Investment Banker

• Job: Investment/Merchant Banker
• Salary: £30K - £100K a year
• Working hours: Long and irregular hours
• Qualifications: Most investment banks recruit people with a 2:1 or first class honours degree.

Find out more about being an investment/merchant banker

Responsible for:

Investment or merchant bankers provide financial services for companies, institutions, government departments and wealthy individuals. They help clients to finance their business activities and get the most out of their investments.

Salary:

£30,000 to over £100,000 a year.

Working hours:

Investment bankers work long and irregular hours to meet deadlines and close deals. They are often at their desks from before 8am until after 6pm.

Qualifications:

Most investment banks recruit people with a 2:1 or first class honours degree. The minimum entry to a degree course is two A levels/three H grades, but banks generally expect graduates to have at least 300 UCAS points. While a degree in any discipline is acceptable, many companies prefer related subjects such as accounting, economics, mathematics or statistics. Increasingly, entrants have a second degree such as an MBA or MSc in a related subject. A second language is also useful.

General requirements:

Investment bankers need to have a good memory for facts, events and news, have the confidence to make difficult decisions, have good verbal and written communication skills, have strong analytical and mathematical skills, have a keen interest in finance and enjoy highly competitive negotiation.

Career prospects:

Most investment bankers spend their first three years as analysts. With experience, they can become fund managers at associate level. They can then become vice presidents after a further three years.

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