When do investment bankers take time off during Christmas and New Years?

CruncharooI feel like the start of the new year is one of the busier times. Right now there isn't a whole lot going on (at least in the pub fin world) and I would imagine now through the end of the year is when a lot of people take their time.

For starters ask the second year analysts what they did and ask for their advice on who and how to ask for time off, or if it's even a possibility.

I wouldn't hold out too much hope though. You'll only have been there a few months at that point and because you're the low man on the totem pole your requests will come last, and that doesn't matter if you're in banking or a secretary at a manufacturing company in Wichita. The biggest pain will be that you may not be working on a deal and could have realistically taken the time off but you won't know until pretty close to the holiday. That's ok if you only need to take a train from NYC to CT or Philly but last minute international plane tickets aren't usually a good last minute purchase. I grew up on the east coast but my first job after college was in San Fran at an repe firm. I couldn't get the time off to go back east for Christmas until a few days before when the guys I supported said there was no reason to come in because deals weren't closing but it was too late at that point. If you can't get the time off in advance just ask around who else will be an orphan stuck away from home so you're not sitting there drinking by yourself on Christmas Day.

You're young man, time to realize life sucks sometimes and depressing stuff will come your way. Holidays away from family are going to happen in high finance.

So should I go ahead and ask a month or so into the job? Or will even considering the possibility look bad? I was hoping for 7+ days around christmas/NY

HEBanker

So should I go ahead and ask a month or so into the job? Or will even considering the possibility look bad? I was hoping for 7+ days around christmas/NY

Soft ask the analysts above you what the general sentiment is. But don't expect it. Seven days would be huge. I don't think I took more than a few at a time for 2-3 years when I first started.

Man up brah. Don't ask, just give them the courtesy of letting them know when you'll be in the Bahamas getting a tan. If they don't give you their blessing book them as sick days or bereavement for one of your dogs.

You've also spent the last six months in Europe haven't you?

alright i will play it by ear first few months and not expect too much. i know a few of our analysts actually worked christmas day last year, so not looking too good for me

HEBankerI will be starting as a first year in a fairly good culture group this August.

You really don't know anything about the culture in your group until you've been there for a bit. Interviewing is a total joke.

Start calling Tuesday I'd say.

Thank you! I am taking your advice.

Edit: I mean a difference in the amount of time different firms give off.

Depends a lot on what's going on with your group, but, generally (and this is just generally) things are slow between Thanksgiving and New Year's - I know a lot of first-year associates who were able to take about a week off from Dec. 24 - Jan 1 last year.

When I interned last summer, 4th of July was off. Unless you absolutely need to get something done, you can expect to have those days off. No one wants to work on Christmas and stuff.

One of the analysts i worked with last summer told me he worked new year's eve till like 10 pm...

Yeah - I've had generally accepted holidays cancelled. Which was a bit of a kick in the gut...

i'm going to go ahead and guess that if there is a deal going on, it doesn't matter if your mom is having a heart attack you gotta be in.

I think Mis Ind posted a while back that one of the analysts had 271 days straight w/o a day off.

Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...

I've worked in places that really go out of their way to make sure you get to take that holiday that you've booked and others that seem to take some kind of pleasure in cancelling them. I don't know that I've ever had a holiday cancelled where I've thought 'yeah, there was a really good reason for ME to be here'

Honest to god truth...

Last year, I worked xmas week in its entirety. In fact, I worked three days in a row where I only slept 3-4 hours each. I had to do my xmas shopping in Silicon Valley during a lunch break at a local TJ Max store! Although I did fly home xmas eve I think I slept thru most of xmas day. I also had my best friend's wedding that weekend and I had to fly back out the very next morning to Silicon Valley to work the same insane schedule New Year's week. The wedding was my "get out of jail" card since two of my colleagues stayed in Silicon Valley...

THAT was a bad holiday!! I think that's as bad as it gets folks.

Unless things go to hell, I am already scheduled to have three days off at Christmas. Some analysts have to work, but only to maintain "support presence". In other words, they surf the web and order Seamless to their hearts' delight.

That said, a single hot deal could ruin it for several of us at once.

Yup. A hot deal or the power of the dark side ruins the day.

depends on deal volume--my firm's fye is november so from then until feb-march, there's a big push for new deals (pitches). we worked on thanksgiving (my md was in all day as well) and looks like we're in it through at least the new year. this is my 3rd straight holiday season that i've worked each day. at least it's my last 6-7 months in IBD.

if i (my parents) lived anywhere close to work i'd be part of the skeleton staff for sure. But they don't

I work at a boutique. We had an all hands meeting this morning and my boss definitely said we wore all working 7 day weeks for the next 2 months.....

dolla dolla bills yall

Depends on your group, my officers all get lazy a couple days before and after the holiday, which means I generally have not had to miss the holidays.

Not only depends on your group, but of course depends on your deal flow. You can't delay getting a model out to a client or getting drafts of a credit agreement out just so you can get drunk or eat turkey.

Most groups will be deserted on Christmas, Thanksgiving. However, your staffing situation will dictate how soon in advance you can plan.

Teams working on live deals may or may not get their holidays off. It really just depends.

As above, depends. I know of people who worked 364 days in their first year, implying they worked at least Thanksgiving or Christmas.

You can ask but as others have said it will depend on what you're working on at the time. Few people to no one will be there on Thanskgiving or Christmas Day but it's not like college where you blow classes on Wednesday of Thanksgiving week and come back Sunday. There's a good chance you'll get the two days off but don't expect to get other days off around it so unless your family lives close it will make it tough to get home unless you can jump on a train last minute

Thanks for the feedback everyone. Pretty close to what my expectations were.

Depends - my bank requires Junior bankers globally to use up all their vacation days for the respective year. Guys in US just didnt know that in Continental Europe we have 30 of them per year :D

Technoviking and I are going as Kane and Undertaker, we have a paul bearer as well

Bring on the slutty costume bitches with daddy issues.

Can't wait to see all the Patrick Bateman costumes...

Theres a 110% chance i carve a pumpkin this Halloween... it's been too long

I'm dressing up as Rick Ross and I have 2 friends going as Gucci and Flocka. (Ice Cream Face Tattoo included)

Big Halloween fan here. In my undergrad days I would get a group together to visit a haunted house (not a little kid haunted house, a legit scary one that you walk through). We'd pull pranks on people and throw a party too.

This year I want to do something a little more traditional, as I've been trying the edgy Halloween experience for a while. By that, I mean getting together with some friends, cook a fall-themed feast, crack open a few Pumpkin ales, put on a few horror movies. Silent Hill is coming out that day too, and I'm excited for that.

I'm terribly uncreative with costumes. I thought about doing the i-banker with a homeless-guy beard and a cardboard sign that says, "Will Underwrite 4 Beer" but it's kinda dated now.

I'm going to be the Gosseling dad and tie 8 plastic babies to a rope and drag them around with me. Or, maybe wear scrubs with blood all over them and be "an abortion doctor" (ladies will go wild). Finally, maybe put on a schoolgirl outfit with white globs in my hair and be a "bankerella"

"Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."

Mean Girls?

I don't have a lot of experience but I'm guessing: YES! Deal-making is pretty much dead because the clients and everyone goes on Christmas break. There might be some transactions finalising after New Year but I'm guessing everyone will be away till 1-2 January. Just a guess

Yeah they do. The entire office was a ghost town today and people arent back until thurs/fri if not wednesday the following week

ok, i guess ill shoot my "ask" email after new years. just didn't really want to go that route 'cause i feel that applying early helps. I've heard that banks look at apps as they roll in, not after the deadline as a giant pile. then again, if they know whom to look for, they probably just pull the app from the pool.

wait for a month and then talk about vacation

HR is not going to have any say in when you get to take vacation, that will be determined by people in your team. November is pretty early for a first year to be taking vacation.

thanks! I am still thinking of wether ask for one day off on friday so I could get away in November for my birthday weekend but I will wait one month and see how it all goes

Hello

Inform H.R as per your schedule .. its up tp her whether to grant leave or not .. whenever you take leave just give prior leave application to her

Thanks http://www.fintel.us/

In the US we dont take "holiday" during our first year ATLEAST.

Glad to be woking in the UK then!

I was over there. Hated every minute of it... NY is the place to be. Its nice having functioning subways.

Why did you not like it in here? Colleagues say they work a bit less in London than they did in NY

I peronsally did not like the people. Rude in my opinion (and Im in NYC). And just the city in general. Tube, food, etc...