SA vs. FT London

I am an incoming SA at a MM shop in London, then ideally I would like to go to a BB/EB after this. 

I have gone to a semi-target and will be undertaking a master's at a target after the SA (LSE/LBS/HEC). 

Would it be best to target SA roles again, or go straight to FT? Is the SA route less competitive? 

Thanks

5 Comments
 
Most Helpful

It's very common that people do several internships before their final SA stint and then converting that to FT.

There is a very real risk that there won't be any FT spots open due to the bad market (all spots will be taken by the SA converts). Any spots open will be very few in number, maybe 1 or 2, and of course they will be super competitive. Your best bet is to apply for SA again, which you are still able to do as a final year student, and convert that into FT (you can ask about early start/off-cycle if you convert)

 

Aren't 1-year Master students not eligible for SAs in the UK anymore, saw some posts floating around that you would have to be in your penultimate year for most gigs. And is there a preference toward undergraduates with relevant experience rather than graduates with experience in SA selection process, assuming their previous experience is similar?

 

This is not true. When I did my SA stint, almost half of the class were final year students. Many didn't have a lot of prior experience. The other group were the European Masters finalists with like 2 internships already. Firms EXPLICITLY STATE on the application form the years they accept, there is no preference.

 

Fair enough, just going off of this - "As a masters student make sure you correctly fill in the graduation date 0.5/1 year later than your actual date (even tho you are a final year student)...Typically it's the application system that screens out the final year candidates. From my experience, if you fill in your form saying that you are final year or it's on your CV, you automatically get dinged" - thoughts?

 

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