Assistant Trader ProgramProgramme

Education

SIG’s commitment to education has given us the reputation on Wall Street as having a best-in-class trader development program.programme. We conduct a challenging interview process to identify students who will thrive in our programprogramme. Once you are here, you will work in a collaborative and collegial environment while learning how to make positive expectancy decisions in the financial markets.

Classroom Education

As an assistant trader, you will spend 7-14 months in a program that is run by one of SIG’s founders and three senior traders. You will be part of a trading desk during market hours, but you will continue learning in the classroom immediately after the trading day ends. You will learn about decision science, game theory, and capital markets in order to prepare you for mock trading and reinforce what you are learning on the desk.

Mock Trading

You will learn how to make trading decisions by simulating the floor of an open-outcry exchange. After learning how to approach the trades, you will continue learning in an electronic trading environment.

See how we teach traders to make decisions in simulated markets through mock trading

“Mock trading was one of the neatest things I got to experience at SIG. It is an intellectual gladiatorial arena. I spent weeks learning about options, and mock trading gave me the chance to employ my knowledge in a simulated environment. Having to rely on quick thinking, cleverness, and intuition to price options and interpret order flow was a rush. There’s nothing better than realizing you can do something that once seemed out of reach. After trading in mock, the notion that you will soon be trading real options in the marketplace feels exciting and achievable.”
– SIG Algo Intern

Poker

At SIG, we believe trading is all about making decisions under uncertainty. You will learn how to apply things like probability, odds and expectancy by playing poker regularly with senior traders.

Check out how an interest in poker can lead to a career in trading at SIG

“During my sophomore year of college, I was looking for a source of income where I could choose my own hours. Turns out, there aren’t a ton of jobs like this. Instead, I bought all the poker books I could afford and set out to become an online poker player. Authors like Dan Harrington, David Sklansky, and Bill Chen were my mentors, helping me to think transparently about the game in a way that those “intuition” players you’ll meet in low stakes games around the world never will. Through my poker research, I learned that trading is a career where I could apply game theory and betting strategies. Four years later, I was sitting in the SIG poker room across the table from Bill Chen, Jeff Yass, and Jerrod Ankenman, working together to figure out a recently popularized poker variant: Super Stud 8.”
– SIG Equity Options Trader

Quant Research Project

Partnering with technology associates and quants, you will develop your own trading strategy. You will work in a small team to form a hypothesis and backtest your idea, while receiving feedback from quants. At the end of the project, your group will present your strategy to SIG's desk heads, team leads, and managing directors.

Education

SIG’s commitment to education has given us the reputation on Wall Street as having a best-in-class trader development programme. We conduct a challenging interview process to identify students who will thrive in the programme. Once you are here, you will work in a collaborative and collegial learning environment to learn how to make positive expectancy decisions in the financial markets.

Classroom Education

As an assistant trader, you will spend 18 months in a programme that is run by senior traders. You will be part of a trading desk during market hours, but you will continue learning in the classroom immediately after the market close. You will learn about decision science, game theory and capital markets in order to prepare you for mock trading and reinforce what you are learning on the desk.

Mock Trading

You will learn how to make trading decisions by simulating the floor of an open-outcry exchange. After learning how to approach the trades, you will continue learning in an electronic trading environment.

Poker

At SIG, we believe trading is all about making decisions under uncertainty. You will learn how to apply things like probability, odds and expectancy by playing poker regularly with senior traders.

Quant Research Project

You will work with technology associates and quants to develop your own trading strategy. You will work in a small team to form a hypothesis and backtest your idea, while receiving feedback from quants. At the end of the project, your group will present your strategy to senior SIG employees.

Trading Internship Programme

This is our primary hiring source for full-time trading positions at SIG. The goal of this 10-week summer programprogramme is to expose you to the working environment that you can expect if you return to SIG as a full-time assistant trader.

Intern Education

Education is the cornerstone to our success. As a trading intern, you will participate in daily education where you will learn option theory, poker, and mock trading to learn how to become a better decision maker under uncertainty.

Learn how our trading interns help the traders on their desks improve trading strategies

“On my first day, I had a meeting with the head of my desk, who assigned me meaningful projects right off the bat. By my second week, I was used to traders, quants, and developers coming over to talk to me about a report I had sent out, or being called over by someone so I could learn another skill to use in my work. The environment was collaborative and encouraging. The work was important and interesting. I truly felt that the company appreciated my presence and contributions, never making me feel undervalued just because I was an intern. My time at SIG taught me that work can be fun and engaging, and I came out of the summer with a host of new friends and new knowledge.”
– SIG Algo Intern

Interns on the Trading Floor

Each intern works on a specific trading desk. You are assigned projects to help your desk tackle unsolved problems. Projects can be related to analyzing trade data, improving efficiency, or creating new tools for the traders. In the process, you will expand your knowledge of the products we trade and the technology we use. Most importantly, you spend significant time sitting with traders on the desk learning how they make decisions and assess risk.

Intern Perks

  • Free housing is provided and conveniently located near SIG at the University of Pennsylvania
  • Relaxed dress code: jeans and sneakers are the norm and we wear shorts all summer long
  • Game room with golf simulators, game tables (poker, pool, ping pong, etc.), multicade classics video games, and Play Station/Xbox video area
  • A 9,000 square-foot gym with cardio, cross fit and strength machines, plus yoga and indoor cycling classes
  • Social events such as a poker tournament, dinners in Philadelphia, and sporting events
  • Discounts for shopping, travel, dining, entertainment, and attractions

This is our primary hiring source for full-time trading positions at SIG. The goal of this 10-week summer programme is to expose you to the working environment that you can expect if you return to SIG as a full-time assistant trader.

Intern Education

Education is the cornerstone to our success. As a trading intern, you will participate in daily education where you will learn option theory, poker and mock trading to learn how to become a better decision maker under uncertainty.

Interns on the Trading Floor

Each intern is assigned to a specific trading desk. You are assigned projects to help your desk tackle unsolved problems. Projects can be related to analysing trade data, improving efficiency, or creating new tools for the traders. In the process, you will expand your knowledge of the products we trade and the technology we use.

Intern Perks

  • Fully stocked kitchens for drinks, snacks and breakfast. Catered lunch every day
  • Relaxed dress code
  • Game room with game tables (poker, pool, ping pong, etc.)
  • Gym for work-outs and fitness classes
  • Social events such as team dinners and sporting events

Apply Here