Hiring Quants from Outside the US

[rfz_math]

Do proprietary trading firms hire quant researchers globally? I hold a PhD in mathematics from a Top-10 program in the US and am currently undertaking my tenure in China. However, I am considering applying for quant researcher positions soon. If successful, would they be able to hire me, or do they typically prefer candidates from the US?

Apologies if my question seems awkward; I'm not very familiar with the situation. Thank you!

 

[MikeLawrence]

If you're good, they'll hire you.

 

[rfz_math]

If you're good, they'll hire you.

So you mean they can also sponsor the entire immigration process?

 

[MikeLawrence]

Ah, well, I'm not sure on those particulars. I know you've got a heck of a better chance than anyone in investment banking, but I don't know if those are good odds.

@MRoss
@Peter Wagner
@Ken Abbott
What're the odds?

 

[Ken Abbott]

Ah, well, I'm not sure on those particulars. I know you've got a heck of a better chance than anyone in investment banking, but I don't know if those are good odds.

If you're good, they'll hire you. BUT, unless you have good communication skills in English, you will peak early and never break through to MD.

 

[MikeLawrence]

If you're good, they'll hire you.

Good to know the standard bar still holds. Funny how that works.

 

[jarryds]

There are definitely some concerns if you are based in China. There are additional regulatory steps that China takes that makes a lot of US based companies (especially banks) uncomfortable. You most likely will find it more difficult to work remotely for US based company vs a company that has an office in your area.

 

[MRoss]

A vast majority of Quant Researcher roles sponsor without hesitation.

Ken is correct w.r.t. to communication (of course), but even more so, in these types of buy-side roles, if your performance isn't good, you will not last long (you'll get let go pretty quickly). Moving to the US under sponsorship would be a good idea if you are extremely confident in your abilities as a quant.

 

[latus_rectum]

A vast majority of Quant Researcher roles sponsor without hesitation.

Ken is correct w.r.t. to communication (of course), but even more so, in these types of buy-side roles, if your performance isn't good, you will not last long (you'll get let go pretty quickly). Moving to the US under sponsorship would be a good idea if you are extremely confident in your abilities as a quant.

@MRoss just curious, what percentage of people are usually let go because of not up to the mark performance in these roles annually ?

 

[MRoss]

@MRoss just curious, what percentage of people are usually let go because of not up to the mark performance in these roles annually ?

I don't know percentages, but it's ridiculously high. Much more so than banks.

 

[rfz_math]

There are definitely some concerns if you are based in China. There are additional regulatory steps that China takes that makes a lot of US based companies (especially banks) uncomfortable. You most likely will find it more difficult to work remotely for US based company vs a company that has an office in your area.

Thank you for your reply! I'm not Chinese; I'm just going there for a tenure-track position. So I can leave that position anytime I want. Currently, I'm an international grad student. My question is: do prop trading firms hire candidates outside of the US and manage the entire relocation process, including paperwork?

 

[MMFInfoAcct]

Yes, many of the best prop trading firms do hire candidates outside of the US if they're good. They manage the entire relocation process; we have several internal immigration specialists hired just to help with this. I would say don't worry about anything else except being the very best in your field, most of the top companies cover basically everything else so you can dedicate your entire focus on trading/research.

I would also say you don't need to worry too much about communication skills especially if you're targetting QR; yes it's important but the bar for communication is really not that high (you just don't have to be glaringly bad). A good chunk of CitSec QRs are Peking/Tsinghua graduates born and raised internationally for most of their life and they're obviously not as fluent in english as domestic hires but that doesn't really hinder them. This industry is much less about politics/sending emails/bureaucracy and much more about how much $$$ can you generate for us. I seen a lot of people get let go and it was almost always because of lack of skill rather than not communicating effectively. Now banks might be a whole different story...

 

[rfz_math]

Yes, many of the best prop trading firms do hire candidates outside of the US if they're good. They manage the entire relocation process; we have several internal immigration specialists hired just to help with this. I would say don't worry about anything else except being the very best in your field, most of the top companies cover basically everything else so you can dedicate your entire focus on trading/research.

I would also say you don't need to worry too much about communication skills especially if you're targetting QR; yes it's important but the bar for communication is really not that high (you just don't have to be glaringly bad). A good chunk of CitSec QRs are Peking/Tsinghua graduates born and raised internationally for most of their life and they're obviously not as fluent in english as domestic hires but that doesn't really hinder them. This industry is much less about politics/sending emails/bureaucracy and much more about how much $$$ can you generate for us. I seen a lot of people get let go and it was almost always because of lack of skill rather than not communicating effectively. Now banks might be a whole different story...

May I DM you to ask a few questions about QR position please?