About

As mentioned on the "About Quant Trading" page, student programs are the easiest way to get an opportunity with a quant trading firm. The majority of these opportunities can be broken down into 3 main categories. All opportunities involve some form of application process, with only higher-ranking applicants being invited to attend. These opportunities are hosted at the company's office should circumstances permit (unless otherwise specified), with flights and accommodation being paid for by the company. 

1. Graduate

Graduate (or "grad") roles are given to students in the final year of their degree. These programs are generally around a year, with the idea of allowing a student to transition straight from uni to working full-time for the company. Applications are early in the student's final year of university, with many opening around February and March and usually closing before mid-year. For example, if a student was to graduate at the end of 2023, they should be looking to apply by March 2023, for a role with the company that would start in early 2024.

2. Penultimate

Penultimate students (students in the second last year of their degree) can normally apply for summer internships. These programs last 8-12 weeks over the summer before a student's final year, with the idea being that the student can get an idea of what working for the company would be like and whether they'd be a good fit. It also allows companies to identify potential future employees, with particularly strong candidates usually receiving an offer to return to the company with a previously mentioned grad role. Applications are again early in the student's final year of university, so if a student were to graduate at the end of 2024, they should be looking to apply by March 2023 for a summer internship that would go from late 2023 until early 2024.

3. Pre-penultimate

The final main type of student program that companies offer is pre-penultimate programs. These are generally available to pre-penultimate students (students in the third last year of their degree) but can even span to students four years from the end of their degree. These programs are relatively new, with the first ones being run in 2021. They have been historically hosted sometime from July to September, with programs lasting anywhere from a few hours to two weeks. The idea behind these is to introduce the student to the world of trading and to make the company attractive to future prospects. Depending on the length of the program, some or all of the participants can either be fast-tracked to late-stage interviews or simply receive an offer for the following year's summer internship (~15-18 months later). In contrast to the previous two categories, the applications for these programs generally only open a few months prior.