Q&A - 1st Year PE Associate at a US MF in Europe (KKR, BX, TCG, WP, TPG, BC, APO)

Hi everyone - long-time lurker and first year associate at one of the European offices of a US MF. My background:
- Master at a European target school (Bocconi, HEC, St Gallen etc)
- One year and a half in the industry team of a BB
- Several previous long internships in finance

Glad to field your questions on recruiting, what's the job like, the positioning and relevance of US funds in Europe and - today's special - how to deal with impostor syndrome when you're a geeky introvert who made it to PE.

 

It might be a challenge. MFs in Europe are looking to hire younger and younger professionals as the pyramid is getting very top heavy. Post-MBA you would need to be recruited as a VP and there are virtually no spots left. Also some US funds like to hire pre-MBA juniors because the MBA alternative allows them to have some control over the up or out process - e.g. there might be no headcount left for a VP when an Associate is due to be promoted but the partners will encourage said Associate to go through an MBA with a guaranteed VP spot once it is completed. However depending on your pre-MBA experience you might be very successful in some niches e.g. Tech if you worked at a startup, in the Silicon Valley or at an MBB, and Real Estate which I hear has been struggling with recruiting experienced talent lately.

 
Most Helpful

There are several components to the interviews:

  • Fit: I would say what is truly important here is to have a structured and "MECE" approach to it. Prepare the answers to the following questions drilling down to the role you are applying to: why buy side (want to act as a principal and not an intermediary) > why the PE asset class vs buyside (want exposure to downside and upside) > why majority buyout strategy vs minority/growth/coinvest (want exposure to governance and help implementing group wide strategy) > why large cap (want exposure to more mature companies with formal processes already in place and not spend your time implementing reporting processes etc) > why US fund (usually public companies with good training and employee development programs - dry powder is virtually infinite, opportunity to coinvest on mega large fund deals with US funds - ability to leverage global network in competitive bid processes, e.g. for a company who is looking to enter China etc) > why this US fund (you will have to do your Due Diligence) > why now (want to develop wider skills than in banking - market analysis, drafting documentation, legal skills etc)

  • Technical: market sizing technicals: highly recommend the Victor Cheng book - a great read. LBO: the WSO pdf is very good. I recommend you learn how to do a three statement LBO in max 2 hours. Case studies usually last 3 hours. If you can’t finish the 3 statement in 2 hours, drop the full balance sheet and focus on getting the important elements correctly: ebitda, capex, change in working capital, taxes (a small Net Operating Loss module based on PBT), debt module. Know how to prepare a few slides summarizing the CIM and your analysis: 1 slide for the investment thesis, 1 slide for risks and mitigants (spend most of your time on these two) is the minimum

 

Honestly no, there are almost no interns and none at all from MBAs. Unfortunately post-MBA hiring is almost non-existent (I have explained why in a previous post in this topic)

Regarding citizenship, it is not as much of an issue as in the US in most of the continental offices (usually immigration rules make it possible to hire a foreigner permanently) but I heard it is an issue in the UK due to the sponsorship process. Funds have relatively little am overhead and support functions so they might not want to bother with going through a painful sponsorship process. If you are an American and pre-MBA, I guess you could try to contact European headhunters to get on their radars, but it will be tough convincing them that you are committed to a move to Europe

 

No, it is not. My fixed comp is way below what I imagine my US colleagues earn but the benefits offered are much higher in Europe (all kinds of medical and non-medical insurance, paid leave etc). Regarding the variable and carry comp it will depend entirely on the performance of the fund so if Europe is going well and the US is in a trough, you would expect European professionals to earn more in this case

 

I got in touch with the HHs during my summer. I have attended some of the breakfast funds organise during the summer. A few weeks into my FT, I sent a quick note over email to most of the HHs saying that it would be good to have a quick introductory call with them. Another email in January to wish them a happy New Year and giving them an update on my status and year end reviews. Then I would recontact them every 6 months or so saying that I was looking for the next step in my career and keeping myself abreast of new opportunities. I absolutely cannot emphasize enough how critical it is to get on their good side. They will make or break you so you better treat them as royalty and with the utmost politeness.

Regarding your second question, of course your internship will be relevant. I invite you to keep track of all the deals you have worked on during this internship - it will give you great material to discuss during the HHs screening calls and funds interviews.

 

Great question. American MFs are at a more "mature" stage vs their European MFs so most often than not they are listed companies with significant reporting and ESG requirements. As an example of this, in Europe, I have seen them very focused on recruiting female talent. However I expect internal processes and consensus building to be relatively the same i.e. when receiving an IM, the deal team first sounds out interest with a Heads Up memo, then submits an LOI, conducts the DD, with several back and forth with the investment committee leading to the final binding offer. If I had offers to both, here are some elements I would take into account: - when would you get some carry - some US funds will only give carry to their VP/Senior Associates so potentially have to wait 3 to 4 years before getting any - what does the promotion track look like: is it 2/3 years per title or 3/4 years? US funds tend to have the following track: 3/4 years as ASO followed by 3/4 years as VP or Senior ASO, then X years as Director (can be 2 years, can be 10), then X years as Managing Director and only then would you become a partner...Can be very long vs younger and more agile European funds with a more favorable age pyramid and opportunities to be promoted quickly - do they expect you to get an MBA at some point (some US funds do)? Is it a 2 year contract ? If so, I would absolutely choose the permanent contract, especially if there is no guarantee you will keep your spot post MBA.

 

Thanks for doing this. It is well noted that there are many well-qualified (ie. bachelors and masters in finance, followed by several 6 month internships at buyout funds etc.) Europeans working in IB and PE in London. My question: are local students (who have followed the typical route of summer internship and working in IB FT) at a disadvantage when recruiting for MF Associate roles? If so, what do you recommend to improve chances and become more competitive? Separately, what advice would you give for recruiting for Analyst positions at some of these funds (i.e. the BX Analyst programme)?

 

Honestly, the question of language is absolutely decisive. Let me put it this way: in the US, all roles can be filled by monolingual English speakers and competition is already very high. In Europe, a maximum of 15% of roles can be filled by monolingual English speakers. Polyglots can apply to the same roles than you and in fact are greatly advantaged. Even if you take into account that some polyglots self-select themselves to roles where a given language is required, effectively competition would be 6.7x times higher than in the US for the same English-speaking role which is just insane. The single highest ROI action you could ever take to remedy this is to learn fluently a new language.

Regarding the Analyst positions, I have never applied to them so I have limited advice to give on this topic unfortunately.

 

Interested to hear your experience so far re: your last point on imposter syndrome. In my first year of PE as well at a MF and have felt similar in terms of just trying to keep my head above water. Had been in IB at a BB before and while people there were smart, I’ve felt like it’s been a pretty big step change with the move - partially could be due to smaller team sizes giving a feeling knowledge being consolidated into a smaller group of people (at the BB, from my experience, you have more people with specific knowledge being pulled in as needed on transactions), but everyone has been super super sharp on a pretty broad range of topics at the MF

 

Thanks for the feedback, glad to know I'm not the only one battling with this. I felt real whiplash transitioning to buyside from banking. Everyone here is so much smarter, more efficient and proactive than in banking. In banking, as a junior, you can just follow clear instructions from multiple hierarchical layers at any time. There are moments in banking where I felt (without too much conceit I hope) that I was a "star" because I knew how to output slides and models very fast, took responsibility and was always reachable on my phone - simple stuff but seniors were always appreciative during reviews. This feeling is definitively gone. Everyone is super sharp. Everyone thinks fast. Everyone has a top tier background. I'm not special and I have to re-learn everything I thought I knew down pat, especially finance. I think you have to be very confident (borderline narcissistic) to not feel this when transitioning

 

Thanks for the Q&A.

1) Would you consider the work you do in PE more intellectually stimulating compared to IBD?

2) Do you have a specific long-term goal? (PE Partner, Entrepreneurship etc)

3) What was your rationale to go to a MF compared to a mid market fund and maybe have more responsibilities?

Thanks in advance, greetings from Germany

 

1) Absolutely. I mean, there is still dumb stuff (you wouldn't believe the amount of reporting I have to do) but there's no artificial limit on the value-added you are allowed to bring to any project as a junior. If I have comments on something, I am encouraged to give them. I am encouraged to disagree with my seniors as long as the rationale is sound and that I can explain myself rationally. It's a very collegial approach. Seniors are actually happy when a junior has something to say - it means the junior has spotted something that they haven't and everything goes as long as it is in the interest of the investment. 2) I still haven't found what I want to do when I grow up. A lot of PE juniors are in the same boat - we've followed prestige and money as signals of inherent value because we can't be bothered to find our calling. 3) Honestly, the pay. I had an offer at a mid market fund and it paid 50% less than the MF. I had a humble upbringing and still support part of my family so it was a deciding factor.

 

I would say 10 to 20% is a good estimate. I don't think it's more difficult to make the move from consulting vs banking. The number of candidates from MBB is much lower than from banking so processes are not really comparable. My advice would be to reach out to relevant headhunters (KEA, Dartmouth, Walker Hamill, Blackwood, PER, Arkesden) outlining your project and why you want to go into PE.

 

For MBB consultants, does the type of projects you did have a big impact on the chances to land an interview and the job itself?

I wonder if MF and UMM prefer consultants that did a lot of CDD projects as opposed to someone that has done more hands-on operations projects (e.g. cost reduction, organisational restructuring, etc.).

 

It did not. An introvert can have chats with HHs and send them emails so not that much of an issue. Networking has limited impact (if any) on the processes in Europe. However I do feel this is impacting my work somewhat. A good PE professional needs to be very outspoken and eloquent. Even as a junior, you are expected to do some public speaking, to conduct expert calls, manage lenders presentations and so on. But these skills you can work on if you are aware of your shortcomings

 

1) I would say possibly, but the best would be to reach out to the HHs I've mentioned in this post and ask them this question - depending on your profile it might work if you can make it to the interviews. 2) Yes of course. The buyside transition in Europe has a much more flexible timing than in the US. Juniors can leave their banking jobs after anywhere from 1 year to 5 years of experience. 3) This is my estimate but I would say at most 15-20% so these positions are insanely competitive

 

There's no formal MBA track in Europe. Juniors are recruited with the expectation that they will stay 10y+ at the fund if they are successful there. People here tend to think much less in terms of "exit opportunities" and "what's next" than in the US. Especially because the hedge fund and MBA tracks are non relevant here (given respectively a much less developed hedge fund activity and MBA tradition).

 

I don't know how committed they will be to expanding their US presence now considering the current market uncertainty. Most investment professionals I've spoken to expect the covid-induced recession to last much longer in the US than in Europe considering how ineffectively it has been addressed. That being said: - 3i has had a strong performance in infra - looks like they are less focused on buyout PE vs longer term investments - Permira: great tech and retail investments recently (Teamviewer, eDreams...). But I haven't seen them that much on large cap deals, they're more of an expert on upper mid cap niches - Cinven: truly the only EU MF for me. They raised €10bn for their latest fund. Good job on winning the Thyssenkrupp auction pre-Covid, let's see how that goes for them now that we're in the middle of the greatest recession ever...

 

Thanks a lot for doing the Q&A! Highly appreciate the great answers so far.

Would be extremely grateful if you could answer the following questions with regards to MF recruiting:

1) How important is the brand of your school? I'm currently graduating from a good school which is very underrepresented in London. Got an offer from a US BB but also for a target masters (think St. Gallen/HEC). Will it increase my chances significantly if I go for the target school? I do speak a sought after EU language on a native level and another with good command and got EU citizenship.

2) You mentioned females are at an advantage in recruiting. What's the case regarding male minorities (think African/Carribean)? Never came across people from this group in MF PE and I'm quite curious.

3) How important is my group? I have a clear passion for a vanilla industry (C&R/HC) which is decent at my BB but I could also choose to go for the M&A team which is pretty well regarded. My FT offer is kind of a special case. Any ideas what I should go for?

4) Can you voice preferences for a specific industry (e.g. C&R/HC) when you speak to HHs and MFs or do they always recruit generalists?

5) Is it more difficult if you exit at a later point if you want to go the MF route? Let's say after 1 year or after 2-3 years in banking after a rotation or so.

6) What happens if you fail in your interviews? Will you get another shot with the same fund a year later? Is there any difference if you fail 'cause of fit or technicals (modelling test, etc.)? I feel this is rarely discussed although MF recruiting seems insanely competitive.

7) How is international mobility? Is it encouraged and doable at MFs and are they usually 1/2y stints or also permanent? I've seen some people on Linkedin/company website who have moved to Asia/US.

Thank you very much in advance!

 

1) The brand of the school is important. MF are huge snobs when it comes to it - for a simple reason, team credentials do matter somehow when raising funds. But I cannot give personalized advice without the name of your school - answer will depend on how "good" of a school it is 2) There might be some diversity programs you could leverage. Reach out to SEO, I believe they have a good network in PE 3) Not as important as WSO would make you believe. My group didn't appear in any of the rankings always appearing here (GS TMT, MS M&A, etc.) C&R/HC are very good sector specializations to have when it comes to transitioning to the buy side, a lot of funds are investing in these sectors. Regarding your offer, you should ask around what is the involvement of the industry team in transactions: is the M&A team always in charge of modelling and process execution in your bank? Or do they keep the modelling in-house in the sector team? You will want as best an exposure to modelling as you can have. 4) Honestly I would not do it. You would risk being labelled as "that C&R guy". What you want is to be specific enough so that the HHs think you have a solid understanding of your career next step, while keeping it vague enough so that you get a call for a higher number of opportunities. So just say something like: "I'm interested in large cap private equity, I am open to both generalist positions and positions where I could leverage my sector expertise in C&R" 5) 1 year is early for London. Most recruiting comes after 2 years of experience. I wouldn't say it's much more difficult to exit at a later date - the process is much less formal than in the US so the only limit on the timing of exit is how expensive you are as a more senior banker. 6) I think you are overestimating the number of job openings per year. A traditional fund will recruit at most 2-3 juniors per year. Especially for the funds that have offices in several Continental Europe countries, each office will recruit maybe once every 2 to 3 years. So, no, you will not be reinvited if you fail the interviews, PE professionals typically don't have enough time to keep reinterviewing the same pool and there are just not enough openings to justify it. 7) There are no international mobility programs. PE funds are much smaller and leaner structures who cannot afford to send a junior out for a year compared to banks who can sometimes have such programs. Best you can do is negotiate it on an adhoc basis if there's a need on the company's side. Thank you for all your questions!

 

Thanks for doing this. Could you advise on possible difficulties with switching from MM IB and ER (doing both for a small office) in an emerging market to moving to London/Frankfurt/Zurich for a PE associate position with 3-3.5 analyst years under the belt, and an MSc in Accounting from a reputable school? What would you look at for an applicant with such background?

Also, the question on languages has been raised so many times. Aside from English, I am fluent in German, Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian, will that be enough for the global European financial centers?

“Destiny is a gift. Some go their entire lives, living existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon their shoulders is really a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights. Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero. Don’t think. Become.”
 

As long as you are in a financial centre (I would go with London in respect to this) and in a BB you should be able to recruit to PE funds. Maybe not MF PE who usually tend to hire pure BB bankers background. I find it very impressive to speak 5 languages! It should be a great asset for recruiting which you should leverage on.

 

Thank you for yor time and valuable response. Could you suggest one more thing?

I am also teaching finance and analytics on Coursera (creating short courses over the weekends) on different topics, everything from creating candlestick charts with Tableau to DCF modeling, and I have decent amount of learners. Any chance to leverage this? It is basically the only thing I can use in my hobbies section (aside languages), although I am getting paid for this. Won't it be too much of a hardo?

Again thanks for helping.

“Destiny is a gift. Some go their entire lives, living existences of quiet desperation, never learning the truth that what feels as though a burden pushing down upon their shoulders is really a sense of purpose that lifts us to greater heights. Never forget that fear is but the precursor to valor, that to strive and triumph in the face of fear is what it means to be a hero. Don’t think. Become.”
 

Thanks for this. I have a few questions I´d really appreciate your input on:

  1. How detailed do LBO tests get in interviews? Did you need to show revenue build-ups, different operating cases, detailed PF adjustments, etc?

  2. Did you use anything else besides Victor Cheng for the qualitative part of the interviews (i.e. formulating an investing thesis and making growth / margin assumptions)?

  3. Did you consider buyside roles in smaller funds or different asset classes (credit / distressed)?

 

1) Pretty detailed. You receive a 40 pages CIM and instructions to build an LBO and a few slides: - Revenue build-up at the Business Unit level - They only asked for a single operating case - No notable PF adjustment - But they did ask to do the 3 statement so you should know how to build a PF balance sheet by heart. Honestly I felt the WSO pdf really covered it well. 2) I recommend reading Case in Point - it's a well known classic. Actually one of my interview questions was straight out from the book. Always remember to start as high as you can i.e. demographics (450m inhabitants in Europe, growing 0.1% p.a.) then divide by number of inhabitants per households to get households (c. 2.5) ie 180m households. Then multiply by % of households that need to buy it x frequency of purchase (1 time every 5 year?) x pricing x market share to get yearly revenue.

3) I did interview at smaller funds to have backups just in case. But always wanted to get some experience in large cap equity

 

Many thanks for your great advice. Regarding prep for questions on market sizing, how essential do you think this is? Reading the whole Case in Point definitely takes quite a bit of time...

Array
 

Hi, would appreciate your comments on my profile. 21, pursuing CFA L3, working at BB (MS, GS,JP) as 1st year IB analyst in India. Completed undergrad with dual majors in econ and stats from a non target and pg diploma in econ from target uni. Looking to complete a masters in finance from a target uni in Europe (Oxbridge, LSE, HEC, Bocconi). How relevant is my profile for getting into PE in Europe?

 

Hi. Thanks for this. I have a few questions I'd really appreciate your input on: I am a 27 yr old Math/Finance student at european university. Previously I’ve been working in a small business(VP) in the consumer services industry. I quit my job for university at 26. So, I have work experience before pursuing a bachelor. At the time of graduation, I’ll be 29/30 y/o and I would like to go into London IB and PE. After graduating I am planning to apply for a target Master in Finance or math. Do you think it’s possible to break into PE in Europe? Am I too old? What would be the best way to break into the field?

 

Honestly, I don't want to discourage you from pursuing your dreams but I don't see your profile breaking into anything other than small cap PE (which can be great). What I would recommend is applying right away to IB programs. If you don't manage to get an internship, apply to the Master in Finance/Math and try again getting into a Bulge Bracket program

 

Hi, thanks a lot for doing this; really beneficial given the US focus of the forum.

I have a quick question regarding the importance of your bank for PE recruiting. Specifically, I have a FT offer from a Mid BB (BofA/CS/Citi) in a team that has had probably (among) the best PE exits at the bank, historically. Additionally, on the back of some networking, I would also have the opportunity to start FT at a top BB, but would have to renege on the other offer (Class of 2021 though, therefore maybe a bit less problematic).

So my main question is whether, from your experience, I would be at a strong enough advantage at a top BB to justify reneging. Or is the Mid BB sufficient? Obviously don't want to burn any bridges. Do you know which funds only look at top BB (I think H&F, GA, not sure about others)?

Just to give you a better idea, I have had/will have a number of pretty strong internships including one in PE at a MF plus go to a top continental target and speak one of the most sought after languages (French/German/Nordics/Italian) on a native level.

I have also been been to the mentioned breakfast/know one of the top HHs quite well, in case that matters

 

I wouldn't renege if I were in your shoes. A mid-tier BB was more than enough to get me to the interviews. You should focus much more on the quality of the team rather than the bank - a team that will get you good dealflow, responsibility and independence is much more valuable for PE than...say...DCM at GS. Also, you'll come in as a lateral recruit and not a previous intern so chances are high that you'll end up in a less sought-after team in this top BB role.

 

Hey, Thank you so much for doing this! Do MFs require masters or is a bachelors degree sufficient in terms of uni education?

 

Eos laudantium ut necessitatibus dicta ipsam. Sit a omnis sed delectus. Voluptatem alias repellat sunt voluptatem est ea sit.

Enim consequatur voluptate reprehenderit enim doloremque. Tempore ad harum qui rerum. Placeat commodi culpa sint rerum sapiente. Accusamus neque odit necessitatibus accusamus ut consequatur et. Id libero non natus est delectus repellat.

 

Facilis placeat eos rem autem voluptatibus officiis. Atque accusamus ab ipsam magni. Quasi beatae recusandae voluptas. Fugit quia corrupti et excepturi. Consequatur nesciunt modi enim voluptatem officia minima. Modi voluptatem quisquam id est. Consequuntur totam similique vel placeat voluptatibus quis.

Assumenda sequi voluptatem voluptatum pariatur ipsum expedita. Sit aut qui et qui itaque. Quos fugiat veritatis beatae corporis cum quo. Ea voluptas saepe consequatur maiores.

Ut ad earum ut quam est. Quia sit labore voluptas veniam facere occaecati repellendus non. Repudiandae quia sed itaque voluptatem velit ab earum. Minima occaecati voluptas mollitia nobis exercitationem id.

 

Aut consequuntur suscipit cum. Voluptatem est eveniet minus ad non eos ad. Qui est quo vel mollitia sint.

Nesciunt doloribus officiis voluptas beatae dolorem possimus quidem consequuntur. Excepturi libero qui modi placeat a porro. Perspiciatis eum consequatur veritatis et aut dolor et aut. Neque saepe dolor consequatur quam quia quaerat tempore quaerat.

Sint nulla soluta saepe sit. Officiis odio rem inventore aut.

Quia eveniet voluptatem fugit veniam. Quibusdam nulla autem et repellendus porro numquam. Dolorem doloremque ut consequatur debitis ipsum odio itaque. Qui porro occaecati perspiciatis quasi saepe officiis qui.

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (21) $586
  • Vice President (91) $361
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (89) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (204) $268
  • 1st Year Associate (386) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (28) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (83) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (246) $122
  • Intern/Summer Associate (32) $82
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (313) $59

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8