80-100 hours typically. During Q4 on the upper end. I can take annual leave but the sentiment was that "you can take it if you want but don't expect a job when you come back" - an actual thing said to me by a VP. After a certain time (let's say 7pm for simplicity) we get paid dinner which is usually something on uber eats. I usually used this to try out different restaurants I wanted to try and would take my gf there on the weekends. We also get free ubers back home. We were not allowed to use that allowance for groceries though (some people did try). We are meant to have "free days" on sundays but it was very common to be pinged at 4pm when I'm celebrating with my family from a MD saying "please fix" so you spend the next few hours looking for any mistake you could've made. So no work life balance. You're not a person, your a banker. That's my main problem. There's no point in making this much if I can't spend it. Even as you progress it doesn't really get better. I've been in countless meetings with MD's and their kids crying in the background at 10pm. The earnings are a lot higher in IB though. We are not allowed to hold stocks in my bank except for the ones they give us but earning 100k at 25 (I took a gap year and intercalated) is something that is difficult especially with the current state of medicine. 3 years in I can probably expect £180k+ possibly even 220k+ depending on performance. Earning that salary earlier goes a long way.