Brussels VS Frankfurt
Fellow Monkeys,
I got my choices narrowed down to EBS Universitat (Germany) MSc Finance and Vlerick MIF (Belgium) + 50% scholarship for Vlerick.
I know EBS is ok for Germany and Frankfurt offers more opportunities but much harder grind due to German language and culture and new social dynamics of Germany etc,.., networking gonna be more of a grind even with learning good levels of German but also could be very rewarding if i can get through that barrier, and i could maybe make a move into Switzerland or Netherlands afterwards and if lucky maybe even UK, cause i don't intend to stay in Germany
Vlerick is probably the best school in Belgium, their filtering and interviews were better, they seem more welcoming, Brussels probably would be more easy going and friendly, but definitely less job opportunities in IB and High finance and most jobs on good companies and banks on Linkedin require fluency in Dutch or French and sometimes both, and my best shot would be trying to make a move in Netherlands.
Both choices are not Ideal, both are risky i'm leanin toward EBS and if I'm missing something or there are any veterans which made a move between Brussels and Frankfurt let me know.
Also, i dont have a finance background just one or two years in consulting private businesses.
I'm a Non-EU well versed in English but not German, French or Dutch
bump
Do Vlerick, sign up for London Banking Circuit (Belgium tour) or London Banking Tour (Dutch tour) and use that to get an internship in London IB
Actually i had that in mind, but its a long shot. Most of the cohort on Vlerick is from EU and that does make me stand out a bit + my age (30), but not necessarily in a good way, i do think Brussels might offer more unconventional or rare opportunities but i don't think London would be impressed with my profile, since i see people better profiles are struggling.
I also had an offer with UK which was Bayes MSc Banking but i think it is too risky now and London is still unstable and expensive for an international with no tier 1 experience.
I figured my best shot would be trying to break into a less competitive market and build my way up from there.
For what it’s worth, 2 thoughts.
- There is no point in not applying for these
- Bayes is garbage
That’s pointless these cycles, you will need Dutch for the London banking tour and I assume the same applies for the Belgium one
Deleted original reply.
Didn’t realise they didn’t speak Dutch
btw I like to think EBS is a somewhat of a target in Germany though i'm aware that the term "target" is not that significant in Germany compared to anywhere else, but they used to place well in the past and now they are a bit tricky but still ok in terms of network.
And i also assume theres this loop which started after covid:
people doing less MSc in some tier 2 targets ------> schools lowered their standards since they needed money -----> more recession and lay offs ------> worst placements -----> schools being less of a target.
I hope this loops ends and markets get a bit more better as i graduate.
No, its not a target. In Germany we have a strong internship culture. Without speaking Germany you wont be able to attend any Internships in Germany. With the target to work outside of Germany, studying in Germany is not a very good idea. Why not WHU or Frankfurt School? Still the Internship problem but at least far better than your German alternative.
As i mentioned i think EBS is "somewhat" of a target and i assume Germany doesn't have that much of a target school culture.
I couldn't land an offer with WHU or Frankfurt or Mannheim because of my undergrad.
Regarding the German language, i have some familiarity with the language since i gave it a shot few years ago so i would have an easier time learning German than French or Dutch.
I don't want to move out immediately after my studies, i will grind to learn German, try to get a decent role, work and stay few years and then maybe try and move out.
One more thing and correct me if i'm wrong,
I have 1.5 maybe 2 years to study German in Frankfurt, while i have 1 year + my studies to learn Dutch/French in Brussels which i think would not be possible.
If Frankfurt turned out to be a deadend i think my knowledge in German would be a better leverage for me to move to Netherlands even though i'm sure EBS does not have a reputation in Netherlands, and Vlerick does places better in the region but that might useless when i dont speak dutch.
As a Belgian, you are correct. Most of the IB jobs in here require Dutch. The London Banking circuit is an option, but also a long shot. It does definitely help to get you into an IB summer internship in London though.
Nonetheless, you will definitely be able to get a good internship with a Vlerick degree in here even without the Dutch or French.
Good luck!
A bit late but here are some information from the German perspective
School:
-EBS is a decent school and won't close any doors, however not on a target level like Mannheim, WHU, or FS for IB.
- The school name doesn't matter as much as in the UK or US. There are plenty of graduates from "normal" schools (WWU, Köln, LMU etc.) working in IB.
IB Environment:
-Nearly every IB is present in Germany with their hubs located in Frankfurt and some in Munich (e.g. GS recently opened Muc office; many PE players also present)
-There are plenty of smaller IB boutiques with some being located in Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Berlin. So this might also be an option for you.
-Generally a way stronger mid-market sector than Benelux, which explains the larger presence of smaller boutiques and PE firms.
Recruiting:
-Internships are the most important in German IB. You will compete against Germans with 2-4 relevant internships. This is not so much the case for the Benelux market. I'd say due to the recent market downturn the path for Frankfurt looks something like TAS/ corp m&a -> SC/ Lower MM IB -> Upper MM/ Lower BB ->EB/ Top BB ... Ofc one of many possible ways, but just to give you a grasp of how big the jumps roughly look like right now.
-Internships are mainly off-cycle so you can start all year around.
-German language is required in every shop but for the top BBs I'm actually not too sure. I.e. I know that GS has hired non-German speakers so some other BBs might as well.
Hi, thank you for an informative answer, could I please PM you?
Thank you, I did actually choose EBS since i had the same perspective you mentioned more or less.
I did assume that EBS is as you said decent and my objective was set on the same path you mentioned on off-cycle internships, which it is also a part of the EBS program and then maybe moving to TAS, Big 4,...etc
The biggest obstacles would be probably the language and networking which will take some grind.
Thank you for the information, glad to know my predictions are not that far off.
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