Currently attending top Aus Uni, but am thinking of potentially transferring to HKU bba or econ/finance. Have a decent wam (H1), and completed 3 semesters. However want to work in HK IB - is it worth transferring? Would push expected grad date by a year. I am financially ok, just want to know whether it would work in my favour in order to work in hk.
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Ex MBB London here, previously intern at EB M&A
Why go to HK? Not an expert here but Sydney seems just as good. HK you’re also very china focused, and would have to grow your career by deepening your network in China.
Also if you’re an Aussie citizen you can move to the US it’s super easy to get a visa (E-3). Say on the form you don’t need sponsorship, and then explain it in interview
im in y12 and thinking of doing something similar, im currently in hk though. the tax here is really good and SOL is great. curious though as to how it would work. would you mind explaining the benefit of going to the us though in comparison? was planning on doing finance and chinese language in uni
Hey yeah thanks for the reply, to clarify yes I am an Aussie citizen (not from Sydney, though you can probably guess where). I do however have a parent from HK, and so am decently proficient in the local languages (canto, mando), and of course native in English. Mostly personal reasons why HK is attractive, both a combination of lifestyle and wanting to try something new. For context, I am also currently interning at a mm financial advisory firm (hk, but international), and have heaps of fun here - recency bias may be in play here... Of course, much lower tax and cost of living (disregard housing) helps as well!
I do know about the E-3 visa, would you have any insight on whether many from HK/SG IB make the move to the US? Have heard that transferring from Australia is easier since there's just more demand for it, and so processes are smoother and quicker. Definitely don't think I am able to land anything there straight away (am going on exchange soon though!), so have thought a lot more about HK/SG, and of course Sydney.
If HK IB is the end goal, HKU definitely helps. You’re putting yourself directly into a local target with on-campus finance clubs, employer access, and a track record of sending students to GS/JPM/MS.
I still wouldn’t automatically burn an extra year though. The bigger question is Mandarin. Current HK analyst recruiting can explicitly require spoken Mandarin and written Chinese, so transferring to HKU won’t magically fix that if you don’t have the language skills. If you’re fluent and dead set on HK, I’d probably make the transfer. if not, I’d stay at the top Aus uni and recruit more broadly
Thanks for the reply man, yep, that is the goal for me. I would hopefully received advanced standing, and transfer straight into third year. However, I am concerned about the staggering amount of work experience and internships people complete here - I have seen resumes with like 6 internships/placements before completing uni, which coming from a place where most people do around 2-3, is really crazy.
I can speak Cantonese well, however I struggle when it comes to writing in traditional Chinese. My mandarin is much better, yet writing can also be a struggle. I think though, I have alright foundations - maybe I could get my skills up to par within a year of targeted study? On another note, what do you mean by recruiting more broadly?
Have u heard anything about the culture? According to my friends in hk the culture there is pretty toxic compared to aus
No idea tbh, though I would agree and assume it is a tad more lax in Aus...? I am interning in HK atm, and while the culture is great, I'm sure it would be a lot different as a FT in IB.
You should also fly to Silicon Valley asap. Soak up the vibes, talk to people, feel where the future is headed. This will significantly affect your career planning and I deeply regret not coming sooner and dedicating so much of my career to finance & professional services. If you join the right companies here you will make $150K USD base straight out of uni with really high probability that your equity converts to several $M. This is $M in wealth not income, which is the sort of thing you only achieve in M&A PE etc after making Partner/Director. Even hedge funds it’s only a select few that have those sorts of bonuses, whereas in Silicon Valley there are so many of these companies and they’re all hiring a lot of people. + you can have a semi normal WLB finishing work on consulting hours
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