Breaking into Equity Research from a Central Bank

Hello monkeys, first time posting!

Before I get this thing started, I’d like to share my profile. I did a BSc in Accounting & Finance in my home country and then attended the MSc in Finance at the LSE, where I graduated recently with a Distinction. Ever since I’ve been working at the European Central Bank.

The work itself is great and intellectually stimulating, however I would prefer the more fast-passed environment of a front office job. I am very much into macro research and I really enjoyed the financial modeling courses we did at uni. Also, I REALLY enjoy compiling reports, so ER seems like a no-brainer to me.

I am aware that ER was hit by the MiFID II regulations, but it continues to be the most appealing of the front office banking jobs to me.

The question is how do I break into ER? Most of my university classmates did so by doing summer internships, however, as a graduate, I feel that I am not eligible for these now. To my eyes, the only reasonable thing to do is to apply for off-cycle internships, which accept recent graduates. Also, I could try some graduate schemes, but I know banks are notorious for recruiting directly from their summer analyst pool into their full-time analyst positions, so my chances there are even slimmer.

My plan is to apply for 2024 positions and see where that gets me. I am mainly looking towards London, as this is a place I have enjoyed living in the past.

Thank you for your time, looking forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions!