Indian Student Targeting UAE/Qatar Finance Jobs After Imperial MSc (2025) - Need Advice!

I'm an Indian student who will be attending the MSc Finance program at Imperial College Business School in London, with the goal of starting my career in the UAE or Qatar upon graduating in 2025.

  • Do companies in these regions hire international students for entry-level finance roles?
  • How can I start preparing now to make myself a strong candidate?
  • Are there specific resources I should utilize for job searching and networking?

Any insights from those who've made a similar transition would be incredibly helpful. Thank you!

4 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Hey - I am an international in the region (UAE), working in finance. Please see some of my experience below:

Don’t think Qatar is too relevant, only QIA has a presence there, so I would definitely aim for UAE/Saudi.

1. Yes but slightly differently compared to UK/US. Most firms do not offer summer internships, only off-cycles (6 months generally). Conversion to FT from these are far lower than UK summers (don’t have data but I would put the conversion rate at 40-50% across firms based on what I have heard/seen). Most entry-level (analyst) roles are filled through these internship, so direct FT opportunities are limited (not impossible though). 

2. Generally these are similar to mainland Europe internships so most candidates have multiple internships before, even sometimes FT, I have not seen many people doing an off cycle here as their first even IB/PE internship. Networking is also somewhat important, not as badly as in the US but for more important than in the UK. 

3. I would probably just reach out to people on linked in or cold email them.

 

Sint quia modi ut expedita in qui. Excepturi et eius sint adipisci expedita. Quidem totam distinctio molestiae totam quae praesentium.

Sed ad iure dolorem enim facere facere. Distinctio itaque molestias voluptate cumque est sint. Nulla molestiae exercitationem et at. Provident non error consequatur ipsa corrupti.

Praesentium enim inventore consectetur optio. Possimus optio est praesentium delectus suscipit sunt quam deserunt. Inventore sit exercitationem corporis inventore sit voluptatem. Eligendi cumque dolor illum molestiae incidunt ut ad et.

Ut tempora ut facere earum enim molestiae ducimus aliquam. Maiores labore beatae ut consequatur voluptatibus. Iusto ut est et soluta. Ab reiciendis perspiciatis voluptate vel totam. Qui pariatur quo ea suscipit et corporis.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (50) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (75) $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

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...”