My Story !!! Advice needed

Hello everyone this is my story of Nepotism , failure , hope and my plans to bounce back , I hope you are safe from Covid-19 and look forward to your feedback.

The background:
I am an Athens based T.A.S analyst at the T.A.S department of an accountancy firm, i currently work in F.D.D projects with the occasional D.C.F and multiples valuation or I.B.R.
I graduated from a local university with grades that put me in the top 15% of my year ( not sure if that is good or not) and then moved on to completed an M.Sc. in Finance from A.M.B.S ( a semi target from what i understand) with distinction.
Following my M.Sc Graduation i returned to Greece to work for one of the major Accountancy firms (not a BIG-4 but clos) , as I was unable to secure a position in England and my GFs father is a founding member and the Head of Advisory at the firm.
The goal:
To get into investment banking preferably in M&A and in an English speaking country.
The Plan:
Plan A : Continue applying to all graduate programs that allow recent graduates (graduated DEC 2019 ) , focusing on smaller banks while attempting to network via e-mails/ LinkedIn / family-friends etc.
Plan B: Gather work experience for 2-3 years while completing the C.F.A or A.C.C.A and possibly a coding course or 2 and then apply to an MBA program and aim for a summer associate job ( or analyst if eligible ).
Plan C : Try to transfer to a T.A.S department of the firm in the U.K or the U.S and after a couple of years and an MBA transition to I.B ? (I am almost sure i can get a couple of recommendation letters from staff in the firm r.n )

The Questions:
1) Should I pursue the C.F.A or A.C.C.A, based on my situation ?
2) Which schools should I attempt to get into given that Harvard Business school is not exactly harassing me with offers right now ?
3) What other course of action should i follow to strengthen my chances

Thank you in advance for your time.
P.S I am currently 25 (if it matters)

 
Most Helpful

I honestly no nothing about European TAS or IB. That being said, there are some posts on lateraling from TAS to IB in the US that could still be helpful for you.

An MBA at a top US school would allow you to re-brand and recruit IB in the US for sure. Again, not an expert here, so I'd suggest searching the forum to see what the top MBA programs are and which ones take a good number of international students.

 

Enim voluptate praesentium est recusandae. Et similique minima vel illum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

April 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (87) $260
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”