I haven't had any banking internships in my Undergrad because of personal difficulties, I'll be doing a Masters in Finance from a top university in London. Will it be difficult to land a job in IB and how do I get internships? Please help.
I'm an International student and I'll be pursuing a MSc Finance from a Russell Group London university. I have no previous work/internship experience in Banking or finance. I am seeking advice on how to land my first Internship/Job. Your answers will be deeply appreciated and helpful. I am new to WSO. Thanks in advance!
https://www.mergersandinquisitions.com/investment-banking-masters-programs/
1) Vaguely classifying the programme as being in the 'Russell Group' is not that helpful for assessing your situation. MSc Finance from LSE will make getting a job in IB easier than, say, Queen Mary.
2) You'll probably have to go for summer internships first, then try to convert the internship to a full-time role. Without prior experience, your chance of landing an FT role at the outset is incredibly slim.
3) Apply to summer internships / off-cycles as soon as the programmes open (late June onwards). Make sure to have convincing answers to why IB / why the bank / why you did the MSc / why are you now interested in IB etc.. Aside from that, I assume you have little prior knowledge on technical questions - make sure to google them and revise the basic finance behind them. Make sure to try and spin your prior experiences to being relevant for IB.
It's a game of speed, persistence and luck. Apply when applications open, don't give up, and don't lose hope. All the best!
Hey! Thanks a ton for taking time and replying! I got into Queen Mary. Though I had an offer from Kings, The fees was beyond me, so I had to settle with QMUL itself. Thanks for the advice, will follow the same. Also, what about boutique firms? its easier to get into a boutique than a bulge bracket right?
Well done and no worries!
Apart from the Elite Boutiques like PJT, HL, Moelis etc.., boutiques are slightly easier to get into. The process is more unstructured, so if you strike out of recruiting for the formalised programmes at BBs or EB's, then you can start spamming speculative applications to the small boutiques in London. There are also loads and loads of MM banks, ranging from TD Securities to ING in London. The competition for roles at those kinds of banks will also be less than BB's & EB's, so they're definitely worth reaching out to as well come August.
Alright, this was super insightful. Thank you so much!
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