How to network with bankers / finance professionals in London (in-person & LinkedIn) as a final-year student in London?

Hi all,

I’m starting my final year at Bayes Business School (near Liverpool Street), and I live around Canary Wharf/Isle of Dogs. Since this is my last year in London and I’m about to apply for grad roles (ideally at big banks), I really want to make the most of being here and meet professionals in banking and finance. Alongside preparing for grad applications, I’d also love to find a part-time internship during the academic year if that’s realistic, so networking feels even more important.

In-person networking:
Does anyone have advice on where to actually meet bankers in London? Are there particular bars, events, or venues in Canary Wharf or the City where people are open to chatting and making connections? I’ll be going alone on these “networking quests,” so any tips on both where to go and how to naturally join a conversation would be hugely helpful.

LinkedIn outreach:
I’ve also been trying to figure out how to message people in a way that doesn’t feel cookie-cutter or opportunistic. I know the standard “I’m interested in a career in X, I see you work at Y, would you be open for a chat?” — but I feel like that’s obvious and overused. What do people actually say that leads to genuine conversations and, sometimes, referrals? I’d love to hear what’s worked for others, especially how to balance showing real interest without sounding like I’m just trying to get something out of them.

For context: I’ve done a summer internship in asset management in Munich and exchange semesters at ESADE (Spain) and ESSEC (France). Now that I’m back in London, I don’t want to miss the chance to build authentic connections with professionals, learn more about banking career paths, and ideally find opportunities (even part-time) alongside my studies.

Thanks a lot for any advice — both on in-person networking in London and making LinkedIn outreach actually work.