Advice for a Freshman heading into trading in China? Don't want to look like a fool..

So I am about to finish up my freshman year at a target and one of my goals is to obtain an IB internship the summer after sophomore year.

This summer, however, I'll be heading into China (think Beijing, Shanghai, not HK) and will be interning on a derivatives trading desk that's part of a rather large securities firm in China.

  1. Are there any specific tasks I should look to do or ask to be responsible for that will be give me a more IB-related experience that I could talk about next year during interviews?

  2. As to trading specifically, I admit I am not very knowledgeable at all... I was wondering if there were any websites that I could be reading/learning from that would at least familiarize myself with the industry? Otherwise, I'll probably struggle in the beginning and I don't want to play catch up/look like a fool the time I am there (there is a formal internship program at this firm with students all over China probably having a stronger foundation in understanding derivatives trading).

Any input or advice will be appreciated. Thanks

 
Best Response

I had a SA internship at a BB my sophomore year and IF that is indeed your goal you need to do one of two things:

1) You MUST have STRONG relationships in China (family-wise). The only other sophomore I saw at my BB that were sophomores were all relationship-hires aka "attachments".

2) Demonstrate that you have sufficient credits to graduate in THREE years, and apply for banks as junior status (i know a couple of kids that did this). Note*: This does not mean you MUST graduate in three years. In fact, none of the kids I know who put down "Junior" status with IB internships as sophomores actually will graduate in three years despite receiving multiple offers from the bank they worked at and the banks they interviewed for through accelerated recruiting over summer. Think of it as a way to virtually guarantee an internship junior year.

Oh, and last tidbit. Even if your goal is to work in China (SH/BJ/HK), it is definitely preferable to start in the US and transfer after two or three years.

Also, I'm guessing you'll be working at CITIC or CICC? Kids there will be mostly from Tsinghua, PKU, Fudan. Brilliant kids, but remember attitude matters most. Besides, it's not like you're seeking a FT return offer so just relax and try to learn something useful to talk about next year. And definitely try to network... although in China, it works nowhere as well as knowing someone senior through family or close friends.

 

Yeah i was thinking more along the lines of a IB internship at a boutique back in the states the summer after my freshman year. I just wanted to know how do i and if i could translate some of the skills i will learn on this derivatives desk to investment banking and showcase this through resume/interviews?

Any thoughts on this?

Thanks for the input btw.

 

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