SII Certificate or A Level Maths

[m2chrystal]

I am at MMU and studying business studies. I want to go into Investment banking (trading in particular, and analysis). I have two years left and want to make myself a better candidate. I am prepared to put in some extra work and study one of the aforementioned qualifications to do this. Which do you advise?

Also, I can do voluntary business placement in vancouver this summer. I am going ahead with this but it is expensive. Can anyone suggest how valuable a voluntary business internship is?

Thank you

 

[JackSmack]

depends completely on the type of "business" internship is... it will obviously help to the extent that it shows you are committed but if its not in banking then its not really going to be relevant to a trading or analytical role...
sii certificate or A Level maths? sounds like a very strange question to me in that they are completely unrelated qualifications - surely if you are MMU you will have already sat A Levels by now?? The SII certificate is only useful if you need it in your job & i'm pretty sure you don't necessarily need it as an analyst. Its required when you are speaking to clients and giving investment advice. I got mine at my last job but it hasn't exactly helped me find a new role - most companies are willing to pay for you to do it so aren;t too impressed just because you've paid for it yourself so i wouldn;t waste my money if i was you.

 

[cr6196]

I think you have missed the point of doing SII whilst at uni, the point (i believe) is that you show that you have initiative and market knowledge. It is competitive to get a job and I think it is a valued qualification, especially when you aren't doing a finance degree. And when your going for these jobs there isn't going to that much that separates you from the other thousand people applying.

The point isn't really the actual qualification but to show that you want to do this because for some people that aren't that many ways they can do that. Correct me if i've missed something though, i think i may be overestimating it's value as my current ambitions would require me to get SII anyway.

 

[m2chrystal]

Yes - so any more opinion anyone? Doing A level maths would keep my maths skills sharp, and my future employers will see I have mathematical vision.

Whilst on the subject - would physics have the same effect?

 

[cr6196]

A levels...really? don't see much point, maybe take a maths module at uni, they tend to have basic maths modules at uni, it will depend obviously but...i dunno, a level maths isn't really that practical.

 

[m2chrystal]

So what about physics? That applies maths into a practical sense. Or I could do financial maths or something along them lines?

Are you a student cr6916?

 

[cr6196]

Yep, econometrics i believe wud be financial maths or statistics maybe, i don't know...there are probably lots of modules at your uni...as for qualifications though...SII i would say to start off with...another idea is if your going for a big ib a foreign language might be good...

i am at uni and i am planning on doing sii and mayb learning a foreign language then seeing where i am at...

 

[Magos]

I am at MMU and studying business studies. I want to go into Investment banking (trading in particular, and analysis). I have two years left and want to make myself a better candidate. I am prepared to put in some extra work and study one of the aforementioned qualifications to do this. Which do you advise?

Also, I can do voluntary business placement in vancouver this summer. I am going ahead with this but it is expensive. Can anyone suggest how valuable a voluntary business internship is?

Thank you

you can try societe generale... they have summer interships (hard to get though)

 

[m2chrystal]

I've been offered a 10-12 week placement at a london stockbrokers. LSE member. How would this look?
Offered me a role with responsibility and sounds great. Would that make IB's consider?

The other option for me is traveling the USA. What do employers make of traveling?

 

[duderotiy]

Go Travel. One day you will die. When you look back what will you want to remember? 3 months doing god knows what at a brokerege firm (that wont even pay you!) or the good time you had travelling in the USA?

 

[Abercrombie]

How did you manage to get the 10-12 week placement if you dont mind me asking?