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Investment banker

Investment bankers/merchant bankers provide advice to commercial clients and the government about various financial matters including fund and debt management, mergers, acquisitions and privatisation.

In excess of 100 applications are received for each vacancy with some employers.

Investment banker job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Investment bankers are responsible for identifying and securing privatisation, merger and acquisition deals, managing and investing large monetary funds, and buying and selling financial products on the behalf of their clients.

Typical duties include:

Gathering, analysing and interpreting complicated numerical information
Assessing and predicting financial risks and returns
Providing investment advice, tactics and recommendations
Preparing legal documents and prospectuses
Liaising with accountants, lawyers and financial experts.

Investment banking provides high levels of responsibility and good promotional opportunities. Most employers cite ‘competitive’ salaries but expect anything between £35,000 and £100,000+. Long hours are common, but many in this sector make enough to consider early retirement.

Typical employers of investment bankers

Investment Bankers are typically employed by banks and other financial institutions. Vacancies are advertised by careers services, via the internet and in national newspapers and publications such as Business Week, the Financial Times, Investors Chronicle, The Economist, and The Banker. Applications for work experience and permanent vacancies should be made as early in the academic year as possible.

Qualifications and training required

A degree (min 2:1) is acceptable and qualifications in subjects like law, business studies, management, mathematics or economics can be advantageous. So too can an MBA or a similar professional qualification.

Relevant paid or voluntary experience gained via job shadowing, vacation work and placements (often known as internships) is particularly beneficial. So too is relevant sector and company research, attending presentations and networking.