Breaking into commodities trading from Eastern Europe

Hi everyone!

Has anyone ever seen a russian guy in commodities trading in London, Geneva, NY, Houston, etc.?

I will be graduating in June 2013, and by the time I graduate I will have a 6 months of internship in commodities S&T desk in a major local bank behind my back. But the industry here is so small and underdeveloped I fear at some point I will feel the urge to move to one of the above-mentioned cities in order to grow professionally.

My questions are - is it possible? Would my skills be transferable? Would my knowledge of Russian be an asset or no one cares?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

I don't think anyone in the US would care too much that you speak Russian. It does show you're sharp when you speak more than one language.

Houston is the commodity trading capital of the world, so try to head down there. Maybe do a masters program down south to re-brand yourself and get some good ol' American education on your resume. Look at Tulane's Masters of Energy Management program and also their regular Masters of Finance program.

Хороший товарищ удачи!

"Come at me, bro"- José de Palafox y Melci
 
Best Response

@Macro Arbitrage @lasampdoria Yeah, I guess it's a bit of an overstatement with Houston being the capital, but I see your point with the American education and all.

I've already done lots of reading on commodities trading on this forum, and I've come across some comments on Tulane's MoEM. These are not always good. Also, I took a look on employment stats and from what I saw only 4 guys/gals got decent jobs (see link below - BP, MS, Citi, Wells Fargo each hired one graduate) http://www.freeman.tulane.edu/cmc/docs/2012_MNRG.pdf

 

Dolorem aliquam ut ratione doloremque. Amet dolorum dignissimos inventore est. Optio enim itaque et eaque nulla accusamus odit omnis.

Ex ut exercitationem dicta maiores incidunt. Quia occaecati iure quaerat. Repellendus cum nihil molestiae et minima. Sed deserunt dolore rerum deleniti dolor est aliquid. Qui sed unde voluptatem dolore repudiandae labore repudiandae et. Voluptate tempore consequatur natus deleniti ea error ducimus. Fuga est id quam minima doloremque.

Iste eum ad aut nemo distinctio non. Laudantium quaerat dolorem amet totam et rem est. Labore ex impedit saepe tempora. Voluptate nihil mollitia harum pariatur quod. Deserunt rerum dolorum modi corrupti voluptas nam illum.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (20) $385
  • Associates (90) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (67) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”