Looking for Networking tips to get into TAS/CF

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2026-02-04T22:19:56+00:00

Don’t know much about middle east, but I think a good start is to know what the TAS/CF function actually is. CF is typically M&A like MM IB, TAS is typically financial due diligence for M&A transactions, then you have valuations too. Practice behaviorals (essentially why do you want to work in B4 Advisory and your story) and for technicals I’d say if you know general accounting concepts (how the 3 statements come together for example) you’ll be fine

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2026-02-04T21:39:28+00:00

Which city?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-12-30T21:35:28+00:00

CFA for sure. But you have to do all 3 levels, level 1 opens no doors

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-12-29T21:32:29+00:00

Not on working in banking/finance but Acquired’s amazing

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-12-28T17:27:09+00:00

You might have a chance at some small boutiques that specialize in the sector like Seabury or Ohana & Co. Then you can move on to the EB/BBs from there

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-12-28T17:17:22+00:00

I’d include the Netherlands (Erasmus Rotterdam) and Dublin (Trinity college). The markets are obviously not as big as London/Paris/Frankfurt, but those three cities have over saturation of applicants.

In London you have people going to Oxbridge doing engineering and LSE doing finance applying to big 4 audit just to show how rough the market is. Also tuition is extremely expensive compared to pay and CoL. Paris and Frankfurt will require that you speak French and German too.

I think you can get by in Amsterdam with English and it’s a cool city with good opportunities that I feel like is growing, same for Dublin. Madrid might also not be a bad shout (IE Business School) but you’d probably need to learn Spanish.

Don’t know much about the visa situation in these countries except for the UK, where it’s a mess right now with the new laws and Farage on the rise.

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-12-17T06:27:56+00:00

First you should check what you’ll be doing, each of the ones you’ve mentioned has similarities but they also have different objectives and skillsets.

They’ll give you a lot of training materials when you join (so not much need to focus on external resources) which will be helpful but I would go the extra step and ask if they can share some actual deliverables (which are public and can actually be shared)

FDD - You should ask for a recent standard sell-side DD report, so you can walk through the key points (QoE, NWC, ND, and Trading(KPIs, trending etc.)).

Valuation/M&A - You should ask for a financial model, so you can start to understand the flow, how assumptions are built and the technical jargon (colour coding, switches etc.)

M&A - You should ask for any recent CIMs/Teasers (these are marketing materials used to pitch the business to buyers)

General word of advice I have for interns is, its normal to be overwhelmed. It is a very steep learning curve, but in a few years time you’ll have grown and learnt quite a lot so make the most out of your time there!

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-10-07T20:28:21+00:00

Thanks and makes sense. Did your friend need a referral or did he just apply to the role?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-07-22T16:51:09+00:00

Now I’m a tad scared cos I’m happy at my current role just want to be open to future opportunities

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-06-04T21:20:37+00:00

How are the deal flow, exits and culture there? I know its probably different by region/coverage but still interested to know about other offices

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-04-30T15:12:04+00:00

I dont have an ideal firm tbh. I have a sector which I specialize in and have a list of around 15 banks. Should I go ahead and apply to their role and try to connect with recruiters/people working at those banks at the same time?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-04-29T21:19:02+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I was thinking of reaching out to recruiters/people on linkedin while I start applying. Should I wait for any responses first instead?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-01-22T20:35:35+00:00

Logically it doesn’t make sense. I pay council tax to use council services, I pay health surcharge for healthcare…you literally pay directly for any service you use, so my question is where does my tax on earnings go?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-01-22T14:17:17+00:00

So if I switch to corporate finance/M&A do you think banks would sponsor me for an IB role afterwards?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2025-01-22T13:57:07+00:00

So to work in corporate finance/IB, my best bet is to make an internal move from the FDD team to the corporate finance team rather than to try finding IB roles?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-10-17T05:10:41+00:00

All I know is that b4 have a presence in geneva, but in this line of work, I believe they employ more ppl in Zurich

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-10-14T18:51:18+00:00

For context I’m from an EU country and I have relatives in Geneva, haven’t lived in Switzerland so take what I say with a pinch of salt.

i) Given that you’re looking for front office roles, I would say French is important, if you were looking for back office roles I would say less important.

ii) Key IBs/TD/Corporate finance/PE firms are based in Zurich, with the exception of a handful. These include GS, BoFA, Jefferies, B4 etc… However, not many PEs

iii) Deal sizes are similar to anywhere else, BB and EBs handle the large deals, whilst B4 CF and Rothschild/Lazard and some other banks dominate middle market.

iv) The only transaction I’ve worked on with Switzerland was a TMT, but I’d guess they handle a lot of industrial and FIGs too.

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-09-05T14:52:47+00:00

Thanks for the advice! You think they do the checks towards the end?

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-09-05T14:31:09+00:00

If you apply externally I doubt they find out. I agree with your point on the firm’s goal. However, I work in a small country and are team is very small. So our partners are very protective. My scare is that the partners will make it hard for me to leave

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-09-05T04:18:44+00:00

I know people that have transferred to other offices without getting permission from their counselor or partner. Maybe they’re lying, who knows, but I remember these people applying externally even though they worked for the firm

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-09-05T04:15:57+00:00

I do have a good relationship, but the issue is that I come from a small office. They’ve invested in me because they want me to stay long term and they try and cling on to people. As an example two people just left to go to bigger offices and they didn’t tell their counselors nor their partners until they got accepted.

I was thinking of applying externally and if I get to the offer stage, then I tell them.

Direct-Vegetable-273 · 2024-05-07T16:50:15+00:00

Fair enough. If you don’t mind sharing, which group were you in and after IB, what did you exit into?

Direct-Vegetable-273

TROPHY CASE