Breaking into IBD with a Consulting background? (Help Please)

Hi All,

Hope everyone is well.

I graduated from the London School of Economics with a First Class Honours in 2018 and have been working Full-Time ever since, at a boutique management consultancy in London. Here, I have done consulting projects with companies ranging from small to large-cap, however no M&A related work (Due diligence etc)

I have been trying to break into investment banking in London, but have struggled to do so with a consulting background (although I've had prior IB internship experience during university time). I was hoping someone here with a similar background who managed to do so could provide some good advice.

Some issues I've faced/been facing with:

1) No longer eligible for Summer Internships (which is the main hiring pool for IB firms) as I have ~2 years of Full-Time work experience 2) Can't apply for Associate positions (as from my Consulting background I don't have any M&A experience)

I was hoping I could gather some honest feedback on possible next steps/options: 1) Do a masters next year and fill up this 1 year with some good corporate finance internship/long term placements in hopes of applying to the bigger bulge brackets in London. However, not sure if this is a viable option given it is so competitive applying to IBD in London generally. 2) Apply now for Analyst/Intern positions at the smaller boutique corporate finance firms in London and work my way up to the bigger IB firms eventually? 3) Apply for Off-Cycle IB internships in London. However, not sure if I am eligible for most Off-Cycle internships, most firms don't offer this programme and conversion might not be guaranteed 4) Any other options are welcomed.

I appreciate any comments/advice, and happy to share my experiences for people with a similar background trying to do the same.

Thanks all.