I think you'd just have to apply and see. Banks seem to be quite adept at hiring based on snap judgements. Their freshie salary can range from 3K to 10K based on the hiring manager's assessment. Having said that, only 2 or 3 out of each uni's graduating cohort get the pointy end of the range. Also CFA level 1 means no CFA qualification at all. Either you have it or you don't.

The 10k I have met are those foreign educated Asians that are well conversant in Chinese or Indonesian languages or even Japanese/Korean.  They know the local lingo well and are tapped by the bulge brackets to progress in Asian leadership programs. Those I know are not undergrads though but renown MBA grads. And I personally believe the 10k quoted iS the moderation that includes signing bonuses as well as contractual bonuses. No stock options for freshies.

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Added on May 29, 2011, 4:23 pmCfa is useful for research writing. Ultimate target of a charterholder is becoming a portfolio manager. Almost All bulge brakets either promote their strategists to become a pm or recruit a pm from the industries. Most important a research analyst has to offer is good write up with he ability to come up with short titles that catches a pm"s attention.

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Added on May 29, 2011, 4:26 pmHavig said that, English is more important than cfa to become an analyst in the research industry. You almost got nil chance to start as a junior pm w/o going through a research anal-syt / strategists. The applicants are abundant but opportunities are limited.

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Added on May 29, 2011, 4:29 pmAnd btw the ibs setup in Sg is atill very lean. Very few industries expert. They are tapped from europe/hong kong mostly. Something that Sg will catch up in the near future when the migration pick ups.

Knight,

I would be lying if I were to tell you that I know which is better. But the challenges are profound if you were to catapult to Sg and join an IB. The opportunity and hiring process are against you being a foreigner and fresh.

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Added on May 30, 2011, 1:57 amJoining ib at the very start of your career would have already given you an edge regardless of the country as they are known to hire good grads. I opine that a Cimb or rhb experience will be Better than a small brokerage firm without a shadow of doubt. You need to pass the securities license if you want to practice in the investment field regardless.

There is a distinct difference between a msian ib and an international ib. The segmentation of roles ate not clearly specified in asian ibs. They are all jack of all trades but really master of none.

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Added on May 30, 2011, 2:02 amYou can see a corporate financier doing pitching, m&a, financial modeling, road shows,   Capital and debt market structuring. Semua pau ka liau. Some even could provide an independent view as a research analyst. But the experience is very challenging and rewarding.  Hence I suggest local ib than the brokerage firm.

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Added on May 30, 2011, 2:05 amHowever, adding personal goals into the recipe, will change all the taste. Personal goals are like money, and the endless debates of which country is better. I was in the same position as you but my personal goals were too overwhelming to be ignored.