First of all, finance is a field that includes several technical specialisations, namely banking finance, market finance, corporate finance and real estate finance. Jobs in the finance sector therefore involve financial analysis, capital research and investment, and accounting.

To get started in market finance, one of the first things you need to do is follow stock market fluctuations or company share prices, to build up a real financial culture. You can do this by reading specialised books or listening to podcasts, for example.

The aim is to understand the key terms in finance(financial capital, stock market investment and asset management) before even thinking about an investment project or entering the financial market.

Buying shares on the stock market or investing in property, for example, are now much more accessible activities in general.

Once a solid foundation has been laid, the first step is usually to open a securities account in which to place one or more securities purchased, track the price of these securities and then sell them to make a profit.

Nevertheless, finance is a complex and specific sector, which is why specialised studies are recommended to consolidate and support the potential skills already acquired through initial personal research.

If you want to work in finance, it is advisable to take a course specialising in the field, as it is a highly technical sector. There are a number of possible routes, and no single training path.

To do this, you can take courses at university that focus on economics or maths, such as a degree in economics and management.

There are also bachelor’s degrees that focus exclusively on finance, such as the finance bachelor’s degree.

It is also possible to enrol in preparatory classes for the grandes écoles, such as a maths preparatory class to prepare for the competitive entrance exam to engineering schools, or a CPGE known as the “HEC preparatory class”, which prepares students for the competitive entrance exam to the Grandes Ecoles de Commerce.

It is also possible to begin your financial training with a BTS CGO (Accounting and Management of Organisations) or a DUT GEA (Business Management and Administration). These two-year diplomas allow students to enter business schools during the course of their studies. For example, a student with a DUT GEA will enter INSEEC in the third year rather than the first.

Finally, it is possible to take a full business school course in finance. INSEEC offers several Bachelor’s and Msc programmes in finance. It is then possible to follow a Bachelor :

The Msc programmes also offer more specialised training, such as :

For more information, visit our page dedicated to finance courses!

Finding a work-study placement is not always easy, and finance is no exception. That’s why we recommend that students who are still looking when they start their new academic year should take part in events organised by the school – or not – related to their field of study.

For example, we organise several job dating sessions during the year, which enable many students looking for work experience to find a company that matches their criteria, and conversely, to find companies with the type of profile they are looking to recruit.

If you’d like to find out more about work-linked training at our school, go to the page on work-linked training at INSEEC business school!

As far as job hunting is concerned, here again we recommend taking part in finance-related events, in order to make yourself known and expand your professional network as much as possible. An up-to-date Linkedin profile is also very important. This network, which acts almost as a digital business card, needs to be as comprehensive as possible so that recruiters can see how your career path is really developing.

The platforms dedicated to job hunting can also host offers in the financial sector.

Would you like to know more about finance? Have a look at our finance FAQs.

If you would like more information, please contact us!