Hello guys,
21-year-old student from Latin America here from one of the top unis in the region. I will be graduating in December 2020 but I can postpone my graduation until late May 2021. In my country, we do not use the standard 4-points GPA system but my cumulative weighted average grade is 88% at the moment and I have received merit awards for having the highest GPA among 1000+ economics students . With respect to experience, I have completed a 6-month M&A internship at LAZ in my country's office. I am also looking forward to enrolling in a MSF programme for the 2021/22 session (aiming at LSE)
My goal is to land an IBD internship and, if possible, a FT role in London. What do you think are my chances of getting an IBD internship for Summer 2021? As I'm from LatAm, my uni is clearly non-target but I hope my academic track and the internship can help me stand out. I'm also worried regarding the work visa, but as far as I know, it's easier than in the US. Will it be better to enroll in the MSF programme first and then apply? If that's the case, will they still consider me for an internship position?
Many thanks in advance, Andrew
which country in latam?
Peru!
Hi, I'm in a similar situation as you. Regarding Lazard, was the internship posted on their website, or did you apply through your university careers portal? I ask because internships are very rare in latam IB (chile, Perú, Argentina) and as far as i know they don't post on their site
You are right when mentioning that they do not post it on their webpage, I believe the only exception is GS. For the other cases, it is usually done informally (Facebook groups, Whatsapp or Linkedin DMs) for specific "target" LatAm universities (at most 2 or 3 per country), and not even all the students from these unis know about the hiring processes. My best advice here is to know people from these unis/banks to tell you about it and network as hard as you can.
Thanks for the advice!
Defo possible but will need to start applying & networking ASAP
I would say that getting another internship in Latam and enrolling in a Msc in the UK would make it easy.
You will have the language edge, you will be able to work with the latam teams (which does happen in some BBs) from the UK and support them.
Definitely a very good move, trying to get internships from latam directly may be quite difficult (being totally non-target as people will not know your uni may be a very difficult problem to go through)
I assume the main issue would be to get the visa sponsorship, right? Regardless of education, how much do you think they value non-related professional experience with a high client interaction? for example, a previous career in sales.
Visa is not that much an issue, let me explain
Main problen is bringing someone from another continent with no ties to EU/UK
This could mean you may try to leave very fast the bank, and banks are willing to minimize this risk...
Also there may be some cultural issues/lack of knowledge of the European landscape which is another issue.
Moreover, there is a Spanish-speaking talent pool from target universities, which would also be a disadvantage. Why hire a kid from a not-known university if the main edge is the language if we already have access to a lot of kids with previous experience.
That's why I think that going for Msc can help to spin your story, explain why UK/EU... Your experience is good, if you get 1 more internship it would be superb.
Thank you! Sounds like the best move. Unfortunately, because of COVID, most of the hiring processes at the BBs here are not opening until next year. What do you think about interning at a top local LatAm PE firm/IB boutique for an additional 6 months instead? Would you say these experiences + the MSc in the UK (hopefully) would give a comparable edge? Or would it still be difficult to land an FT/Internship role at London?
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