IBs in Frankfurt, Germany

I'm looking to work at an IB in Frankfurt, Germany, first as an analyst (later MBA and associate, etc.). I have US citizenship and have lived here for nearly 20 years, but don't know which Frankfurt IB I would have the most success in applying to. Should I opt for an American bank like Goldman or JP Morgan, or a Swiss one like Credit Suisse, or a smaller German one? How are applicants selected across these varying banks?

7 Comments
 

you mean lived in the us for twenty years or in germany? because if you aren't fluent in german, don't even bother to apply there

Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, your’re right. - Henry Ford
 

I'll second the above. I know Harris Williams recently opened an office there and they hired from in country; when I checked about it they were looking for German fluency. You could look at Commerzbank or of course Deutsche. Frankfurt is an awesome city, best of luck.

 

The US for close to twenty years. I will be fluent in German soon, in fact I'm studying the grammar a lot these days. Paris is another option, if I decide to get my MBA first and then enter the IB world.

 

I don't know of any regional office in continental EU (Germany/France) that cares a lot about hiring out of MBA. Almost all associates are either internally promoted or lateral experienced hires from other firms.

In all I get a feeling you seem disillusioned that you are just going to learn from some German grammar and sail through. While I'm not sure how competitive it is in the US, there already are plenty qualified people (which includes Germans who studied abroad)

 

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