Boutique to Bulge Bracket
hey guys I wanted to know if it is fairly common for people to move from smaller shops to BBs in London and NYC?
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Can happen, clearly easier to move from an EB than a no-name boutique but both can be done successfully. I'll tell you about some people from my personal network (which is not huge in banking). I know two people that worked at a financial services consultancy boutique (not IB specifically, but they were heavily invested in IB work) and ended up at JP Morgan and Goldman respectively.
is it easier than getting a BB offer right outta college?
Yes and no, if you are not at a target/semi-target for London especially as networking matters less here it will be easier to do something in Financial services and then go to a BB/EB, but if you are at a target/semi-target there is no reason you shouldn’t do IB directly
is it harder for international students to break into London EB/BB? (I’m from India)
harder compared to who? The student speaking 5 European languages whose dad is the CEO/CFO of a large cap Corporate, well yes.
But realistically you've got a shot if you go to a target/semi-target, won't be easy but plenty of people from India/China are getting in. The key thing that matters is fit and understanding the local work culture.
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