?Move for a Quant Trading role or apply again?

Hi guys, 

I'm in a bit of a difficult situation and I hope someone here can give some word of advice. 

I graduated from a good uni last summer and am from London and hold an offer for a Quant Trader job in Amsterdam. The place is ok, good enough to learn and start a career, but not my dream company. Currently, my biggest problem is that I have to move to Amsterdam in a month, I don't really want to live there and leave London. Moreover, in a couple of years I will be getting a British passport and moving will mean I will lose that chance (and my passport is very weak, so it is significant). Anyway, the problem is that if I reject this job, I have to search for Grad jobs again but the cycle is obviously almost over now, so I will most likely have to apply in September. However, if I wait till the new cycle I will no longer qualify for some of the Grad roles as I graduated over a year ago. 

So the decision is:

1. Take the job and try to get a different one within a year to move back to London

2. Search for a new job and risk not finding any since obviously, the industry is competitive 

3. Do something like a PhD and qualify as a grad again + build skills and learn which is always good

TLDR; is it worth forcing yourself to move for a good job (Quant Trading) when you are young or stay and take the risk of a worse-off job?

Any help would be appreciated, I am really stuck and the worst thing is that I only have a few weeks to decide. 

4 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, this is quite the conundrum you're facing, but let's break it down:

  1. Taking the Job in Amsterdam:

    • Pros: Immediate employment, opportunity to gain experience in the field, and a stepping stone to potentially move back to London with a stronger resume.
    • Cons: Relocation to a city you're not keen on, potential loss of eligibility for a British passport, and the risk of not finding another job in London within a year.
  2. Searching for a New Job:

    • Pros: Staying in London, keeping the chance for a British passport alive, and possibly finding a role that's a better fit for your aspirations.
    • Cons: High competitiveness in the industry might lead to a period of unemployment, and you might miss out on graduate roles due to the time since graduation.
  3. Pursuing a PhD:

    • Pros: Qualifying for graduate roles again, enhancing your skills and knowledge, and potentially making you a more attractive candidate in the future.
    • Cons: Time commitment, the cost of a PhD program, and no guarantee of a job in trading afterward.

Here is a question that you might be interested in and I can help you with: What are the key factors to consider when deciding between starting a career in Quant Trading immediately versus pursuing further education like a PhD?

Sources: Ask Eddie: Should I Bail On My Trading Job?, How do you become a Quant Trader?, Q&A - Quant with 2 yrs exp in Europe both buy/sell side, Q&A: Quantitative Derivatives Trader, 1 year in, Is it worth pursuing a career in trading in 2017?

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

bump. Not really qualified to give you advice, but wondering how difficult would it be to get the UK passport in the future once you have a lot of money and have retired? Based on my experience, the right choice might be to stay in the UK, because as difficult as finding a job is, obtaining citizenship + staying where all your friends and connections are seems more irreplaceable to me than finding a job. There are workarounds to the job problem, ie PhD, lateraling, a ton of extra legwork, etc., but there are no workarounds to the citizenship problem. Depends on how valuable that is to you and your future kids.

It's a very tough decision either way 

 

I think it depends on the shop, but I would take the job unless you are in a great financial situation + very smart to get another offer + have something productive to do in the meantime.

 

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