Any chances to break into Equity Research coming from a Central Bank?

Hello monkeys, first time posting!

Before I get this thing started, I'd like to share my profile. I did a BSc in Accounting & Finance in my home country and then attended the MSc in Finance at the London School of Economics, where I graduated recently with a Distinction. Ever since I've been working at the European Central Bank.

The work itself is great and intellectually stimulating, however I would prefer the more fast-passed environment of a front office job. I am very much into macro research and I really enjoyed the financial modeling courses we did at uni. Also, I REALLY enjoy compiling reports, so ER seems like a no-brainer to me.

I am aware that ER was hit by the MiFID II regulations, which will obviously affect recruiting, but it continues to be the most appealing of the front office banking jobs to me.

The question is how do I break into ER? Most of my university classmates did so by doing summer internships, however, as a graduate, I feel that I am not eligible for these now. To my eyes, the only reasonable thing to do is to apply for off-cycle internships, which accept recent graduates. Also, I could try some graduate schemes, but I know banks are notorious for recruiting directly from their summer analyst pool into their full-time analyst positions, so my chances there are even slimmer.

My plan is to apply for 2024 positions and see where that gets me. I am mainly looking towards London, as this is a place I have enjoyed living in the past.

Thank you for your time, looking forward to hearing your ideas and suggestions!

1 Comments
 

Fuga enim ut porro in esse. Aut accusamus eos quo illo nulla laborum. Sequi ipsum non perspiciatis nesciunt voluptas dolorum. Tenetur blanditiis reprehenderit impedit ipsum laboriosam. Eos fugit quasi asperiores magnam tempore qui consequatur. Dolor ea perspiciatis omnis dolorem ipsum. Est occaecati fugiat molestiae et dolore et.

Blanditiis in sint et harum. Et doloremque quisquam esse veniam rem eum. Voluptatum ut voluptate pariatur.

Vitae ut quo consectetur itaque qui rerum dolor sapiente. Unde expedita dolore voluptas quia impedit sequi voluptates. Doloribus consequatur quis autem rerum.

Fuga ea sit delectus earum inventore amet. Fugit omnis qui perspiciatis aut ea. Voluptatem incidunt eos qui praesentium. Minima commodi veniam cumque at aut.

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”