Leaving investment banking (1st year analyst)

I started a bulge bracket investment banking job back in July in NYC. Lately I realized IB is just not for me, I started looking elsewhere and have offers at places that aren't banks. 

I know we are told our bonus in June but I don't think we actually receive it until August. If I could leave in June and still get the bonus it would be worth it for me to stay but if I have to wait until August to quit I'm not sure I can do it (and might as well leave now). I've heard rumors second year analysts can quit once they hear their bonus but I don't know since I'm first year if I can do that. Does anyone know?

If not and I quit... how do I do that? Because normally when people quit in my group they quit immediately it seems (no two weeks, just send out an email saying "this is my last day") do I have to do 2 weeks? 

It's awkward because I can't really ask anyone I work with these questions...

5 Comments
 

If you leave before your bonus hits your account as a first year, you forfeit it. In terms of actually quitting, you would send your letter of resignation to your staffer, who will then discuss with you your exit logistics. If you are going to a competitor, they will cut your access that day. If you are going to the buyside/corporate world, they will likely have you serve out your two weeks rolling off projects and ensuring deal continuity. No one sends a 2-week group email about them leaving, so the only way you find out is when they send that email on their last day, they tell you personally, or you hear through the grapevine from other juniors. 

 

Depends on the bank - not sure what is "standard" is across the street but at my firm, analyst contracts ended in June, so if you left then you were still paid out for the bonus. While there is an incentive not to screw over the second years that leave, there is also less incentive to blow it out of the park for them compared to analysts who decide to take a third year. 

 

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