{"id":81431,"date":"2026-07-30T12:03:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:03:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/?p=81431"},"modified":"2026-07-30T12:58:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T12:58:13","slug":"leap-scholar-success-story-germany-finance-commerzbank-career","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leapscholar.com\/blog\/leap-scholar-success-story-germany-finance-commerzbank-career\/","title":{"rendered":"Leap Scholar Success Story: How a German Class in Bangalore Led Me to Commerzbank"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/span> 7<\/span> min read<\/span><\/span>\n

I didn’t set out to move to Germany for a career in finance. I fell for the language first, almost by accident, during a set of German classes offered at my university in Bangalore. Here’s my story, in my own words, on how that early curiosity turned into a Master’s in Finance, a six-year career at one of Germany’s biggest banks, and a life I genuinely didn’t expect to build.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q1. Tell me a bit about your background and how Germany entered the picture.<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A) Right now I work at Commerzbank, one of the biggest banks in Germany, as a risk management analyst, and I’ve been there for the last five or six years. But before any of that, I was studying at Alliance University in Bangalore, and I honestly didn’t have a clear plan for Germany at first. I was offered some German language classes as part of my course, and that’s really where it started. I developed a genuine love for the language and, through that, for Germany itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q2. Did the cost of studying abroad worry you initially?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A) Massively, at first. I assumed it would be far too expensive and didn’t know where to even begin. But once I actually researched it, I realized it wasn’t as costly as I’d feared, especially compared to a masters in India. Public universities in Germany are actually free; you only need to cover your living expenses. I ended up going to a private university instead, Frankfurt School, and took a loan for that, but the public option is genuinely there for anyone who wants it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q3. How did you land on finance specifically and the Frankfurt School?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A) I was studying business administration during my bachelor’s and always leaned toward finance. I prepared for the GMAT and scored 690 out of 800, which was the maximum at the time. That, combined with my interest, pointed me toward a Master’s in Finance, and Frankfurt School was where I applied. It’s a well-regarded institution, ranked highly by the Financial Times for Masters in Finance programs specifically, and the admissions process involved a genuinely thorough round of interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Q4. Did you consider other countries before settling on Germany?<\/strong><\/h3><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A) I did, and I actually had offers from ESADE in Spain and HEC Paris, both of which are ranked higher globally than Frankfurt School. But what tipped it toward Germany wasn’t the ranking; it was the visa situation. In Spain, you get maybe a couple of months after graduating to find a job, and if you don’t, you’re expected to return to India. Germany gives graduates of long-term, full-time programs about one and a half years to search for work, and all you really need to manage during that time is your living costs. That difference mattered more to me than the ranking gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n