When do investment bankers take time off during Christmas and New Years?

I'm planning on visiting New York soon because a contact told me to tell her the next time I would be in town (I'm assuming she's trying to schedule a couple interviews for me of some sort). Would being in New York the week of Dec 31-January 5th be a bad time? How long/when do bankers usually take days off?

Investment banking: vacation time during the holidays

When can you expect to use your vacation time in IB
? If you are a

Regarding holidays, this is generally when analysts do take their vacation as it is a slow time. My first year I flew home for 48 hours for Christmas and Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, I was slammed with work and had to do work xmas night. Some analysts got away with taking a week off because times were slow and they didn't have a lot on their plate.

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I feel like the start of the new year is one of the busier times. Right now there isn't a whole lot going on (at least in the pub fin world) and I would imagine now through the end of the year is when a lot of people take their time.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 
Cruncharoo:
I feel like the start of the new year is one of the busier times. Right now there isn't a whole lot going on (at least in the pub fin world) and I would imagine now through the end of the year is when a lot of people take their time.
Completely irrelevant, but I just watched Point Break today.
My name is Nicky, but you can call me Dre.
 
aempirei:
Cruncharoo:
Completely irrelevant, but I just watched Point Break today.

I don't think that's ever irrelevant. Such a great movie.

"I can't describe what I'm feeling" - Johnny Utah

We know you can't Keanu, we're watching you act right now.

This to all my hatin' folks seeing me getting guac right now..
 

For starters ask the second year analysts what they did and ask for their advice on who and how to ask for time off, or if it's even a possibility.

I wouldn't hold out too much hope though. You'll only have been there a few months at that point and because you're the low man on the totem pole your requests will come last, and that doesn't matter if you're in banking or a secretary at a manufacturing company in Wichita. The biggest pain will be that you may not be working on a deal and could have realistically taken the time off but you won't know until pretty close to the holiday. That's ok if you only need to take a train from NYC to CT or Philly but last minute international plane tickets aren't usually a good last minute purchase. I grew up on the east coast but my first job after college was in San Fran at an repe firm. I couldn't get the time off to go back east for Christmas until a few days before when the guys I supported said there was no reason to come in because deals weren't closing but it was too late at that point. If you can't get the time off in advance just ask around who else will be an orphan stuck away from home so you're not sitting there drinking by yourself on Christmas Day.

 
HEBanker:

So should I go ahead and ask a month or so into the job? Or will even considering the possibility look bad? I was hoping for 7+ days around christmas/NY

I would ask in November and explain that it's international. Or you could just sack up, stay home this Christmas, and use that as ammo to be gone the next few Christmases. Up to you.
 
adapt or die:
HEBanker:

I will be starting as a first year in a fairly good culture group this August.

You really don't know anything about the culture in your group until you've been there for a bit. Interviewing is a total joke.

Interned there - sr guys seemed to care if I was pulling all-nights/multiple late nights. But suppose it could have been a persona to get everyone to sign

 

Depends a lot on what's going on with your group, but, generally (and this is just generally) things are slow between Thanksgiving and New Year's - I know a lot of first-year associates who were able to take about a week off from Dec. 24 - Jan 1 last year.

 

When I interned last summer, 4th of July was off. Unless you absolutely need to get something done, you can expect to have those days off. No one wants to work on Christmas and stuff.

 

i'm going to go ahead and guess that if there is a deal going on, it doesn't matter if your mom is having a heart attack you gotta be in.

I think Mis Ind posted a while back that one of the analysts had 271 days straight w/o a day off.

But if its not busy you have days off during those, seeing as how Mis Ind was talking about having a day off


Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...

 

I've worked in places that really go out of their way to make sure you get to take that holiday that you've booked and others that seem to take some kind of pleasure in cancelling them. I don't know that I've ever had a holiday cancelled where I've thought 'yeah, there was a really good reason for ME to be here'

 

Honest to god truth...

Last year, I worked xmas week in its entirety. In fact, I worked three days in a row where I only slept 3-4 hours each. I had to do my xmas shopping in Silicon Valley during a lunch break at a local TJ Max store! Although I did fly home xmas eve I think I slept thru most of xmas day. I also had my best friend's wedding that weekend and I had to fly back out the very next morning to Silicon Valley to work the same insane schedule New Year's week. The wedding was my "get out of jail" card since two of my colleagues stayed in Silicon Valley...

THAT was a bad holiday!! I think that's as bad as it gets folks.

 

Unless things go to hell, I am already scheduled to have three days off at Christmas. Some analysts have to work, but only to maintain "support presence". In other words, they surf the web and order Seamless to their hearts' delight.

That said, a single hot deal could ruin it for several of us at once.

 

depends on deal volume--my firm's fye is november so from then until feb-march, there's a big push for new deals (pitches). we worked on thanksgiving (my md was in all day as well) and looks like we're in it through at least the new year. this is my 3rd straight holiday season that i've worked each day. at least it's my last 6-7 months in IBD.

 

You can ask but as others have said it will depend on what you're working on at the time. Few people to no one will be there on Thanskgiving or Christmas Day but it's not like college where you blow classes on Wednesday of Thanksgiving week and come back Sunday. There's a good chance you'll get the two days off but don't expect to get other days off around it so unless your family lives close it will make it tough to get home unless you can jump on a train last minute

 

Big Halloween fan here. In my undergrad days I would get a group together to visit a haunted house (not a little kid haunted house, a legit scary one that you walk through). We'd pull pranks on people and throw a party too.

This year I want to do something a little more traditional, as I've been trying the edgy Halloween experience for a while. By that, I mean getting together with some friends, cook a fall-themed feast, crack open a few Pumpkin ales, put on a few horror movies. Silent Hill is coming out that day too, and I'm excited for that.

I'm terribly uncreative with costumes. I thought about doing the i-banker with a homeless-guy beard and a cardboard sign that says, "Will Underwrite 4 Beer" but it's kinda dated now.

Metal. Music. Life. www.headofmetal.com
 

I don't have a lot of experience but I'm guessing: YES! Deal-making is pretty much dead because the clients and everyone goes on Christmas break. There might be some transactions finalising after New Year but I'm guessing everyone will be away till 1-2 January. Just a guess

 

ok, i guess ill shoot my "ask" email after new years. just didn't really want to go that route 'cause i feel that applying early helps. I've heard that banks look at apps as they roll in, not after the deadline as a giant pile. then again, if they know whom to look for, they probably just pull the app from the pool.

Haters gonna hate
 

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