I would need more information to give you real advice here because I don’t know the rest of your profile and how competitive you are for London-based roles. But yes, it is often easier to win off-cycle roles in Dubai because there’s less competition, so that is an option if you’re OK with the possibility of ending up there for longer than your initial internship (which sometimes happens if the London market is doing poorly).

Thank you for this very insightful article !

‘m currently studying in Europe, and next year will be my final year of studies. I’m considering whether it’s worth applying for an off-cycle position in Dubai or trying my luck in Europe. It seems to me that it might be easier to land a position in an elite boutique or bulge bracket bank in Dubai compared to London. I’m wondering if you have any advice on whether I should stay in Europe and pursue opportunities here or concentrate my efforts on Dubai.

Your major doesn’t matter that much for IB roles. They care about your school, grades, and internships. You have almost no chance of winning a role in Hong Kong without knowing Mandarin. If you search this site for “major” and “Hong Kong” you will find more detailed answers to these questions.

I hesitate to say that an entire city, region, or country is “racist,” as that is a big claim to make and must be backed up by data and objective evidence (not just thoughts/feelings).

However, yes, bankers and recruiters in Dubai tend to prefer candidates from the U.S. and Europe over ones from Asia. But this is likely due to the perception (not necessarily reality) that they have better training and stronger technical skills.

If you’re in India, your best move is usually to leave and attend a top MSF program in Europe. The Indian IB market is terrible given the size of the country and the number of candidates trying to get in.