Reconsidering IB in London as a grad Student. Any advice?

Hi everyone I'm at grad student in the UK at a target school school in London. I always thought about going into IB in London but lately I've been thinking about it again.

I enjoy python a lot and I got offered a position at a prop trading firm in Amsterdam. The salary is about 75k base first year. (125 including bonus and traveling comp). I'm also thinking about maybe applying for the buy-side directly from grad school.

I just don't know if IB is the right move right now. Banks are so overly regulated, salaries are not great and London is very expensive. I'm just afraid of shutting down exit options. (I also don't have a UK passport cos of Brexit.)

Any thoughts, recommendations. 

Thanks a lot!

6 Comments
 

I think that if you’re now starting to reconsider IB you’re pretty late.

Most full time positions and off-cycle internships are being filled (in London the process starts in early August) - if you’re in grad school then you’re not elegible for SA.

You can try the buy side but the pay will be the same as IB or even lower, and you’ll still have the same problem with the visa.

 

Quia et quisquam sint aspernatur. Cupiditate minus veniam cumque necessitatibus. Aliquam sunt voluptas laboriosam ut error minus. Qui expedita dolorem voluptatum eius natus aperiam quo.

Natus id dolores ex nulla magni quisquam enim est. Repudiandae omnis similique doloremque adipisci optio. Distinctio ipsa soluta reiciendis laudantium omnis.

Et reiciendis corrupti corporis ipsam amet inventore iusto. Ut et distinctio labore velit voluptatum eum. Eaque quia fuga ducimus dolore.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 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 (26) $182
  • 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...”