From a Gulf international school to a London or New York bank: the four-year plan
For parents and students in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar: what to do in the last two years of school and the first two of university so that a top finance offer is realistic.
By the ECC team ·
Families in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Riyadh increasingly plan not just for university admission but for what comes after. That is the right instinct: the graduate recruiting process for banking starts in the first term of university, and the students who arrive prepared have a large advantage.
Years 12 and 13: choose with the end in mind
Degree choice matters less than people think and university choice matters more. Banks recruit heavily from a known list of target universities in the UK and the US. Economics, finance, mathematics and engineering are all fine; so are history and politics at a target university. What matters is a strong academic record, one or two credible extracurricular commitments, and some evidence of interest in finance: an investment society, a summer programme, a small portfolio tracked properly.
The summer before university: build the CV now
Spring week applications open in the first month of university. A student who arrives with a finished CV, a clear understanding of what banks do, and three or four target firms is ready. One who starts thinking about it in November has missed the first cycle.
First year: spring weeks
These short insight programmes are the cleanest route to a summer internship. Applications are competitive and involve online tests and video interviews. This is the point at which coaching has the highest return, because a first-year with two spring weeks has effectively skipped the hardest round.
Second year: summer internship, then conversion
The summer internship in penultimate year is the main door to a graduate offer. Preparation now is technical: accounting, valuation and modelling to the standard asked in interviews, plus assessment centres. Performance during the internship itself determines conversion, and it is coachable.
Where parents fit
The best role for a parent is to make sure the calendar is respected and the preparation is funded, and then to step back. Our programmes include a monthly progress call for parents where the student agrees, so you know what is happening without being in the room.
Start with a free 20-minute call.
Tell us where you are and where you want to be. You'll leave with a straight answer on what it would take, whether or not you book anything.