Start learning the industry, following some deals, reading up on what bankers do, and maybe doing some self-study for the technical aspects.

Your best bet at this point is to do off-cycle internships that lead into IB or to consider other finance roles and then move in as a lateral hire.

https://mergersandinquisitions.com/lateral-hiring/
https://mergersandinquisitions.com/off-cycle-investment-banking-internship/

I am a postgraduate student (age 26+) currently doing a finance related MSc from an elite UK university. A bit of background, I am originally from India where I did my bachelors and an MBA after which I worked for 3 years before moving to the UK for my current masters. As you might know, in India, there aren’t much opportunities in terms of IB internships and graduate schemes, and the hiring procedures are quite different compared to the western countries. As such, I do not have any IB internship experience under my belt. As you would expect, after moving to the UK, I applied for all the IB graduate schemes but got rejected, probably because of my age. How would you advise my to proceed my pursuit for IB (if it is still possible at all)?

South Africa is a bad market for IB, so you should try to move to the US or Europe if you want the highest chance of getting in. Maybe do a few internships in South Africa and then aim for a Master’s in Finance degree from one of those places with the goal to work there right afterward. You could try to work full-time in SA and then transfer, but it’s a very small market for IB and quite competitive, so you have a better chance in places with more firms and open roles.

Thanks so much for this article and all your others, they are so incredibly helpful.

I am in my 1st year of university at University of Cape Town in South Africa studying a Bachelor of Business Science in Finance, and I want to get a job at one of the Big 4 Banks, or an Elite Boutique in the US or in Europe. I am wondering what the best path to take is to get to one of these options is? Do I go through a regional office – there are many big banks like Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan etc. who have offices in Johannesburg – Should I do a few internships at these regional offices, and then apply to New York? I also have connections in large hedge funds and PE firms here in South Africa, where I plan on doing internships, and I have completed 1 internship for a PE firm already (although it was before university started) – Should I do some of these internships too? I’m just after the best possible route to get to Wall Street, and I can do anything necessary to get there.

Many thanks once again for putting all of your advice online and not behind a paywall, I hugely appreciate it,

Regards,
Nicholas van der Linde

So, internships done before university generally don’t count for much, no matter how impressive they may appear. If you have PE/IB internship options, do them in your first or second year of university and do something else less impressive/relevant now before university begins.

I’m a Junior in highschool and looking at target colleges, with the intention of following the steps on this site to end up in IB out of college. I have had the opportunity to intern at my family’s business brokering operation, although could be able to shift to an internship at PE fund, boutique IB, or a wealth management firm. At this early stage, would it be worth it to shoot for the more professional IB, the fund, or simply stay where I am? To me it is a question of using these early internships to enter a target school vs using them for an IB offer later down the line.

Thank you for any guidance, Andrew

Yes, probably 3-4 per bank.