Employment Prospects after IE Business School

Hi guys,

I have been accepted into the Masters in Advanced Finance program (April 2018 intake) at IE Business School, Madrid. While the course content seems great, I'm a bit concerned about placements. My goal is to get into M&A/PE in London/mainland Europe. I have gone through all the forum posts pertaining to IE but could not find satisfactory responses to my queries.

My background: Indian Male (native fluency in English) Chartered Accountant (Indian equivalent of CPA) 3 years as audit staff at Ernst & Young. Currently working at a domestic merchant bank. I'm 24 and will probably be the youngest in my cohort (Range 26-32 for the latest intake)

My questions: 1) Do London BBs / Boutiques consider IE a target / semi-target school? 2) While the course is a level higher than its pre-experience MIF, what would be a realistic expectation of the average job profile, ie, Analyst vs Associate? 3) Would extensive accounting/financial audit experience from a Big4 firm help me land interviews? 4) Will my age be a deterrent for prospective employers considering the class average?

Also relevant to note, if I join the program I'd visit London once every 2/3 weeks.

Feel free to add anything else that you think is relevant.

Thanks

5 Comments
 
Best Response

I'll try to help. I haven't studied at IE but know the school since I studied my undergrad and worked in AM in Spain.

1) Do London BBs / Boutiques consider IE a target / semi-target school? Target for the pre-experience MIF, non target for the MBA. Not clear answer for the MAF. Absolute target if you may consider staying in Spain after graduation.

2) While the course is a level higher than its pre-experience MIF, what would be a realistic expectation of the average job profile, ie, Analyst vs Associate? Associate level for Spain. Probably Associate too for the UK, since you have 3 years experience already.

3) Would extensive accounting/financial audit experience from a Big4 firm help me land interviews? Can't help with this one.

4) Will my age be a deterrent for prospective employers considering the class average? No way. You are the ideal age for associate level.

 

Thanks a ton. I was concerned about the placements because Spain doesn't offer Visa extensions after the duration of the course, making it imperative that students find a job before graduating.

 

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