Employment Contract Questions

I'm a senior graduating in May from a (non-target) state school who recently got a trader position offer from a top 3 HFT prop shop. I'm a little concerned about the employment contract because it includes a 2 year non compete. Most of the graduate programs (mfe/quant finance) I'm looking at for the future are 1-1.5 years. Should I be worried about this?

5 Comments
 
bigblue3908

Depends on the language in the contract but most of those clauses are completely unenforcible at the junior level. Check it over with a lawyer if you're unsure, but I doubt it's anything to worry about

This is completely false. Not only is it enforceable in many jurisdictions, but any trader position is a senior position when a lot of capital is in play.

OP, I work in this space; feel free to PM me any specific questions.

 
Best Response
justin88 bigblue3908:

Depends on the language in the contract but most of those clauses are completely unenforcible at the junior level. Check it over with a lawyer if you're unsure, but I doubt it's anything to worry about

This is completely false. Not only is it enforceable in many jurisdictions, but any trader position is a senior position when a lot of capital is in play.

OP, I work in this space; feel free to PM me any specific questions.

I'll defer to you since I'm not a trader, but I've talked with multiple lawyers who say the opposite for junior level positions at least. But I can imagine it's more stringent in prop trading than it is for MC/IBD for obvious reasons
 

Recusandae rerum possimus voluptas quae. Non est expedita sed deserunt rerum numquam. Temporibus error doloremque vero nostrum eaque. Nemo ut tempora architecto optio ut voluptatem et.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”