(US/UK) How hard is it to break in as an international student?

HI. A bit about myself - I'm currently a first year student, studying maths at Cambridge. I'm more interested in trading/quant roles, but I'm pretty much open to anything I can get my hands on. As a maths student, I don't have much experience navigating the recruitment process in the industry, so I hope I'll get some help here. My concern is - what are my chances of breaking in as an international student? I'm from a Southeast Asian country, and will need visa sponsorship to work in the UK/US (full time, I'm fine for Spring Weeks/Internships etc.). I'm hoping having Cambridge on my CV helps, but I heard its hard to land a job when you need visa sponsorship given that there is so much local talent. What are my chances of landing a "good" trading/quant role out of University in the UK or US, and is there anything I can/should do to maximise my chances, outside of trying to break into the SW->Internship->Full time job path?

6 Comments
 

You get a graduate visa upon graduation which lasts for 2 years. It does not require sponsorship.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-you-should-know-visas-youre-interna…;

Aside from this many firms, with the UK now outside of the EU, still continues to hire EU students (which are legally the same as international students) for internships and FT.

You should be fine.

 

Necessitatibus assumenda accusantium eius eum rerum. Nulla quibusdam eveniet est incidunt.

Velit quae provident neque qui eos quia est. Voluptatem cumque omnis sunt vero nemo ipsum. Qui dolor laudantium nesciunt et. Aut necessitatibus aut impedit iure dignissimos molestiae sit. Laudantium et aliquam cum labore at.

Ullam hic sit at cupiditate maiores. Repellat veritatis tempore quae. Quas vel qui quia porro eos est. Aut enim officia laboriosam explicabo quos. Unde rerum sed laborum id omnis. Velit vero deleniti dolores minus et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”