Master in Finance Profile Evaluation or get a job directly out of undergrad? Really want to get to New York!!!
I will really appreciate your help guys.
Background: International student (not EU), currently a student at a target/semi-target uni in the UK. Think Bristol, Bath, Durham, Warwick, studying Economics & Mathematics. I am currently on my 3rd year out of 4 in London doing a 12 month placement in AM in one of the largest private banks in Europe (so i will finish it summer 2019). Grade : 72% average after two years which transfers to GPA 4.
I have also passed CFA level 1 this December.
I really want to work in New York as soon as possible but i understand that is is very difficult given that i literary don't know anyone there.
In my mind there are two options, get a graduate job in a BB bank in London and then try to move internally to NY after some time. I believe i have relatively good chances to get a graduate job in a large bank in London, but again i don't have visa. Any thoughts about it?
Second option is to get top masters and try to get a job straight away in NY after it. I was considering LSE, LBS, Imperial , Oxbridge (if we are talking UK) but i don't know if then i will have a good chance to get a job in NY? I believe that i need to do master in USA (yes i will need to do GMAT, but i believe i can get >700), because recruiting there is heavily based on networking and i literally need to be there to meet people ( so even great UK Brand uni might not help). Based on my little research so far, most of the master programs in US are financial engineering, but i don't want to go heavy on maths. I think MIT has a program which is not very quantitative. What are my chances to get a top masters in finance in US? What programs do you think i should consider?
Should i even do masters now or go for the first option and do my best to get a graduate job in London and then move internally?
Eventually i want to end up in some L/S Equity, Special Situation hedge fund, so i was targeting IB or AM.
Please give me some advice))
Your profile is solid for the MFins mentioned but for the US visa issues are the biggest hurdle. Generally I think the better MFins are in Europe with the US still developing them (but great for MBA) so you don't want to rush a long-term investment in education for NYC. You may want to go to Asia or elsewhere in 2-3 years and that will impact things. Since your profile is also quite strong for a UK-based job out of UG, the idea of an internal transfer 12-18 months in doesn't seem bad. Some firms also let you do 3-4 month 'exchanges' in other offices (I know CVP does for a fact) so check with the firms you want to apply to. This will help you better gauge if you really want NYC after having worked/lived there for 3-4 months. If so, ask for the internal transfer.
Thank you very much! But still, if i do top masters in Europe, do you think i will have a relatively good shot in NYC? To be honest it is just easier to get it here, because i dont need gmat for most of them. With regards to visa issues, i need visa for the UK anyway..
I think the visa and networking are the biggest hurdles for a job in NY, so a top master in Europe won't really change that. The best options you have are working in London for a few years (visas for international graduates could be even easier after Brexit, if it still happens), or doing a master in the US at a top school. Some finance masters have a STEM designation, which I gives you favorable visa conditions (don't know all the details on this as I don't live in the US, but you could find the information online)
Thank you for your advice!
Off topic but just to clarify: you are non-EU but you still got visa for an AM placement program in an European country right? (I get it that it isn't your ultimate goal though).
I am still a student and have a UK student visa. So, i dont need UK work visa becuase this placement is a part of my course, but once i finish uni i will need to have a work visa.
Someone in your position should be reading a lot about visas to know how they work. For example, it is very easy for you to get sponsored for a first job out of undergrad as you wont need to pass the Resident Labour Market Test. That's a huge advantage that you wont have in the US (even if you do study there).
Also, if you apply to the US you have to go though the lottery to get sponsored, but you do not go through it if you are an internal transfer with at least one year working with the company abroad.
So, put 2 and 2 together, and you should be looking for a job in London in an american company and transfer there.
You welcome.
Att. Someone fucked by the visa system
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