molestiae aut eum praesentium et reprehenderit. Et ullam nihil quae molestiae. Nulla at molestiae voluptatum illo voluptas. Quisquam omnis iure amet cum dolor asperiores voluptatum doloremque.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
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...”