About Swiss Finance Institute

What distinguishes Swiss Finance Institute programs from other finance and business training programs?

The structure of the course is excellent. Each segment of the program built on the preceding segment, starting with an overview of capital markets and investment banking activities and ending, in the last week, with lessons in advanced business strategy that integrated the analytical skills that we had developed during the weeks in-between. The course progresses quickly, and the learning curve is steep, but SFA faculty and fellow classmates always made themselves available to explain complex, difficult concepts. Most importantly, the content is based on real-life practices. Everything that we learned in the classroom was subsequently applied to real-life case studies and simulations, so that we could put our mastery of various concepts to the test. Importantly, these case studies and simulations were guided by instructors who had experienced the “real deal.” They offered much more than a textbook understanding of the issues. The acquisition simulation that we worked on between “Sellphone” and “Lightsabre” was very interesting, and was a really helpful example during my interviews with Lehman Brothers. Add to this the beautiful location, exceptional lecturers and talented participants, and you get a perfect, highly unique experience. I strongly recommend Swiss Finance Institute to all ambitious individuals who want to work in investment banking.

How has Swiss Finance Institute prepared you for a career in investment banking?

I recently started working at Lehman Brothers in the 2006 Full Time Analyst Program in London. My SFA experience was a major determinant in getting the job. The mock interviews that I did during my time at SFA were very helpful. I was able to anticipate the questions that were asked by my interviewers, and my answers were both well-thought-out and well-rehearsed. Despite what you may think, there are definitely “wrong” answers to interview questions, and SFA taught me how to avoid those pitfalls. I really do think that the interview training I received at SFA helped me to distinguish myself as a successful job candidate. While at SFA, I also had the opportunity to engage in numerous “real world” exercises in financial modeling, M&A simulations and capital market research presentations, among other things. Having experienced these things, I was well-versed in the proper lingo and able to talk freely about relevant issues with my interviewers. Because of SFA’s intense focus on applied skills, I was able to go into my Lehman Brothers interviews feeling 100% confident and prepared for anything that they might have thrown my way.

- Georges Tohme, Lehman Brothers (London)