Post MFin IB with no prior experience

Hi - first-time poster so apologies If I've unknowingly violated some forum rules (please do let me know if so).

Looking for some advice, opinions, or a sense/reality check. Bit of background - graduated from a target school in the UK with a Bsc+Msc in maths and cs, did ok-ish on the Bsc and exceptionally well on the Msc. Was lucky enough that one of my Msc supervisors was the ex-cfo of an AM firm (not going to mention which for his anonymity) and developed an interest in finance but at that point it was too late to apply for finance roles as I had no relevant experience (or knowledge).

Where I am now - pivoted to consulting last minute post Msc, 1.5 years work experience, consulting shop where I work specialises in working with asset managers so I've had good exposure to the AM industry, it is no MBB but well regarded by its clients, got decent leadership experience driving some internal business initiatives, have taken the time to self-teach myself a reasonable amount of finance (NYU Stern's Damodaran's Corporate Finance and Valuation MBA courses + CFA level 1) and am quite set on trying to break into IB, but torn between my options:

1- Hold out for another 2-3 years, beef up CV with more leadership + volunteer experience --> top MBA --> Intern during MBA --> FT Associate. Could also try to jump to a bigger brand-name shop but I know a couple of people who landed top MBA's while working here, so not sure if the current smaller shop but good leadership opportunities would be better than jumping to a bigger shop but potentially less leadership exposure on my CV

2- Apply for an MFin starting next year --> try to land an IB analyst role. Being a non-uk citizen my visa situation means I can't quit my job and do a SA stint the summer before my MFin (I'd lose my work visa, and speaking to friends at banks they don't sponsor visas for SAs). Masters degrees here in the UK are 1-year long (except for MBA's which are two years) so I would have to apply to full-time positions at the start of my MFin with no banking internships

Pros of MFin:
1- Earlier start
2- Cheaper (1 year vs 2-year MBA)
3- Starting at analyst means I can still have a decent shot at PE recruiting

Cons of MFin:
1- Not sure how realistic it is to get an IB FT offer with no previous IB internships
2- If I don't get an IB FT offer then I'd probably be SOL and close future doors (essentially would be wasting a year, a good sum of money, and harder to explain why I'd want to do an MBA after having two Masters if I wanted to go down the MBA route in the future)

The biggest draw for an MFin is the possibility of recruiting for PE after landing an analyst role, the biggest con is potentially shutting myself out of an MBA, although I suppose this comes down to what's harder - post MFin analyst role with no internships, or post MBA associate with an internship (assuming I can secure one during my MBA)

This post is already getting kind of rambly so I'll stop here, but would appreciate any thoughts/advice.

 

Velit sit quaerat placeat ut. Ab aperiam saepe quo quibusdam quia perspiciatis et. Quos eum autem non reprehenderit nulla molestiae qui. Rerum quasi qui sint accusantium asperiores at expedita.

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

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”