Moving to London from the US?
Im currently a private credit associate the U.S. and thinking about moving to London as I've always wanted to do an international stint. Is anyone familiar with how difficult it is to get a job/sponsorship this way? My firm unfortunately doesnt have any international offices so I'm planning on reaching out to recruiters. I would love to lateral somewhere at another private credit shop, but a lot of the jobs I see listed seem to want multiple language speakers which I am not. So I also be willing to take a step down and do cap markets or even corporate/commercial banking to make myself more competitive. Does anyone have any knowledge/experience with this sort of move and any tips on how to get it done? Thanks guys.
Bump
I highly recommend moving to London and working over there; I did it for a little while and it was awesome. I transferred internally with the firm I was with so it was pretty easier for me to swing and my advice is that is the best path (not the only though) to take. I think the issue you're going to run into right now is that you both have to deal with finding a Company in London that while hire a US citizen and then you have to sort out a visa with the UK (a friend of mine just moved over there and the visa was a pain because of COVID). If you're willing to be a bit more patient / have more time, I think it will be easier to start working somewhere in the US that has a presence over there and then transfer office to London.
Thanks and I hear you. Unfortunately I dont really have the time to do that and the places with international offices limited in my city as its a tier 2 one not really known for finance. Are companies pretty accepting of U.S. applicants or is it a harder story to tell?
You can definitely make it happen, I just think it's easier transferring internally. Companies will accept a US applicant but you are going to need to have a story around it.
Finally find someone who's been through this process. I just started as a new analyst in NYC and need to move to London in 1-2 (ideally 1) years due to family reasons. I work in a BB w decent exposure in UK, but not sure about headcount. I am currently in ER but I will target IBD bc there are more openings & better exits. I've been through IBD recruiting as well so I know what I will be doing.
I am wondering how internal transfer works. Would you recommend me to talk to my manager or HR first? When should I start the process? I feel awkward to tell them I am leaving ER for IBD so soon.
Any advice would be appreciated!! Many thanks!
I think you should start by just doing a really good job at your current role for a few months and building up some credibility. Banks are much more open to transferring employees / helping out on these matters when they are a high performer. I would begin by communicating with your manager (after a few months of already working with him / her) that you would really like to move to the UK at some point and just wanted to get it on his radar. Don't mention that you would switch to IBD or anything but just get the process started that you want to move overseas. Ideally, your manager can help out with some advice on how to handle this internally but maybe not. Do you really just want to get to the UK and are willing to do any role over there? Or do you specifically want to do IBD over there? I certainly wouldn't start this up to soon though, because it does look bad if you are trying to transfer day one.
hi, I have worked in multiple countries before, including the UK. I recommend that you do this, it was one of my best experiences. A recruiter placed me in London.
Thanks. Were you coming from the US doing PE?
No. Did IBD in Europe (mainland) and NYC. Then had a job in the midwest and then moved back to the UK (have lived there previously when I was younger).
PE started much later in my career.
Visas will be a lot easier from January 1st 2021 but you need a job offer.
Yep, going to start looking in early 2021. Are companies pretty accepting of U.S. applicants or is it a harder story to tell?
I am a 20 year old undergrad so probably not the best monkey on here to answer, but if you work on learning to pronounce aluminium and herbs properly I am sure you will do fine.
How will visas get easier?
Because the government is bringing in a new immigration system post brexit. In simple terms you will need to be able to speak English, have a high school education and have a job offer for a well paying job.
I would be patient if I were you and evaluate the landscape in 2021. You’re a private credit associate in the US. You should aim to be one in the UK. Don’t take a lesser role just to get that international experience. You will already take a significant compensation cut by moving to the buyside in the UK so don’t double hurt yourself. Recruiters will speak to you only if your resume is pretty top notch in my experience and European languages are key for credit. The big firms will sponsor for a visa but those are the most competitive slots, and there is a much smaller market out there. Smaller firms won’t consider you because they aren’t likely to sponsor for visas. It’s a good experience if you can get it, but all in all I wouldn’t sweat if it you’re compromising on too many things. I was in NYC at a hedge fund and moved to london laterally and took a $100k pay cut even though I went to a solid large fund out there - the economics are just worse given the market size vs US. I didn’t need a work visa but the languages requirement for credit made me a non contender for a lot of good roles. Then when it came time to come back to the US it was fucking hard. Doable but hard af since the candidate pool in NYC is more than enough to saturate all the open jobs.
All in all it was a fun experience, and I can speak to “investing in European situations” as a bit of gimmicky value add for future marketability, but it was a hassle and cost me probs $300k/$400k of lost comp for the “experience”
Interesting. I appreciate all that detail. I guess Im probably more willing to make that kind of sacrifice honestly. Really helpful on the visa stuff too. I’m a little jaded on the importance of perfect improvement of a career compared to an experience like moving abroad. Also I’m not in nyc (and not interested in there due to covid)
Et vero aperiam cupiditate. At ut exercitationem inventore repudiandae.
Est culpa maiores pariatur. Libero ea vel vero inventore. Omnis itaque nostrum cupiditate ut recusandae et.
Asperiores aut perspiciatis expedita. Minus quae explicabo sit. Quia quo ut earum eaque vitae quia quas. Ullam alias voluptatem quisquam magnam. Repudiandae et nulla atque sed impedit dolores dolorum debitis. Nihil esse porro atque dolorum nisi error. Sit occaecati odio tempore facilis et consectetur officia.
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...