3yrs buy-side experience - how to get to a LDN based HF

Hi folks - I'm looking for an effective path to get into an L/S HF in LDN.As a background:living in Europenon-target MSc in Financeworked 1.5yrs as an analyst on a growth long-only fundworked 1.5yrs as an analyst on a small L/S growth HF (current)I'm considering moving to LDN and wondering what I should/could aim for.1) First of all, is the visa situation for EU citizens a real hassle or I'll get away with it?2) Should I aim for a senior analyst position or is it too much given my experience?3) How would you filter the research? Trying to get to a sizeable HF (>$1bn AUM) or joining alternative strategies in BlackRock, etc.?4) Where would you look to find opps? LinkedIn & networking, searching HFs on Bloomberg, else?Cheers

 

Managing Dictator thanks for the list, I knew that regulation kicked in two tranches (first Jan 2021, second July 2021) so a visa is definitely needed - you have more colour on it or heard acquaintances struggling to get into larger corporations? You know whether it's more of an issue for small shops but for big banks it's gonna be business as usual (so not thinking twice before a new hiring is made)?

 

Correct me if I’m completely wrong, but unlike sponsoring for the United States, my take on this is that it’s not hard at all for a company to be able to set up a UK sponsorship program (its what like £1540 for a large company) and pay for a certificate of sponsorship for each employee (they can make the employee pay their own NHS surcharge if they want). These companies just are too lazy and don’t want to deal with the incremental hassle of logistically doing so.

It’s not like it’s really not feasible for them like it is for many companies/cases in the US where it’s prohibitively expensive and time consuming and even then a 25% chance of success in the H1-B lottery.

 
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As far as I can see from the regulation, you are 100% right. Compared to the US, sponsorship in the UK is just a smidge of a cost for actual certainty of obtaining the visa vs. the charade that is the H-1B. Which is why large companies didn't even flinch and do this without issue. The problem is when you go down the size totem pole - not sure it's just laziness (though I fully agree that has a massive impact) but it's also a matter of "why bother with extra hassle to get some French/German/Italian/whatever kid when I can get pretty much the same from a UK kid"... At least in the short term, this (lazy) heuristic will persist, I hope to see it change in the medium term though (say 2-3 years?). What I'm most scared of is the home secretary cracking down on this work visa program even harder and turning it into something resembling the US equivalent

 

Don’t think visa situation is tough if you are EU (unless brexit has messed this up)

You you are too junior for a senior analyst position. 
 

>1b fund might be possible if there are openings 

Go to headhunters and don’t waste time on other platforms. Be ready to discuss what you want.

 

I have been reached out lately by HHs for jobs in London despite working in a main European country,

I asked this question about company sponsoring employees and their answer were pretty much the same all the time:
Companies don't really care about this 5k costs if they really like a profile, it is just consider as administrative work and it will not likely impact recruitment of European people 

 

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