IBD Post-MBA Associates When Do You Start Work/Leave Work?
I liked the feedback in the analyst thread....Hopefully this will get some similar replies. Thanks all!
Trending Content - Investment Banking Forum
| +313 | UBS Tech MD hires Son (from no-name college) as an Intern | 54 | 1h |
| +89 | [Official] 2026 IB Analyst Bonus Megathread (with 2025 Consolidated Pay and Perks/Benefits) | 12 | 1d |
| +52 | Is DCM actually underrated ? | 18 | 7h |
| +46 | Are all Tech / TMT groups sweaty? | 31 | 7h |
| +41 | UBS Groups Ranked by Future Outlook | 20 | 4d |
| +40 | JPM M&A is Gone??? Purely Coverage Banking??? | 20 | 7h |
| +37 | Am I behind? 31 Year Old Analyst | 10 | 10h |
| +32 | UVA McIntire vs Cornell Dyson for IB | 19 | 3d |
| +32 | Losing my personality in Banking | 5 | 22h |
| +31 | Incoming IB Analyst: Best Ways to Prepare? | 8 | 22h |
Career Resources
Not sure MBA part matters (although I went that route) other than first year hour may be slightly longer than direct promotes while you figure it out. For me typical days ere 1st Year: 9am - 11pm, work every other Saturday at least half a day (no Saturday policy), work 8-10 hours Sunday. 2nd Year: 9:30am to 10am to 10pm, no Saturdays, 12 to 8 on Sunday (we implemented a Saturday policy) 3rd Year: 10am to 9pm, work 3 Sundays a month, no Saturdays.
Caveat is that as I've progressed, I've traveled more and those days can be long (get up at 4am to go a 10 am meeting and fly back and catchup on other work). I'd also say on live deals (particularly with Asia) those hours can be thrown out the window.
Real prize is VP when hours are in the 9 to 6 range, maybe work from home a few hours and seldom weekends.
yikes you work pretty late for a third year associate.
Third year associate at BB here but am an analyst promote and no MBA. I probably average 9:30am to about 7pm during weekdays, and remote in on weekends if needed instead of coming in. These are strictly in office hours, and excludes time spent on blackberry calls with client or seniors after work, checking and commenting on slides on phone, remoting in here and there as well as time spent in airports. And when a deal goes live then it can go back to 90 hour work weeks.
9-6 as a VP? That seems light from what I have read.
Should add the caveat that I am not in banking, but researching it as I am considering it post-MBA.
....
Thanks for the comments @rampagejackson @datguy!
What types of groups are you in?
Bump
Bump
i call bs on these responses. i don't think associate hours vary that much.
year 1 - learning the job year 2 - better at the job / finding your vertical and specialty year 3 - vp promote year, i don't see anyone working 9-7 - i don't think promote to vp is guaranteed by anymeans, and if you have a large class, then there's going to be competition. not that hours are the end all be all, but doing more (ie quantity) is something that can be measured and compared
Our associate that was promoted to VP is generally leaving between 9 PM and 11 PM most week days, while doing some stuff at home on weekends (call it 4-6 hours on Sat or Sun). He is our group's top performer though, and is on track to Director/MD.
Magnam ut voluptate quam sequi aperiam. Fugiat occaecati fuga facere quibusdam. Aliquid rerum animi rerum ducimus.
Beatae itaque rerum ipsam reprehenderit excepturi. Sit qui dolore facilis. Unde expedita dolore id nulla.
Non at veritatis delectus incidunt maiores. Est vero eaque debitis qui dolores similique. Velit ratione quas quisquam assumenda et. Aut magnam repellendus odio ut occaecati molestiae qui. Qui provident aut quos. Fuga tempore id ullam eum aut et.
Sed minus repudiandae laudantium mollitia. Eius quia suscipit quos tempore.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...