Graduate Programmes
Investment Research. Shanghai.
Curious about the world?
An opportunity for those who like to learn.
Applications have now closed for the 2023 intakeAbout the Shanghai Investment Research Programme
We’re not looking for graduates with a particular degree. Instead, we look for particular graduates. People who are curious about the world and what the future could look like. We’re just as likely to hire a musician, a doctor or a politics graduate, as we are a mathematician.
As a trainee, your role will be largely research based. As you progress, you’ll become more self-directed, and we’ll encourage you to pursue your own ideas and creative thinking. We want you to question what’s in front of you and develop your own viewpoint. Working alongside people who have generated world-class returns, you’ll have support through structured learning, professional qualifications and dedicated mentors.
Investment Research Team in Shanghai
Our Investment Research Team in Shanghai research and imagine the long-term prospects for companies, industries, and society. Trainees will work to identify companies with the potential to grow significantly over three, five or even ten years. Most of your day will be spent reading, analysing information and speaking to experts, management teams and your colleagues about your chosen area of focus. One month you could be looking at a biotechnology company, the next a luxury fashion business or an insurance firm. Within the first year of the programme, you may even have the opportunity to meet CEOs and the founders of some of the world’s leading businesses.
Your first four months will be focused on learning more about Baillie Gifford and our approach to investment. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of what the firm is looking to achieve for clients, get an overview of our key investment concepts and an introduction to our culture of continual learning and improvement. This will be a mixture of self-directed learning through discussion, a broad range of reading and structured training.
Career Development
For our Investment Research trainees, we offer permanent, long-term roles from the moment you join us.
In your first year of the programme, you’ll work towards the Fund Practitioner Qualification Examination followed by the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) Level 1 professional qualification. We’ll give you our full support, covering all fees and materials, as well as providing experienced tutors and generous study leave. There’s also the opportunity to travel both within China and internationally to attend conferences, visit companies and speak to global experts, which continues throughout the Investment Research Programme and beyond.
We encourage and support every one of our colleagues to continue their professional development throughout their career here.
On completion of the programme, there’s the opportunity to progress into managing portfolios or to develop expertise in a particular industry or area of investment. Your future with us is for you to shape. Baillie Gifford is owned by 51 partners, the majority of whom started on the Investment Research Programme. One day that could be you.
You possess an appetite for learning and are interested in a wide range of subjects, even though you know little about. You are open to new ideas and have the humility to know how much you don’t know.
You pride yourself on your ability to spot trends and opportunities before others do and know how to distinguish the short-term noise from what really matters. Research comes naturally to you and you’re imaginative about where you find your sources of information and inspiration.
You have the ability to cope with uncertainty, as it may be many years before you know whether your decisions are right. You know that mistakes happen, but that’s okay. At Baillie Gifford, we support you to learn from the things that go wrong and help you develop as an investor.
Application process
Stage one
To get started, you need to complete a short online application form, answer two questions and attach your CV.
Stage two
If selected, you’ll be invited for a first interview with a senior investor and a member of the HR team where we will discuss the academic and professional choices you’ve made so far, your thoughts on topical issues of the day, as well as your interests.
Stage three
This stage is more in-depth. Along with additional meetings with senior investors, you’ll have the opportunity to meet different members of the team.
At each stage, we’ll be open and honest with you, so you get a clear idea of what it’s like to work at Baillie Gifford.