BSc International Relations, 2008
MSc European Political Economy, 2009
Research Analyst, Investment Management Association
I chose my undergraduate degree because of my initial desire to pursue a career in the diplomatic service. The fact that the LSE had a great international relations course was therefore one of the major reasons for applying. Equally important was the School’s great reputation, around the UK as well as abroad. Thirdly, and crucially for a person applying from my kind of background, the LSE was able to offer me a generous scholarship that would enable me to study without financial worries.
For my Masters degree, in contrast, it was my strong interest in European affairs and a desire to get more involved in the areas of politics and economics that focused me on European Political Economy. The focus and breadth of the course seemed to be exactly what I was looking for, and the reputation of the European Institute only strengthened my decision.
In-between my undergraduate and Masters degree, I undertook a six-month internship at Morgan Stanley in London. The work was very interesting and, while tough, the experience was invaluable in developing my skills and knowledge of investing, real estate and finance in general.
Upon completing my Masters programme I worked as a Graduate Intern for the LSE Academic Registrar’s Office, working on a research project on the relationship between contact hours and student satisfaction. This not only gave me the opportunity to oversee my own projects, but also provided exposure to different research methodologies, which I found extremely rewarding.
I was grateful to LSE Careers for recommending me for my current position as a Research Analyst at the Investment Management Association.
My role has three strands: pension policy, regulation and other areas related to investment management. This involves mainly policy work, such as responding to consultations or working on our in-house research projects. But I also spend a substantial part of the year on our annual Asset Management Survey, which involves everything from analysing questionnaire responses and interviewing senior industry figures to writing the report itself.
The position appealed to me because of its combination of investment management, policy work and research, being areas that I wanted to pursue as part of my career. I thought that, having had exposure to investment management from a company point of view, it would be rewarding to get involved on the regulatory and policy side of things, which would offer an opportunity to gain an industry-wide perspective, yet with a very dedicated focus.
Having come to the LSE with the aim of working for the Slovak diplomatic service, I have completely changed focus since starting my first degree. Greater engagement with the “life after LSE” question is something I would focus on more, if given a second try.
I would not be in my current role were it not for the LSE. It was LSE Careers and its regular job updates that alerted me to the position and it was LSE Careers that recommended me for it. The LSE has also facilitated my graduate internship, where I was able to further develop my skills and practical experience while receiving regular advice on my applications. Understandably, I also benefited from being located in central London. But perhaps the greatest benefit came from the School’s emphasis on critical thinking and intellectual rigour.