Pre-penultimate

Pre-penultimate programs are available to pre-penultimate students (students in the third-last year of their degree) and sometimes even students four years from the end of their degree.

These programs are relatively new, with the first Australian ones being run in 2021. They have been historically hosted sometime from July to September (with only a few exceptions), 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). Applications for these programs generally only open a few months prior.

Additionally, numerous firms (e.g. IMC and SIG) have recently established programs for female-identifying students, generally lasting a few days. These have not been included here - as it would have nearly doubled the length of the below list - but we strongly encourage any female-identifying students to keep an eye out for these opportunities (the easiest way would be through the social media accounts of these companies).

 

IMC Trading: Launchpad

 

"An exclusive 2-day program for students graduating in 2024/25 looking to get a head start and accelerate their career"

• More information can be found on their website closer to the date
• 2022 Launchpad info

 

A 2-day program learning more about IMC, trading and tech, with engaged and enthusiastic participants being fast-tracked to the final round of interviews, or IMC's "Super Day".

 

Optiver: FutureFocus

 

"Do you love solving complex and unique challenges? Have and strong analytical skillset? Join Optiver in our FutureFocus program to discover your potential in Trading and Technology."

• More information can be found on their website closer to the date
• 2022 FutureFocus info

 

A 2-day program learning more about Optiver, trading and tech, with all candidates being fast-tracked to behavioural interviews.

 

SIG: Discovery Day - Trading

 

"Calling all pre penultimate students: Passionate about maths, puzzles and strategy games? Interested in how you can turn this passion into a career? SIG is hosting our first Discovery Day to give students graduating in 2024, an opportunity to learn more about what a day in the life of a trader at SIG looks like."

• More information can be found on their website closer to the date
• 2022 Discovery Day (Trading) info

 

The ~7-hour program gave participants the opportunity to learn more about trading, SIG and their culture. All candidates were fast-track to phone (behavioural) interviews. There was also a "buy-side research" counterpart to this Discovery Day, however, applicants were informed that they would not be able to attend both (even though there was ultimately an exception to this).

 

Jane Street: SEE

 

"Over the course of several days, a select group of university students will meet Jane Street employees and learn how math and computer science have a real-world impact on the work we do. Participants will also gain a detailed look at the many different roles within our firm. During the program, students will learn about mathematical and financial topics — including probability, market structure, and arbitrage — through a combination of short lectures, interactive group games, and mock trading sessions."

• More information can be found on their website 

 

Jane Street's SEE program gives second- and third-year university students the opportunity to visit Jane Street's Hong Kong office (Jane Street doesn't have an office in Australia) and learn more about the fundamentals of trading, including probability, markets and arbitrage. It is unclear whether this program will assist students in applications for Jane Street's internship programs, but it is nevertheless a great way for a student to expose themselves to an esteemed firm that is notoriously difficult to get into.

 

*Jane Street: Preview

 

*This program is different to others listed above; see below

"Preview is a day-long program for students at any point in their academic career. This is an opportunity to learn how math, computer science, and probability concepts have a real-world impact on the work we do."

• More information can be found on their website 

 

This program runs twice a year (around March and October) for a few hours (~5) and introduces participants to trading and markets, goes over a few interesting tech and trading topics and discusses more about their internships. In contrast to the above programs, Preview did not require applicants to complete any form of assessment, as positions were offered solely based on the initial application (the candidate's resume and an option to provide "additional information"). As a result, this program is completely isolated from the rest of Jane Street's programs; whilst candidates are encouraged to apply for their internship, doing Preview does not seem to dramatically change a candidate's chance of landing an internship (as opposed to some of the other programs above).