Investment banking Internships attempting the transition from Frankfurt to London
Hi guys,
I am looking for advice on my current situation. I lived in London for a few years but had to move back to Germany during corona, where I am now almost done with my bachelor's degree in finance and accounting at a good university. By "good" I mean that undergraduates are consistently landing offers at BBs in Frankfurt but only very few in the UK (you wouldn't consider it a target university in the UK). My grades are decent, my current average is in the upper second class, but I aim to be in the first class range by the end of my studies.
In terms of internships, so far I have done 5 months in audit at a Big4 and three months in transaction advisory (FDD) also at a Big4. This summer I will be interning with a German bank (Tier 4/5) in their sector coverage team. As I am looking to move back to the UK, I would like to apply for internships in London for March 2024 and August 2024. Unfortunately, I am unable to apply for summer analyst positions as our semester dates would overlap. Do you think it is at all possible to get an internship for March and August in London, or would you recommend applying in Frankfurt for March and leveraging this offer to optimise my CV for applying in London? Also which banks/boutiques would you recommend applying to or are at all feasible, I was thinking Lazard, Rothschild, Evercore, Moelis, Jefferies, William Blair etc. for March and BB for August?
Im grateful for any input, thank you
Do a year in Frankfurt at a boutique or BB and move to London with internal mobility, or apply externally as a lateral analyst.
If you can't do a summer analyst program (where 90%+ of FT spots come from) + your school very rarely sends graduates to the UK + your grades aren't top-class... there's just very little chance.
Once you have experience, school and grades are less important and banks are usually open to letting you make the move, but I would focus on landing a job in IB over a very unlikely shot at London right now.
Thank you vey much for your honest opinion, I'm definitely up for doing it that way
Do you think it's still possible to get into PE in London if I start my FT IB in Frankfurt? Much Appreciated!
Yes definitely - esp if at a top brand
Was in same position as you, am German and did my Bachelors at a good but non UK target University. Would highly recommend to take a gap year after graduation for internships and than do a target Master in case you want to raise your chances to start your career in London.In terms of Banks for Frankfurt,Would first go to a solid MM bank like Blair / Baird / HL (GCA) / Alantra and than try the BBs + Rothschild (& Lazard). Dependent on how good your current internship is you could even try to just skip the MM step.
Thank you for your help, sounds like a good plan
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