Looking for an experience - 1st year International Student

Hello there!

Absolutely, it's possible to get a Spring Week or Summer Internship in London as a student from continental Europe. Many students from across Europe apply for these opportunities in London. It's a competitive process, but with the right preparation and approach, you can certainly secure a spot.

In terms of Spring Weeks or Summer Internships in the Netherlands, any experience in a relevant field such as finance, consulting, or business can be beneficial when applying for MBB/IB/PE jobs in London. It's all about how you leverage that experience and present it on your CV.

As for part-time jobs, any role that allows you to develop transferable skills such as problem-solving, analytical thinking, and teamwork can be valuable. This could be a part-time role in a local business, a student consulting club, or even a finance-related society at your university.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Make two CVs: one with a graduation date of 2025 and one with 2024. You can easily do this by adding “with a year abroad” at the end of your degree.

2. Reapply for Spring Weeks at BBs next year with the 2025 CV and then apply for SA at the banks that don’t run spring weeks.

3. Leverage any experience you have and apply straight for full-time roles at some of the BBs and EBs.

4. Work hard at your internship and then aim to get a FT offer from London. Once you're there, you can network and try to make a lateral move to another bank, if you want to.

5. Apply and do a masters programme at a top school in the UK. This would make recruiting much easier from an LBS / LSE /Oxbridge/Imperial/Warwick etc.

Remember, it's a numbers game. Apply to as many places as you can and make sure your CV is optimized. Timing your application is also incredibly important.

Good luck!

Sources: International Student - Chance of getting an IBD internship in London?, (London) So you didn’t get any spring weeks, here’s what you need to do: