Hong Kong. For now you got a long lunch when the market breaks, and the weather is pretty good throughout the year. You can live near the beach and still be a 25-30 min car ride/bus ride from work. Cheap food when you want it, short trips to exotic locations and can you say late night/early morning dim sum? Macau is a hour ferry ride away too, if you're into the whole gambling thing. HK is no longer for F.I.L.T.H - Failed in London, Try Honkers

 

If you like warmth / beaches and still want top prospects you could consider HK and Singapore. They are both boiling hot 80% of the year and there are beaches and exotic islands all over the place in Asia... not right by the office though... that's gonna be tough to find if you're in banking.

Maybe brazil or something? I admit that I don't know much about south america.

 
monyet:
Saudi Arabia, no joke.If you live on the compounds, you can easily get invited to wild parties princes/ ambassadors / the expat community throws so it is not terrible.

Depends on the type of people you hang out with :) ;) American/British/Canadian expats live quite comfortably

Greed is Good.
 

Not as hot as saudi, it does not have much of a real economy so they basically serve as a hub for the region. Saudi has all of the biggest deals. I worked in banking in Saudi as an intern, the deal flow was insane. The hours are insane, my colleges told me that the pay is i great too, considering the huge savings you make with no taxes. Exit opps are also better than Dubai, that stuff about the families in the article is 100% correct. depending on the family, you could easily turn a few million in a few years if you know your shit.

 
Best Response

Not as hot as saudi, it does not have much of a real economy so they basically serve as a hub for the region. Saudi has all of the biggest deals. I worked in banking in Saudi as an intern, the deal flow was insane. The hours are insane, the amount of holiday hours you get is crazy, and my coworkers told me that the pay is i great too, considering the huge savings you make with no taxes. Exit opps are also better than Dubai, that stuff about the families in the article is 100% correct. depending on the family, you could easily turn a few million in a few years if you know your stuff. Plus, not as many people work in the middle east, so the unique background would help add to your story for business schools.

Singapore is great. I lived in SEA for most of my life and the food is better than anywhere else on earth hands down. The night life isn't bad either, it beats saudi socially. You will not save as much though and the hours / holiday time you get will not be as great as saudi, but it is probably a good place to build a career long term.

Saudi has huge growth potential though so it would be much easier for you to stand out and get promoted quicker.

 
monyet:
Not as hot as saudi, it does not have much of a real economy so they basically serve as a hub for the region. Saudi has all of the biggest deals. . . the unique background would help add to your story for business schools.

...The night life isn't bad either, it beats saudi socially. ..

Saudi has huge growth potential though so it would be much easier for you to stand out and get promoted quicker.

Well said monyet :D

I'm willing to bet 100 riyals ( :P ) that there's an annoying pile at each of the top business school admissions offices with Dubai thrown in the work experience section of the resume, whether for the sake of having a diverse background or a genuine interest in the region.

Same thing with Bahrain...ask any PWM/AM/PB banker where the majority of his clients and the wealthiest are and he'll point to the other side of the bridge ;)

How many of those have Saudi Arabia in the experience section? Im willing to bet another 100 riyals that there are very few. Yes, monyet is correct. It is comparatively easier to make it big in banking in Saudi Arabia (given that you are really good... no, you don't coast on the color of your passport, those were the really old days)

Keep in mind that although Dubai looks great, its floating essentially on nothing, whilst Saudi has something tangible to hold on to (oil and petroleum products mostly, but they are nearing independence from them). Also, Saudi Arabia is considered the economic and political powerhouse of the region. High banking and high finance here is a tight-knit community...in Dubai you could quite easily just be another foreign face from a huge crowd...

I hope I've added something useful to the discussion

ciao!

Greed is Good.
 

If its a toss up between Dubai and Saudi (I think I would vote for HK any day for the criteria mentioned above - Singapore's weather is worse), I would vote for Dubai hands down. [I currently live in Dubai and travel for work to Saudi at times]. For the "happening" social life in the "compounds" in Saudi, one has to give up all social life outside of the compounds. Take this - on a flight to Saudi, while watching Transformers 2, most of Megan Fox was blurred because they could not show her legs and her cleavage . No Thanks!

 
vaguefunda:
If its a toss up between Dubai and Saudi (I think I would vote for HK any day for the criteria mentioned above - Singapore's weather is worse), I would vote for Dubai hands down. [I currently live in Dubai and travel for work to Saudi at times]. For the "happening" social life in the "compounds" in Saudi, one has to give up all social life outside of the compounds. Take this - on a flight to Saudi, while watching Transformers 2, most of Megan Fox was blurred because they could not show her legs and her cleavage . No Thanks!

LOL so you relocated from _____ (whereever you came from) just so you could have a "happening" nightlife and see Meghan Fox? XD Torrent it and watch it on your iPod/iPad!

Greed is Good.
 

Sao Pablo!

Valor is of no service, chance rules all, and the bravest often fall by the hands of cowards. - Tacitus Dr. Nick Riviera: Hey, don't worry. You don't have to make up stories here. Save that for court!
 
HarvardOrBust:
I also heard there's a lot of homosexual activity in Saudi because men have limited interactions with women in public. Not sure if I would want to give up women for work.

define a lot? certainly not more than in the United States. No, you won't be attacked or anything like that :P

Greed is Good.
 

Sequi aut et aut inventore magnam. Rerum nam repellat consequatur neque.

In temporibus dignissimos nobis et officiis. Quo expedita ex voluptatem maiores. Voluptatum quia consequuntur optio pariatur quam sequi in hic.

Est hic quia impedit voluptatem iste itaque aliquam sint. Quasi delectus dolorem voluptatem odio molestias distinctio. Modi est animi quod eius.

Greed is Good.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

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

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 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

March 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

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”