Do targets and semi-targets matter for MO roles in investment banks in the UK?
I am wondering if investment banks still only hire from their target and semi targets for their Middle office roles such as risk management. I am going to be changing university from Bristol (decent semi-target) to either Manchester or Leeds (Leeds is a non target while some say manchester is okay, many agree its also a non target). I'm going to be studying engineering which I know BB IB's hire graduates from as theres no specific degree for alot of their roles. My main interest is for Middle office roles (shock I know) due to the more regular work hours with still good pay. However, I am worried that I won't have a chance at MO roles at BB banks due to not being at a target (which I know is used to filter FO applicants but have no idea about MO).
Could anyone provide some more information on this? Would I have the same chance with an engineering degree if I was either at Bristol, Manchester or Leeds (considering I have a range of extra curriculars) or is the selection for middle office roles still the same criteria. Also, how difficult would it be to get the necessary experience in internships if I was attending manchester/leeds rather than bristol. Are the spring week and summer internships different to those looking for a graduate role in FO (Sorry if I seem clueless I have only recently started seriously looking into this). Any help would be appreciated.
Can anyone please offer some advice
I would say MOs tend to be a mix of semi-targets and non targets. You definitely need a compelling reason as to why you switched to a school that has a worse program for your desired career.
What would you rate my chances of getting into S&T or AM/WM with an engineering degree from the university of Manchester? This is given that I am involved in my unis finance society, take on leadership roles, perform well in my studies and have a range of volunteering experience and extra curriculars. I feel like I will get on with my degree better at Manchester over Warwick, but I also feel like I will be almost completely shutting the door on a chance at front office roles given that they're already competitive enough when you go to a target. Also, my 1 year at Bristol wont be looked at too fondly, especially if I am at Manchester. Do you think this would probably lose me any chance of getting a spring week during my 1st year at Manchester? Thanks
why on earth are you leaving Bristol? It's a great uni frequently hired from by BBs
I'm leaving Bristol because I honestly didn't get on well there and didn't like it. If I stayed I would've likely dropped out in 2nd or 3rd year or just failed my degree. I've also started to develop some interest in Sales & trading roles and also wealth/asset management roles. I know S&T is front office and will recruit mainly from targets, but is WM/AM the same? What would you rate my chances with an engineering degree from Manchester? I have a choice of changing to Warwick (which is a target) which I have to decide by the end of the day, but the Manchester location and course appeal to me more and I have a feeling warwick could either be great and open loads of opportunities or it could be Bristol all over again
If you do this - do Manchester. It is better than Bristol and has a great engineering program.
Thanks for the reply, from what I have seen, Bristol is regarded as better for recruitment into BB investment banks. Even a quick search on Linkedin shows more Bristol grads in IB than Manchester. But ofc I dont have exact numbers so my view may be skewed. In terms of chances at FO roles how difficult do you think Manchester would be compared to Warwick? I see that for spring weeks and summer internships you can only apply to 1 division, so I will want to try and apply for Sales & trading while studying at manchester, but feel the likelhood of being accepted is close to none, whereas if I just went straight to apply for risk I will have a chance. If you are unsuccefful for one internship, will they give you the chance of attending one for a different department?
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