Will LSE or LBS Actually Place Me in London IB? (Indian, CFA L1, No Internships)”
I’m an Indian undergrad (BSc Finance, graduating 2026 from a decent Mumbai college) looking at either LSE MSc Finance (10 months) or LBS MFA (16 months) for 2027 intake.
My situation: • I don’t have meaningful internship experience yet. • I plan to do CFA Level I in May 2026. • From June 2026 to April 2027, I’ll be working (likely in a finance/corporate role in India) before starting the program. • Main motivation = brand name (LSE is big in India, LBS is strong in London/Europe). • Long-term plan = MBA later, but want to work ~2 years in London post-MSc, then return to India (ideally for PE).
Concerns: • I’ve heard international students struggle with jobs in London after these degrees (visa + competition issues). • Neither program has a compulsory internship built in, so placement depends on off-cycle recruiting + networking. • LBS seems stronger for London recruiting, but in India, LSE has more prestige.
So my dilemma is: 👉 Should I take the brand shot (LSE/LBS) even without deep prior experience, and hope the network + hustle is enough? 👉 Between the two, which is better for my path: 2 years work in London → back to India → MBA → PE? 👉 Or would I be better off working in India first, then going for MBA straight?
Would really value blunt advice from people who’ve done these programs or seen international grads try to break into IB/PE/AM in London.
There's a guy I know with your profile - graduated from Mumbai without any experience, did the CFA L1, went to LBS, hustled like crazy (networking, off-cycles etc.) and ended up at a megafund. Lots more examples as well. I don't know why Indians think they're so unique though - everyone from developing countries has similar challenges and they just grind hard.
Network + Hustle + Luck. Don't expect anything to come easy - you'll be bottom of the pile at the beginning and you should accept that. Fully commit yourself and you'll be fine.
I said indian because i heard that firms there don’t prefer international student due to complex visa things also i don’t have any experience so that my aura will be -2
I’d think twice about studying in the UK, if you’re loaded & the tuition/living costs is a rounding error- by all means, come study in London you’ll have a blast.
If you’re banking on finding a job to repay your loans, just forget it. We’re in a recession & qualified people with the right to work are struggling to get any traction.
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