Dear,
Since about 2 months I am reading topics on this great forum. It really is the best forum I have seen so far. I've got a couple of questions, but first of all I will tell you something about my life:
Age: 20
Universtity: university of amsterdam
Bachelor: finance (and organisation)
Currently in 2nd year
Job experience:
Currently I have two part time jobs:
- calculator at a technical firm (air systems) (9hours per week)
- leadership function at a supermarket (not official finished the course, but they recognize me as "team leader" (10-15 hours a week)
So I am currently studying finance at the University of Amsterdam. For as far as I know, this is definitely a non-target school (if there are any targets in the Netherlands?). A big disadvantage: no recruiting at campus. My bachelor will take another year. After that, I want to follow a major in Finance.
The first year I finished with an average grade of an 8,1 (schale 1-10), called with honors. 2nd year is also easy, and I'm doing really good.
I am really considering a career in finance (ib). There is lots of information on this forum about lots of topics. But my questions, I think, are speciific for my situation.
I really want to improve my resume and to get a summer internship next sumer (2014). One of the things i am considering to apply for is the london banking tour.
My question to you all:
What do you recommend me to do the upcoming two study years to get the maximum out of it and to prepare optimally for a career in ib.
One of the things I think i am missing is international experience. My English writing is pretty good, just as my understanding. But my speaking skill are not that good.
Well, i am really looking forward to your tips and hints and really hope you can help me and put me in the right direction!
Thanks in advance!
Do some committee work, FSA or any other finance related study association. You could also try to aim for a mid-market internship first. (KPMG, Kempen&Co, HCF, or maybe one the larger Dutch banks) This will give you an impression of whether you'll actually like the work or not and it's a big plus on your resume. IBs also tend to like international experience on your resume such as an exchange or international internship.
Good luck!
Goedemiddag DeHeer / MeVrouw Nederlander,
Hoe gaat het, jongen? Ik zal in het Engelse taal nu spreken (helaas, mijn Nederlands is niet vloeiend):
Do you want to be an investment banker? (i.e. M&A - rather than on the markets side). If so, your best bet is to transfer to a Master in Financial Investments / Financial Economics / Econometrics in Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam. This will put you on the radar of banks in London who wish to recruit for their Benelux teams.
If you are interested more specifically in the markets side (trading, structuring, sales, research) then you would be best advised to 'upgrade' to a French engineering/business school, UK institution (LSE, Imperial, Warwick, Oxford) for an MSc (however in Verenigde Koninkrijk this will be expensive) or Bocconi (Milan) at a stretch. I would ignore Stockholm (SSE) and Spanish/German schools (ESADE, Sankt.Gallen, Mannheim) since usually anyone hired into London from these institutions tends to be fluent in the local language (that's the primary reason they are hired). I think there is some private equity done out of Brussel (Vlaams markt) which you may like to take a look at.
There are Dutch institutions like Kempen and NIBC which offer corporate finance internships and if you're interested in markets there are a whole load of 'prop houses' (Optiver, Tibra, AllOpties, 323, Roca, Caerus, Nino) in either het Zuidas, Beursplein or Herengracht. If you want to keep your experience on the sell-side then there are of course the big names - ABN, ING and Rabo, although they will never hire you into a front office function straight away - usually you would start as a risk analyst and remain in that position for about 3 years. Their markets operations have been significantly scaled back since 2007 (main focus is now FX hedging for corporates, some FX options, Nederlandse government bond distribution). Not sure if these institutions will offer 3-6 month internships immediately following your bachelors degree.
Veel succes, Met vriendelijke groet.
Guys, Thank you very much for your tips!
I already applied for an acitive membership at FSA for the next year. But, this would mean I will have to stop with my current parttime job: calculator. I am still doubting about what to do.
The intership options:
EUR: heard that London firms have a slightly preference for students from there over students from other universities in the Neterlands. Would it really be better to complete my master there instead of at the UvA?
For now it's hard for me to focus on specific things and make plans for what to do, since there are such a lot of opitons. Not quit sure yet if I want to work in ib for a long time. I am also quit interested in consulting (management / finance). But, I think 1-3 years ib at a good firm in London will definitely be a good start of your career, no matter what you are going to do after that.
Hi there,
Do not expect too much from the LBT. The selection is very strict and generally only the best students get picked. Not to mention that quite a few aerospace engineering students are picked each year. (9.5+ / 10)
I would suggest applying for the next LBT's committee. It is several times easier to get into the committee, than to be selected as a candidate. As organizing committee, you will be able to participate in the LBT and so increase the chances of landing an internship.
Furthermore, exchanges are nice and all, but a lot of students do them. If you decide to spend one additional year, I'd use it for the FSA board. Or you could do two internships instead. Think PWM and then boutique IB.
Finally, definitely do your Msc at Erasmus/LSE. If you simply browse through Linkedin, you will find that it's more common for a EUR student to land an IB job after graduation.
Good luck!
Ok, than I will keep the facts about EUR in my mind, didn't knew there was such a huge difference between EUR and UvA for example.
London Banking Tour will be hard, but I will just try and keep in mind that chance will be very small. Entering the fsa board/ lbt committee are good ideas, which I was also considering. Next year 1 day a week or so as active member of fsa, if that would be possible. Nice first step into that organization. Afterwards I can decide better about staying there longer (perhaps 1 year fulltime) or to try to get 2 interns.
Again thanks for your advice, hope more people will give me tips! Great!
If trading: learn to program and get some more quantitative courses. If banking: Join FSA and the LBT. But also take your Masters in Rotterdam, it is a much better university.
Ok, I really want to focus on the banking part. So, I hope I can join the FSA next year and hopefully can participate in the LBT!
Dutch student here too. Can anyone please tell me, what is the FSA? inb4 Free Syrian Army
Good to see more studennts are here! The fsa is the financiele studievereniging amsterdam. It's good to join a study association during your study. It's a way to show that you're an active student. Which study you do and at which university?
I'm a Belgian student in Business Engineering. 3rd y Bachelor, heading for my Master's at Solvay Business School Brussels.
Interesting to see this topic cause I think we're kind of on the same boat here in the Benelux...
I don't have any internship experience yet. Will do some unpaid work at a 3D printing firm in London this September, through family relations and because I think it's the new industrial revolution. I think I'll have a good shot at fixing an internship at Deloitte FAS for spring 2014 and hopefully some bank for summer 2014. Wish me luck! =D
DSF is very expensive and has a very good program. I know from the international banking cycle that students from DSF were well represented and got interviews with the participating firms.
In the IBC, EUR was well represented as well. Good uni, maybe more technical than others. Heard that EUR has a solid alumni base.
UvA was less represented in IBC. Studied at UvA myself and transitioning to another uni for my masters. Other students had studied or were studying at RUG and even Maastricht.
Bottom line, in my opinion, education in the Netherlands is pretty cheap (except DSF) and is pretty good. The differences in uni's in NL are not that big if we compare the quality difference in, say, the UK and US.
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