Breaking into IB as an international student studying in the US

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Helena2018

Monkey

Most Helpful

Hi - I’m a fellow international student on an F-1 Visa who will be returning full time into IB at a BB. While it is true that being an international will definitely put you at a disadvantage compared to American students, and many banks don’t even recruit internationals, it is definitely doable, as my situation shows. I know international students going into GS, MS, JPM, BAML, and Lazard, and I know for sure that WF and RBC do not recruit internationals. Surely we are few international students going into IB, but my firm saw no problem in sponsoring me for H1-B. If you prove yourself, make it through the recruitment process and secure a summer internship, and then prove yourself again to convert it into a FT offer, you’ll be fine. Let me know if you have any further questions!

SP19

Thanks a lot for your comment, it is very reassuring to hear that.

Helena2018

Monkey

Also, yes, it is a disadvantage. I missed a couple weeks of my internship due to delays in work authorization processing, so even if you do get an offer, you will have to work harder than anyone else to somehow convert it into a FT offer.

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Funx2192

King Kong

Well concerning the situation, you better have great experience and financial knowledge both technical and fundamental analysis. Companies sponsor H1-B Visas but seriously, most of them honest go to tech or computer-science majors. It's a real gamble, so keep that in mind.

"It's okay, I'll see you on the other side"

northkoreanbanker

Neanderthal

Trust me, you can do it. I’m an international at a non target and have got 4 offers from BB and EBs so far (think EVR/LAZ/MC). Be persistent, don’t care too much about the sponsorship because it’s something you can’t control. Just trust the process

SP19

Thank you very much, and congratulations on your offers!

xnn178

Senior Baboon

Agree with above comments. Here's my two cents:

Don't keep reminding yourself that you're international. Literally forget about it. When you're networking, don't ask "do you sponsor" right off the bat - just be a normal student. In my experience, people (including myself) play the international student card when they're looking for excuses. Firms ding you when you spell out "I'm international" from the get go but are willing to sponsor you after you prove your skills in the interviews.
That being said, breaking into banking is hard and being international does make it worse. Just considering BBs and EBs, I wouldn't say the average student's chances are "likely", but they're also not 0. So be motivated every time, but also be open to other opportunities. If you're afraid of putting everything in and getting nothing out, I'd say assess your situation in junior spring - by then you'll have a good idea of what your IB chances are and hopefully have accumulated relevant internships to pivot to something related if needed

SP19

Great advice, thank you so much.

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CoffeesForClosers

Senior Orangutan

Agree with the foregoing comments - I broke into US IB from outside the US, my school was not well known and is not situated in an English speaking country. They were happy to sponsor too.

The thing I would stress it that all this sponsorship business is an HR issue and gets dealt with by that group - bankers have little if anything to do with that process. Hence - impress the guys you’ll want to work for, and let HR handle the logistics.

Authored by: Certified Investment Banking Professional - Vice PresidentCertified Investment Banking Pro

SP19

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