Seeking advice: BB Trading to LBS MFA: Am I Closing the Door on S&T?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some honest advice from people who’ve been through similar paths.

I’m a recent engineering graduate and will soon be completing ~1 year on a trading desk at a BB IB in a South Asian market. I’ve applied to a few master’s programs as I’m aiming to pivot into more global roles, and I’ve been fortunate to receive a few admits. Currently, I’m leaning towards LBS’s MFA program, especially given the scholarship.

My primary goal is to recruit for Investment Banking (ideally London). However, given:

• I’ll have ~1 year of S&T experience (not IB),
• IB recruiting is extremely competitive, especially without prior IB experience,
• and I’d strongly prefer to be employed immediately post-program,

I want to keep Sales & Trading as a viable backup (or even parallel path).

My concern is that the MFA is quite corporate finance heavy and seems more IB-oriented. So I wanted to ask:

• Is S&T recruiting realistically viable from LBS MFA?
• Do trading desks value candidates coming from such programs, especially with prior S&T experience?
• Would my 1 year of BB trading experience meaningfully help me recruit for S&T roles in London?
• How should I position myself to keep both IB and S&T options open without diluting my profile?

Would really appreciate insights from anyone who has gone through LBS / similar programs or recruited for S&T/IB from a non-traditional background.

Thanks in advance!