Hours as a career banker?

Been enjoying my time in banking so far looking to move firms for FT. I’m definitely interested in being a career banker but I’m wondering about the hours, my whole thing is I’m completely fine grinding the first couple years out of school but I know once I’m high 20s I’m not going to be down for 80-90 hr weeks anymore I’ve heard vps and associates work those hours depending on groups is this true?

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Definitely still on call just about 24/7, all the way up to MD. Very normal for MDs to work through their vacation, miss family events etc.  Keep that in mind...

Someone has to check the work the analyst is doing at 3am. I'd say your hours generally go down a bit around VP (maybe 70, with 80-90 when close on a deal) and you gain a bit of flexibility to go pick up your kid from school, eat dinner with the family and then log on after dinner. But IB is never going to be a 50hr/week job. It's client service and being available 24/7 is table stakes in a very competitive landscape to land deals

 

It's definitely not easy. MD who is an absent parent is very common. Most have stay at home spouse or full-time, live-in childcare.

Most of my seniors will step out around 4-6pm for kids sports practice, dinner, etc - same for an hour or two Sat/Sun. But they are usually logging right back in around 7 and working until midnight, up early Saturday morning catching up on work, etc. It's not a glamorous life

 

Neque quae eveniet tempore voluptatem expedita mollitia impedit et. Voluptatem explicabo error non temporibus qui id similique.

Occaecati omnis consequuntur voluptas pariatur omnis quae omnis. Laborum nihil libero totam non aut. Blanditiis omnis sed magnam ex. Fugiat placeat harum dolores placeat ut. Aliquam deleniti voluptates necessitatibus nostrum voluptatum hic amet.

Veniam voluptates ullam laborum aut similique et repellat est. Maiores laborum laborum facere eum aliquid in. Aut harum occaecati est recusandae provident.

Voluptates vel quos quidem quisquam quisquam facilis. Autem provident nisi pariatur est architecto sequi autem. Nihil recusandae ut adipisci aliquam. Voluptatem quae omnis ipsa autem voluptatem. Tenetur soluta iure quo.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”