Hours from Analyst to Associate
Wondering to see how your hours might have changed between Analyst and Associate and what the difference is like between Analysts and MBA Associates at your bank?
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Based on the most helpful WSO content, here's a breakdown of how hours typically change from Analyst to Associate, and the differences between Analysts and MBA Associates:
Hours Transition: Analyst to Associate
Key Differences: Analysts vs. MBA Associates
Workload:
Preparation:
Flexibility:
In summary, while Associates still work long hours, they typically experience a more manageable workload compared to Analysts, with a shift toward leadership and oversight responsibilities.
Sources: Actual BB IB Associate post-MBA hours, Investment Banking Hours - What to Expect?, Why do banks hire MBA Associates?, Observations of an Equity Research Associate
Ignore title. My associate years have been worse by an absolute long shot
Feel this and experiencing the same as an Associate
LDN Associate here (ignore the title) makes me wish i was an analyst again. Hours are a bit nuts - I am the only associate in the team, with no VP and 2 Directors and 2 grads - Not only am I now staffed on every deal, I am getting fisted from seniors and juniors - turn comments and provide comments. MBA associates at my firm were like analysts who had better project management skills. But yh - Associate role is difficult and reminds me of my first 6 months as an analyst - only im now with 4-5yrs exp and its now just the grind. Can't delegate effectively as I don't trust the juniors as i end up redoing their work
Analyst 1 - 110 -120 hrs (9-4 M-F, 11-6 Sat, 9-9 Sun)
Analyst 2 - 100 hrs (9-2 M-F, 11-3 Sat, 9-5 Sun)
Analyst 3 - 75 hrs (9-10 M-F, 9-5 Sun)
Associate 1 - 90 hrs (9-12 M-F, 11-5 Sat, 9-5 Sun)
Associate 2 - 80 hrs (9-10 M-F, 11-5 Sat, 9-5 Sun)
Brotha… how did you survive first two years?… why did you keep going
I hope for your sake you’re making bag
Bump
Associate is much worse. Significantly worse. Do NOT go A2A just due to inertia.
Analyst was doing 80 hours of comment turning and easy modeling. Low stakes, easy guidance, no responsibility for outcome. You do what you’re told, and responsibility lies 100% above you. People review everything you do. No expectations. It might be feel stressful because it’s new but there’s no actual high expectations from you because you have no experience.
Associate working 80+ hours a week reviewing and making sure analyst work is perfect, also doing your own work which if you’re stepping in it’s almost certainly annoying modeling or valuation under tight deadlines and or critical pages that explain an important nuance of the business and, also reviewing your work because everybody trusts you so your seniors often don’t even look at it, and also walking senior bankers (rarely because they trust your work) and clients directly (much more often) through the work.
And A2As get the worst of it. MBA expectations are infinitely lower so they get easier staffing and perhaps slightly lower bonuses but good god way less pressure.
There’s upside. More money. Slightly more control of your time. Can take vacations without question or concern or even thinking twice (cus you’ve stopped caring what anyone thinks and your seniors know their workload doubles if you get unhappy and leave). Can hit the gym daily if you want. Basically you’re working more directly for the objective of getting deals done, not to meet someone’s preferred timing so you have flexibility.
But the downsides are way worse intoning. And now the biggest kicker of all. All of the above would be great if someone actually believed in what they were doing and had a long term goal of bringing an MD or whatever, because then the hours and stress is really an investment in your own skillset and capabilities.
Except I think investment banking is fucking stupid. 20% of the job is real, 80% is completely bullshit that honestly never needed to get done. Yes this is true for live deals too, I don’t want to hear some 22 year old tell me now how critical his CIM page 63 is to live deal execution. So for me none of the above is worth it.
I’m planning to get out but low key I should’ve just done the work and planning and thinking about an exit as an analyst. I let inertia and money push me toward A2A and that was a massive mistake. I recommend all you juniors deal with recruitment now instead of deferring.
What type of bank/group are you at, if you don’t mind me asking? Curious how bank dependent the experience is
Agreed 100%.
Say I wrap up my internship next month with a return offer, should I start reaching out to headhunters for PE before starting as an Analyst?
Some of the Analysts that are now 2nd Yrs have found it difficult interviewing while working. I’d still have to interview for PE but at least I could be prepared and already plugged in. I’d like to do 12 - 18mo of IB to get good but don’t see myself sticking thru beyond 24mo.
I think the pressure of Associate hours is underestimated. People are really dumbfounded to believe that Associate hours are easy just because it looks like they are leaving the office earlier.
Associate is the first step-up for which you actually need to put in more thinking and effort into a process.
As soon as you are an Associate you will laugh at and think of how easy it was as an Analyst. It is not just about sitting for long hours in the office and be the responsible working bee that churns out some cookie cutter pages/models and then gets brownie points for working hard.
The more responsibility you get the more pressure comes with it. And also the tasks get much more vague/conceptual and cannot be solved by just sitting down and working a bit longer anymore.
I took a slightly roundabout way (IB -> PE -> IB) but I find IB ASO to be pretty awesome. I work like 60 hours a week with as expected spikes for live deals and get paid way more than I did in PE or as an analyst.
Yes the work is “more stressful” but it’s still pretty easy / generic…
I’m doing PE -> IB. What shop are you at? Please PM me
Why would you even go back to IB? Have you never considered that there is a life outside of finance and working every weekends as a service provider on some shitty transactions?
The world is so big, the opportunities are vast. The older I get, the more dumbfounded I feel about this whole finance IB/PE hype.
I hear you but the corporate job market is terrible and life has gotten very expensive over the past few years. I’ve tried to keep lifestyle creep to a minimum but as we’re about to start having kids I feel the pressure to stay in finance. Leaving would mean $100-200k drop in total comp. Even in a MCOL area a nice house in a good area is at least $700K, day care is $2500 per kid - it adds up in a hurry. I’d love to find something else that would enable me to be around more but I don’t feel financially secure enough to do it yet.
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