The assessment is a 30-minute live mock first round with an ex-banker. Families are welcome on the call.
Why families look at this
A first-year seat, and the recruiting cycle it is won in.
Investment banking analyst roles are among the best-paid first jobs open to a graduate. The figures below are publicly reported market compensation. They describe the seat. They are not a forecast of what any one candidate will earn, and nothing on this page promises a job, an interview or an offer: banks make every hiring decision.
No affiliation or endorsement implied.
$170k–$195k
Typical first-year total compensation across solid banks
$250k+
What top performers at the best-paying elite boutiques clear
8–12 weeks
Preparation sprint, built around your recruiting deadline and the time you can commit
The cost of a missed cycle
Banks recruit on their own calendar, and each cycle comes once.
Applications open well ahead of the start date, and a candidate gets one attempt at each cycle. Capable candidates are cut for reasons nobody tells them: a CV that fails the screen, a technical answer that was nearly right, an application sent through a portal where nobody was expecting it. A cycle that goes that way cannot be re-run. The next one is a year later.
That is the comparison we would ask a family to make: the cost of preparing properly, against the cost of another year spent finding out the hard way. On the call we tell you honestly which side of that comparison we think your son or daughter is on.
What the programme is
One programme. No tiers.
The Break-In Blueprint is 1:1 coaching by ex-bankers, built around the candidate’s own recruiting calendar. Every member gets all of it. Nothing is held back for a higher tier, because there isn’t one.
1:1 coaching from ex-bankers
Unlimited 1:1 coaching and live mock interviews with people who have sat on the interviewer’s side of the desk. No session caps.
Technical and behavioural preparation
Accounting, valuation, DCF, M&A and LBO taught to the depth an interviewer probes, and the behavioural answers that decide most first rounds.
CV, cover letter and LinkedIn
Rebuilt line by line, with the candidate, so they can defend every word of it in the room.
Networking, done with them
A target list, drafted outreach and a tracker that shows who is owed a follow-up, so the hardest part of recruiting is not left to chance.
A written plan
The Plan of Attack: their year, their target firms and the real recruiting calendar turned into a week-by-week route.
The tools, in one place
The question bank, the Superday Dojo practice drills, the application tracker and the job finder, all inside the members’ area.
It is coached, not done for them. The candidate does the practice, the networking and the applications; we coach, correct and keep the plan honest. Expect consistent weekly work alongside their studies, heavier as interviews approach. See everything inside the programme →
Who is behind it
Named people, with backgrounds you can check.
Kai
Founder & lead coach
Ex-Goldman Sachs — ran real first-round interviews
IBBlueprint was founded by Kai, from Goldman Sachs, and Ethan, from Jefferies. The programme is led by Kai, who ran first-round interviews at Goldman Sachs: he was one of the people deciding who went forward and who received the rejection email.
That is the judgement the programme is built on: preparation designed by someone who has made that decision, rather than by people guessing at what an interviewer wants.
The Break-In Guarantee
A conditional money-back guarantee. Terms and conditions apply.
If a member follows the programme as intended and has not broken in within five years of enrolling, we refund 100% of the programme fee they paid.
It is not a promise of a job, an interview or an offer. No one can honestly sell that. It is our money behind the part we control: the preparation.
The terms, in short
- “As intended” means meeting five requirements (networking, technicals, practice, feedback and applications) and the written directions in the member’s own plan. All of it is logged in the member tools, so whether the work was done is a record, not an argument.
- “Breaking in” means a written offer of a paid role in investment banking or an adjacent finance seat: private equity, asset management, equity research, sales and trading, corporate finance or M&A advisory, or transaction services. An offer received and declined counts.
- The guarantee period is five years from enrolment. A claim is made by email from 30 days after that period ends. We give a written decision within ten business days and, if the claim is approved, start the refund within two business days.
This is a summary. Clause 2.2 of the Programme Terms is the governing wording.
How families take part
Come to the call. Read the summary. Ask us anything.
Join the assessment call
The assessment is a 30-minute live mock first round with an ex-banker. The candidate sits it themselves, and you are welcome to join and hear the verdict when they do. The assessment itself costs nothing.
Receive the written summary
After the call we send a written summary: where the candidate stands and the top three things to fix. If you could not be on the call, read that first.
Ask us questions directly
Put your questions to us on the call, or by email at info@ibblueprint.com. We would rather answer a hard question from a parent than have it relayed second-hand.
When a family is funding the programme, we would rather speak with the family before any decision is made.
What parents usually ask
The questions are rarely only about price.
Before the cost, parents tend to ask two things: is this legitimate, and will the work actually get done? These are our answers, with nothing you have to take on trust.
Is this a real company, with real people?
IBBlueprint Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 17334040. The programme is led by Kai, formerly of Goldman Sachs, who ran first-round interviews there. Our contact details and addresses are at the foot of this page.
What exactly would we be agreeing to?
The full Programme Terms are public. They are the same document a member accepts at enrolment. Read them before the call if you would like to, and bring your questions.
What if it does not work?
The Break-In Guarantee is a conditional money-back guarantee; terms and conditions apply. It is set out in full at ibblueprint.com/guarantee. It refunds the fee where the work was done and the member did not break in. It does not promise a job.
Will they actually do the work?
That is the right question to ask, and it is also the condition of the guarantee. The programme is coached, not done for them. Outreach, practice, coaching action items and applications are logged in the member tools, so progress is a record rather than an impression. If we do not think a candidate will put the hours in, we say so on the call.
Can we speak to someone who has been through it?
Ask us and, where a current member has agreed, we will arrange a reference call. You can also watch members describe the programme on camera, in their own words, on our testimonials page.
Can you promise an offer?
No. Banks make every hiring decision, and anyone who promises otherwise is not being straight with you. What we control is the preparation, and that is what the guarantee covers.
What it costs
It is a serious investment. The figure is said out loud on the call, before anyone decides anything.
We do not print the price here because a number on a page cannot tell you what it buys for one candidate’s situation. On the call you hear it plainly, next to the plan it pays for. And if we do not think we can help, we say so before price comes up.
Many candidates decide this with their family; some fund it themselves. We discuss payment structure on the call.
Start with the assessment, together.
Thirty minutes, live, with an ex-banker, and an honest verdict on where your son or daughter stands. You are welcome on the call. If you would rather ask something first, write to us.
Individual results vary and are never guaranteed. No one can guarantee a job, interview or offer: firms make all hiring decisions, and the pay figures shown reflect publicly reported market compensation, not a prediction of anyone’s earnings. The Break-In Guarantee is a conditional money-back guarantee; terms and conditions apply. Full terms.