Moving from NYC BB to London BB
I'll be starting full-time at a BB in NYC this summer in banking. However, having gone abroad to London and actually lived there for 2 years (when I was a little kid, though), I'm really interested in working there at some point or even forever. So, a couple of questions:
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How easy is it to get your bank to transfer you to London? Can you transfer after the first year or the second year? If you can transfer after the first year, wouldn't that mean you'd have to start asking to transfer like right when you get there (which obviously wouldn't look good).
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Can an American really be successful in banking in London? I know it takes a true American to really reach the top levels of banking in the US - by this I don't necessarily mean a white American, but if you look at the top non-white bankers, they're all like second generation Indian or Asian guys or African-Americans. So, I think culture is the most important aspect. While I know US and UK cultures are similar, there are definitely differences. Is an American accent looked down upon in London? While I know some people in the US think a British accent is "sexy", I think we can all agree that most people don't find an Indian accent (like Abu from the Simpsons) or a Chinese accent sexy. So, how is an American accent viewed in the UK?
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Last question: does anyone know if it's easy to get a visa to work in the UK (if you're an American citizen)?
Thanks for the responses. Much appreciated.
your bank should have an internal mobility program.. check this..
You're one insecure kid if you're worried about how an American accent is viewed in the UK. As long as you're a standup guy, and don't act like a bitch, they'll respect you. As for transfering, it's fairly easy to do so, a lot of kids at BB's do their third years in London, especially at Banks like Lehman.
Oh yea, and you better put those Brits to shame when it comes to drinking, I already drank those p*ssies under the table when I was there, it's upto you to humiliate them further.
Hahah...
As for the accent, I was just curious. I know we like British accents over here, but I wasn't sure how it worked vice versa.
And well I'm aware you can do a "third year" in London, what if you want to stay indefinitely (be promoted to associate in the UK and so on)? Does the UK bank allow this assuming you perform well there?
The accent question is a very valid one. I will deliberately not give examples, but I know some places where the vast majority of natives will consider you thick and funny to listen to (even if you bioth have the same native language). In the UK though people are quite open. You can get to MD as an american. Actually, PE shops send over loads of Americans, so it can't be bad!
Re. drinking: haven't found a country that drinks more than the UK (+Eire). Australians put on a good show. Germans are hardcore for Oktoberfest. Seanc, where you with some top uni nerds? Maybe you should come back for a showdown ;-) British accents in the US: oh yeah, so easy to pull!
Well I don't think anybody in banking will care about your accent. In a non banking sense the american accent isn't considered sexy in the way americans seem to love the english accent. The main thing though is that London is so full of different accents that you won't even get noticed, to be honest I am sometimes glad to just speak to somebody who speaks english properly and is a native speaker.
As for the Visa, if you transfer there is no issue at all however if you wanted to apply for other jobs afterwards or something there may be some issues (but even then there are probably ways around it, we get all sorts of third world scum arriving on these shores and getting handouts so a hard working westerner should be able to find a way around it)
If anything an American accent could be a bonus. In Britain people will place you in a social class within seconds of you opening your mouth based on your accent (and other things like dress etc). But people with foreign accents get a wide berth on this, so in effect you are at an advantage against someone from say Liverpool whose accent gives them away.
Besides so many people in London are foreign barely anyone will notice you aren't native.
I worked in the UK for a year. The American accent generally goes over well. Ajel is correct that the accent places you into a different social class (eg. "good enough" to earn a foreign assignment).
Western-US (eg California) -- British people almost always like it.
Southern-US (eg Texas) -- British people will poke fun of you for sounding like George Bush, but will otherwise think your accent is cool.
Eastern-US (eg Boston, NY) -- British people almost always like it.
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