Graduate Banking Jobs

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Helping you find a career in the banking industry

The Banking and Financial Services (FS) sector is a critical part of the UK economy. Banking is one of the UK's key sources of tax revenue and also attracts a large amount of foreign investment into the country.

Banks and FS firms provide a range of products and services which can be broadly split into the following categories:

Retail Banking: provides loans and bank accounts to consumers, if you have a bank account, you're a retail banking customer!

Investment Banking: deals in stocks, shares and bonds.

Wealth/Asset Management & Hedge Funds,: manages investment accounts for clients (both for businesses and wealthy individuals).

Mergers & Acquisitions: provides finance and expertise to help companies to buy other companies.

Private Equity: investing with non-publicly listed funds, investing in private businesses or even buying and ‘delisting' public companies (PLCs).

Careers in banking and FS can be varied. However, in most cases you'll be working with significant sums of money, either on behalf of the institution, or its clients.

N Written by Navdeep

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Skills & interests required for a career in Banking

You'll need to be highly numerate and financially literate as you'll be involved in interpreting financial data to help you spot investment opportunities.

Nearly all ‘front office' roles involve dealing directly with clients and senior stakeholders, so employers will want you to be confident, enthusiastic and responsible.

Other important skills include:

Graduate schemes & other typical career progression routes in Banking

As a graduate, you're likely to start as an analyst or associate. Depending on your area of work, you might also need to gain qualifications alongside your training.

Once you've completed your initial training, there are a wealth of different paths available to you within Investment Banking. You could:

Develop your career as an investment analyst to reach a lead analyst position
Move into Investment Management, assuming responsibility for an investment area or fund type
Become a subject-matter expert specialising in one sector or market
Move to an ‘in-house' investment management position within a client-side organisation (e.g. a pension fund.
Transfer to Investor Relations - managing relationships with investor clients

Tips for getting into the field

Banking and Financial Services can be a very competitive sector due to the high earning potential and prestige of many companies. It's important you do your research before you apply for roles.

Consider which banking services interest you most. Also think about the type of environment that will suit you best. Lots of firms share extensive information on their websites, read as much of it as you can!

Arrange a meeting with your university's careers department to discuss your interest in Banking and Financial Services.

Applications for Banking and Financial Services graduate schemes open quite early in the academic year and they can close early too. Make sure you check the opening and closing dates. To avoid missing out, apply as soon as possible, don't leave it to the last minute!

Many firms offer summer internship programmes. Internships can lead directly to permanent jobs after you've completed your degree. However, securing a place on an internship can be just as challenging as securing a permanent banking position.

Make sure you show employers how much you know about the firm in your applications and at interviews.

How much can graduates earn in Banking?

Graduate salaries in this sector tend to be much higher than average graduate salaries.

You can earn anywhere between £20,000 and £50,000, with significant bonuses (between 10 and 100% of your starting salary). Your starting salary might be lower at a smaller firm based outside of London.

Once you have several years experience, you can earn between £65,000 and £100,000, with substantial bonuses available on top.

In retail banking, starting salaries for graduates can be between £18,000 to £25,000, with some potential bonuses. Once you've passed the training scheme, you can earn between £21,000 and £40,000 as a branch manager. Salaries can increase further if you then move into a head office management role.

What qualifications do I need for a career in Banking?

You don't need a specific degree to work to work in the Banking and FS sector. However, you'll have an advantage in the recruitment process if you have a degree in an industry related subject like Finance, Economics, Banking, Business, Statistics or Maths.

Most companies will want you to have a 2:1 or higher. However, many companies will consider you if you have a 2:2.