Best European Target Schools to Break into IB in Singapore (or Europe)?
Hi everyone,
I'm a 2nd year Economics and Business Economics (EBE) student at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). I plan to pursue a career in IB in Singapore, but I also want to keep my options open for working in Europe in the future.
Given my situation, I'm exploring top Master's in Finance programs in Europe that would give me the best shot at IB roles in Singapore and be highly regarded by European firms if I decide to work here later.
A bit about my background: My bachelor's program is only three years long, so I'm unsure if top US schools would consider me for their master's programs. That's why I'm only considering European schools. My assumption is that IB firms in Singapore still prefer candidates with top degrees from Europe over Singaporean qualifications.
Erasmus University Rotterdam would be the most convenient option for me, but I wonder if it's competitive enough compared to other top European target schools, such as LBS, HEC Paris, IE, or Bocconi.
Would love to hear your thoughts on:
- How important is it to attend a school in Europe compared to Singapore?
- Which top European schools have the strongest reputation for placing graduates into IB roles in Singapore?
- Is Erasmus a solid choice, or should I aim higher despite the added challenges?
Any advice, insights, or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Based on the most helpful WSO content, here’s what you need to know:
Top European Schools for IB Placement in Singapore and Europe:
Importance of European Schools vs. Singaporean Schools:
Erasmus University Rotterdam (RSM):
Recommendations:
Additional Considerations:
For more detailed insights, you can explore the European Masters Rankings on WSO here: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/school/european-masters-rankings?…</a">European Masters Rankings.
Sources: European Master in Finance programmes (pre-experience), European target schools for London IBD, European Masters Ranking | 2020, Msc Finance ranking Europe, European Masters Rankings
What is your connection with Singapore? If citizen or PR, maybe got chance. If not, quite tough no matter where you go
agreed. Don't see the issue there in terms of applying to US schools. Would also recommend UK schools such as LBS LSE Oxbridge for masters
You can tell this was written by a Singaporean. All jokes aside, unless you speak an SEA language / are from SEA. Unlikely you’ll get in, it’s v lean and the average banker is older bc of military training / has more internships than you prior to joining. Insanely tough culture across the board as well.
I speak Vietnamese and English, which isn't impressive, but it gives me some connections to SEA.
My initial thought is that entering IB or high-finance sectors in Singapore would be easier than in the Netherlands and other EU countries, due to local language requirements and stricter work permit regulations in Europe.
Would you guys recommend me to pursue a Master's in the UK or the US instead and then transition to work there?
The reason why I kinda avoided them was because of the high cost of living (my family isn't too wealthy), and it just generally seems like a very crowded space in high-finance since everyone is heading there.
Erasmus University Rotterdam is great, its worse than LBS, HEC Paris but better than IE and Bocconi for Singapore.
A couple different points here (disclaimer: I don't know what the visa situation is in Singapore).
First of all, if you want to go to Singapore, you need to go to Asia ASAP. So either study in Singapore (for visa purposes - preferably NUS, or NTU), or more generally in Asia (look at good HK/Chinese unis like HKUST, HKU or Tsinghua in mainland).
If you want to study in Europe and work in Asia, you need to go to a uni with global fame, which essentially means Oxford, Cambridge, LSE and to a lesser extent LBS, INSEAD and HEC and maybe some of the other UK unis like Imperial, UCL, etc.
If your goal is to work in Europe, that means either Amsterdam or London. To go to Amsterdam, you're fine with your local unis. To go to London, you don't need a master's degree (you can go through the undergrad SA route right now and start working after undergrad), but if you go for it, it needs to be one of the Tier 1 master, which comprises the above + the Tier 1 Spanish / Italian / German / Swiss unis (St Gallen, Bocconi, IE etc.) - which still won't be as good as the UK unis and HEC.
Secondly, to get into Asia, you should get summer internships in Singapore/HK ASAP. Ideally you can convert there and they sponsor your visa.
Lastly, what are the language requirements in Singapore? I know that in HK, you need to speak Mandarin + Cantonese to work in front office jobs in addition to English (not the case in trading & markets though). To the extent your group doesn't require chinese skills, you should definitely look into HK as well.
I think the requirements are looser in Singapore although SEA languages and Mandarin are still highly valued. Still very feasible IMO.
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