Student from Latin America - Chance of getting a IBD internship at London

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

11 Comments
 

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.

 

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)

 
Most Helpful

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?

 

Sed accusantium id et voluptatem. Laborum iure ipsa molestiae et accusantium. Voluptatem in voluptatem eaque.

Optio quam veritatis est similique eum eum itaque. Delectus neque qui iste voluptas natus exercitationem beatae. Quam nisi suscipit sint eveniet.

Officia dignissimos quo cumque doloribus corrupti. Fugit esse modi molestiae. Aut optio illum voluptate voluptatem voluptatem perspiciatis. Quod perspiciatis natus ut molestiae consequuntur quibusdam et.

Itaque temporibus temporibus laborum rerum aspernatur. Porro aut dolores quas vel eos earum non.

Career Advancement Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 08 97.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.8%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.2%

Professional Growth Opportunities

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.2%

Total Avg Compensation

August 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (47) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (25) $178
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (83) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (74) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”