Opportunities after MFin/MiM in Europe?
I'm a recent graduate (non-European) and will be applying to MFin/MiM programs in Europe in R2 for the September 2021 intake. I wanted some perspectives on opportunities in London and the rest of Europe after graduating. Would also love to hear some recruiting experiences.
I'll apply to IB internships, IB is probably my first preference but I´m also fairly open to consider ER/AM/S&T/Consulting/Corp Dev roles.
I suppose that landing client facing roles in continental Europe needs you to be native-level fluent in the local language? I'm native only in English, so I suppose London might be the best option?
There was someone who made a post ranking European MFins, and they put Oxford MFE, LBS MFA, LSE MSc Fin in tier 1, HEC Paris MIF, SDA Bocconni in Tier 1.5 and Imperial College, ESSEC/St Gallen/WHU MSc Fins in Tier 2. I'll likely be applying to all of these programs, plus some MiM programs. Would an MFin be better than an MiM? Would a two year program be better than one year, because more time to intern? Would anything outside of the UK be a bad idea for me, from a recruiting POV, given I only know English? People on WSO said Bocconi is a pipeline for London IB, would that also be applicable for an international from their MSc Fin program?
Background: Graduated April 2020 with a BBA specializing in Finance, 3.3 GPA, 720 GMAT, one internship in a F500's treasury. Retaking the GMAT in two weeks, will likely get a better score.
The lack of internships worries me. A lot of people I find on LinkedIn who went to HEC MIF seem to have had several fancy internships/full time experiences under their belt before starting the program. Which is why I think a two year program might suit me more, more time to intern, better shot at landing a SA offer by the end of it.
https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/20-most-frequently-asked-questio…
I've seen this post and also the exhaustive master's list linked in it. That's the list I was referring to in my post. Super grateful to you sir, for your contributions to the WSO community.
What I was also looking for was maybe some individual recruiting experiences from internationals who did one of those top tier MFin or MiM programs in Europe.
You see a bunch of them - but most often they are at UK schools more than continental schools. Still see a few successful ones from HEC MiF (MiM is better but very few non European people apply), Bocconi MiF
At least at HEC it would be better if you target the MiM, you would end the masters with c.1 year of experience and most likely with 1-2 FT offers
The MSc Fin programmes at ESSEC and SDA Bocconi are also two years long. What do you think of those?
ESSEC is target in London and Paris, will get you interviews
I'm going to be honest with you: in Europe, language/cultural differences will be hard to overcome. You can target the continental programs if you want (St Gallen, HEC, Bocconi...), and I think they're great, but don't be surprised if you find yourself at a major disadvantage compared to local students. The French/Italians/Germans won't hire someone who isn't perfectly adapted to their language/culture, so you'll have to gun for the UK. Hence, it might be better to target UK schools. You'll still be at a disadvantage, but it won't be as extreme
Sounds rough. But I suppose you're right. What are the odds of getting a placement in London from a continental program from HEC or SDA Bocconi? I think @PanEuropeanMonkey and some other people on WSO said these two colleges in particular have strong placements in London, or something?
They do have good placement, but a lot of it comes from French/Italians for their countries' coverage groups. Further, the internationals that make it to London tend to be European as well. So from what I've seen, it seems to be more of an uphill battle if you're not at least from the EU. It should be possible though - I'll let others opine on that
Considering the internship convenience of FSFM, WHU would still be the better choice?
I know that WHU has a strong presence in Frankfurt IB and places really well there. Do you suppose WHU master students gets placed in London IB?
Not sure about the masters students, but WHU definitely places bachelor students in LDN IBD
As someone who is American and did an MBA in France (HEC), I tell everyone that if you don't speak the language or have a burning desire (and some aptitude) to learn French, just stick to the UK. Not sure how Brexit will play with Continental schools going to the UK, but when I tried in the middle of it, I was told I am at a huge disadvantage.
Why were you at a disadvantage?
I was at a disadvantage because at least at that point, it was much easier for firms to hire people with European passports than non European ones. Even though I was business fluent in French, so were all of my classmates at HEC who had them. My key advantage (American) had no relevance for what they were hiring for and hiring me would be significantly more paperwork (yes, I ended up back in the USA).
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