American into London Banking?
Kind of the reverse of most of these, I guess. I'm an American from an irrelevant state at a supertarget (HYPSW) who frankly just doesn't want to be in the country anymore. I'd really like to do IBD in London, as English is my first (and by far best) language. As someone without a passport other than American, even with a target background & extremely competitive resume, is it feasible to try and break in abroad? This thread could also work if anyone feels the same but directed at HK/SG/Paris or somewhere else I guess
HK has localized. If you don't speak Mandarin (and frankly, even if you do, but are not chinese) then I think HK IBD will be very difficult. I think London should be doable, but many firms are reluctant to sponsor a visa these days.
Would reiterate this - HK IBD is difficult without speaking Mandarin, though I do know a few Indians who have done it (some of the HK groups cover SE Asia and even India)
Singapore is more feasible if you only speak English, though they tend to hire much more from the local universities. The team sizes are also very small, so there is limited recruiting / availability of spots.
Paris teams are small and French would be required, so throw that one out.
London is probably the best bet -- good sized teams, another European language not necessarily required, with the main issue being sponsorship. Most of the larger banks sponsor plenty of people (and I've seen a lot of non US citizens shift to the London groups of their banks from NY because they lost their US visa). Not sure how firms are currently viewing sponsorship and if it has gotten more or less difficult.
The new post Brexit points based immigration system that kicks in on January 1st 2021 should make working in London IBD a breeze for anyone who speaks English. You already far exceed the education, income and job skill level required, all you need is a job offer. Check out the UK government website for more details. In fact I am amazed there hasn't been more discussion of how the new immigration regs could boost the city of London as a financial centre as it now has easy access to a larger global talent pool than its rivals.
Not super educated on what that entails yet (thanks! Will be checking into it.) but I'm quite surprised that London won't be faring worse as travel to/from the EU becomes more limited? I very much don't know the results of Brexit intimately but this is how I've seen it portrayed in the media.
Long story short free movement from EU countries (except Ireland) will end. From January 1st you, will need to speak English, have a high school education and have a job offer for a skilled job that pays more than the national average salary. However this applies to anyone in the world not just EU citizens. I think this could have a very positive effect on the UK's Finance, Tech and Life Science sectors (the rules are even more generous to PhD's).
Would Canadians be viewed just as competitively?
Not the original commenter, but I don’t see why they’d be viewed any differently than Americans competitiveness wise.
While networking in London generally doesn’t help, I know a couple of people who networked with their target school (for us offices) top end alumni (MDs+) and it had a significant positive impact on being placed in London.
Two people I know specifically did not even have to do Assessment Centers because of this.
Yes Canadians, Americans, Indians, Iraqis, anyone, the criteria is not based on where you come from but on speaking English, being high school educated and having well paid skilled job offer.
Re HK, look the situation for foreigners is fucked. FUBAR. I dedicated my professional life to being here. I like Asia. If I'm gonna be on the grind in this biz, I wanted it be somewhere exotic. US is more homogeneous and I'd been there,done that. I wanted to go where each new month would take me to a new country, new cultures, new language. I came out here with a backpack and learned Mandarin, with an eye to take over the game. And after finishing up a US MBA, I came right back out to HK. I turned down UBS in London to be in HK. But stupidly I took myself out of the IBD+PE rotation I had, to jump into China PE. Now the game has moved on. If you want to do IBD here you better be ethnic Chinese from mainland China. Most of the Honkies here are going to be squeezed out of a job by mainlanders. I don't see a future for myself here, and that sucks because I sacrificed to be here, and got a wife and kid who don't really speak English, so not sure where to go. I'd strongly question coming here even if you do speak Mandarin. And I'm assuming you're not mainland Chinese or you might not be asking the question in the same way.
Ever considered Taipei? They use traditional mandarin there though, so reading could be an adjustment (more like a challenge) for your wife/kids
Thanks for the idea. Taipei is an even smaller market, so probably lower likelihood of finding a role there. Yes, less mainland competition, but just too little business to do overall. I would be more likely to return to US.
Have multiple friends who worked at banks with a big London presence that started in an American office and lateraled internally to London. Know someone who did this from Rothschild and some different BBs, so this could be an easier option vs recruiting without work authorization.
Accusamus blanditiis earum qui et. Quia aut quaerat rerum natus ut commodi. Possimus esse vel maxime laborum veritatis aut sint. Nihil non dolore id aut sint. Delectus corrupti deleniti perferendis sapiente.
Dolores qui incidunt voluptatem et dolorum voluptas. Necessitatibus repudiandae quia ut officia voluptas amet. Ea id beatae at qui tempora sit id.
Odio harum dolor totam. Ducimus hic in ea ad rerum. Quisquam eveniet eius et et. Iure enim aut voluptate beatae omnis possimus. Voluptates amet ullam error dignissimos. Velit et voluptas tempore necessitatibus saepe ratione. Sit totam optio sed vero odio qui dolores.
Corporis tenetur veniam assumenda qui accusantium. Et non dolore qui voluptatibus assumenda earum molestiae. Hic necessitatibus dolorem dolores et.
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...