REPE in the U.S. as an international student
Hey all,
I am an international student (European) currently pursuing an MPA at an Ivy, concentrating in finance. My goal is to land a REPE job in the U.S. when I graduate from the MPA next year (I am eligible for STEM OPT). Please note that I will only have one year at the Ivy, as I pursued my first year at a partner institution in Europe (very strong brand name)
In terms of background, I have 2.5 years of RE experience:
1.5 years in RE M&A deal team at a Big 4
1 year at my family’s real estate investing firm (small firm with around 10 assets) where I handled the whole process of acquiring 2 assets (residential and office) in a major European capital (from sourcing to closing).
Reasons for the MPA include: STEM OPT, finance concentration during the second year, strong emphasis on some real estate value drivers, such as economic and public policy. Also, I chose the MPA since I am interested in pursuing a political career down the line in my country of origin.
For my undergraduate studies, I studied business administration and law at a leading European business school.
Given my background, how likely do you think I am to land a REPE acquisitions role in the US? Is my background good enough?
Would you apply to analyst or associate positions?
How would you go about landing interviews? Besides networking (I am a member of ULI), should I contact Headhunters?
Thank you for your help!
Honestly it'll come down to you needing sponsorship or not, especially with policy tightening on both sides of the aisle. Some of the bigger firms will have sponsorship programs, though I can't be helpful on which ones have that.
In regards of your title, I'd apply to what little there is out there right now in the US CRE market. That being said you should expect a Analyst or Senior Analyst role. Maybe Analyst II role if you can find one. MPA doesn't carry as much weight as a MBA or Quant degree or professional Certs. Honestly the networking via ULI will bode better for you.
Thanks for your answer! I definitely don’t have an issue starting out as an analyst, which I guess will help. What professional certifications do you have in mind to strengthen my application?
For Prof Certs when I was applying for associate or above with a lacking YEO, most wanted CPA/CFA/CFRM/CFR or some sort of Actuarial Exams, but I was applying to more Quant side roles, that translated into Balance sheet sale and buy side at BB and lenders. For REPE they occasionally say CFA or CPA on their preferred qualifications.
I'm sure others know some CRE specific ones that might help as well.
Thanks for the insight! I was thinking about going for the REFAI certification, although I am not sure it would add much given my background
Speaking as an international student in Canada - MBA education and CFA / CPA certificates are not important, let along whatever CRE certificates out there. They may help with your modeling interview. I would suggest you to spend more time building up your local experience and network.
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