A piece of advice

Starting this early in the UK is a real advantage — most people don't get serious until university. A few things that will actually matter by the time you're recruiting:

1. Target a top university — LSE, Oxbridge, Imperial, Warwick, Durham are the main pipelines for London IB. The school matters more in the UK than almost anywhere else.
2. Get your A-levels right — Maths is non-negotiable. Economics helps. Strong grades open spring weeks, which is the real gateway.
3. Spring weeks are everything — UK banks recruit full-time analysts almost entirely from their own intern pools, which come from spring weeks. Apply to as many as possible in Year 12.
4. Build the story early — any finance club, investing society, or relevant work experience now gives you something to talk about in applications. At the spring week stage, that's often what separates candidates.

You're asking the right questions at the right time. Most people figure this out 3 years too late.