Perception of Frankfurt offices by London PEs

Hi,

Not sure whether this fits the IB or PE forum better, but here goes nothing:

Does anyone have a feel for the perception of Frankfurt offices by the large London-based PE funds (MF, upper MM) relative to the London offices? I realize that in terms of networking and arranging interviews London is superior if one has his mind set on landing an associate gig in London post IB, but I am wondering whether the location also significantly affects the perception of the candidate?

For example, if one were to be a strong performing analyst at at GS IBD in Frankfurt and proactively reached out to the relevant headhunters to indicate his interest in working in London, would he be significantly disadvantaged compared to his London peers? Furthermore, for the funds with German operations, is the "risk" of being pigeonholed into one of these a significant?

Any insights would be much appreciated!

Chimp Champ

 

Considering I am a Chinese bachelor without any EU internships experiences before, which way do you think will be better to get a LONDON BB IBD job?           

  1. 申请ESSEC / EDHEC MiF(不是GE,只有1年制课程)作为第一个硕士,然后间隔一年在欧盟实习,然后申请第二个硕士,如HEC / LBS / LSE / Oxbridge。然后尝试伦敦
  2. 选择FSFM / WHU MOF并尝试在法兰克福获得FT IBD,然后尝试搬迁/转移/跳转到伦敦
  3. 非常感谢!
 

Sorry for the misktakes before...Considering I am a Chinese mentor without any EU interdisciplinary experiences before, which way do you think will be better to get a LONDON BB IBD job?
Apply for ESSEC/EDHEC MiF (not GE, only 1-year program) as the first master's degree, then intern in the EU every one year, and then apply for a second master's degree, such as HEC/LBS/LSE/Oxbridge. And then try London
Choose FSFM/WHU MOF and try to obtain FT IBD in Frankfurt before attempting to relocate/transfer/jump to London
Thank you.

 
Most Helpful

Net disadvantage because of what mentioned above, but certainly doable, in particular because the Frankfurt teams are in generally perceived to be technically stronger and harder working (across all banks). There is a slight bias at some firms against people from "small" offices (i.e. everything outside London) as its seen as favourable to have exposure to many different people (work styles), cultures etc., but its negligible and does rarely prevent you from getting interviews.

The key is to be proactive and network early to be on HH's radars, you certainly get invited.

With respect to being pigeonhold, dont think there is any large fund in London with a dedicated "German" pool. If a deal within German-speaking Europe comes across then obviously you'd be likely to be staffed on it, but you if there's none (often the case) then you just work as part of the junior pool across whatever execution is live right now. (edit: if you are concerned that e.g. Advent would push you to start in the Frankfurt office rather than in London, then yes its a risk, but it would be similar if you'd do banking in London. Unlikely that they dont take you for London if they like you and you push for it).

 

Soluta autem dolores dolor deserunt. Est ut ipsam at ut alias. Ducimus odio ipsum itaque. Et inventore dolor et praesentium aliquid ex veritatis. Pariatur est pariatur voluptates pariatur tempora.

Harum quia minima nemo natus. Asperiores recusandae quam eius minima possimus.

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
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”