Please Advise: FT AN1 Deferral due to Unusual Personal Situation?
I'm a junior international student in college and have a decent sell-side internship in NYC lined up for the coming summer. Like everyone else in my situation, I'm hoping to perform well and receive a return offer - my school has a solid record of getting returns at this firm. However, even if I do land one, it is highly unlikely I can start work on time as a 1st year full-time analyst. Have there been cases where incoming FT analysts at firms defer their start date by 2+ years (e.g. due to military service back in their home country or some other reason?)
Situation:
I'm from an Asian country and grew up in a mid-low income household. In high school, I won a coveted full-ride scholarship to study at any university in the world, with one caveat: after graduating college, I would have to go back to my home country and work for the government for a minimum of 6 years. If I fail to adhere to these terms, my family will be taken to the cleaners by state collectors unless I can cough up a sum of money equivalent to all the expenses covered by my scholarship plus interest. The sum is pretty close to 500K USD (it decreases proportionately to how much of the 6 years I work) and obviously I don't have that kind of liquidity at my disposal right now. If I choose to break it, I also don't know if I
Why this wasn't a problem before:
As a wide-eyed high schooler, I was desperate to go to a good college. My parents couldn't pay for my education and I signed the contract without much hesitation, convincing myself that returning home after college to work for the government in a stable bureaucratic job wasn't half bad.
The problem now:
- I want to maximize my earnings as soon as possible to help my family and I have a better quality of life. I've realized that finance in the U.S. is far, far superior to my home country government job, where I'll be pushing papers, earn shit pay and not learn any marketable skills that will help me transition to a more lucrative industry. I'm afraid going back home to this will be a death sentence to my career almost as it begins.
-
I also want to stay in the US because I realized that the quality of life here is significantly better than life back home. Obviously, it also is a lot more difficult to re-enter and find employment here once you're out of college and in another country as a foreigner. But coming from a less privileged home, I was astounded by the upbringings 95% of my college friends in the States have had when I got to know them, and I want to achieve the same for my family and I.
-
I can't afford to not go back home right after graduation unless my U.S. firm offers to help me pay off some of the 500K because my family's lives depend on me.
-
The best possible outcome would be for me to return to my home country's government, work for a couple of years to lower the liquidated damages on my paper contract, while saving every cent from my salary I can, and leave as soon as possible.
I believe that after 2-3 years, I can scrape together just enough to pay off the rest and buy my freedom, assuming I can find a job back in the U.S. or have a return offer immediately waiting for me. I've heard rumors that Koreans in America at select firms have managed to get their start dates pushed back a couple of years so they can complete their mandatory military service back in Korea, so I'm wondering if this is indeed possible for my situation. Otherwise, will recruiting for traditional finance jobs in the US be near impossible after college as an international, unless I come back and drop another 200K+ on an MBA?
I'm trying to figure out the best approach for this situation, if there's anything else I can think of trying to do, and how to drop the question to the right people when the time comes.
Any serious advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
bump, very sorry to hear about your predicament. I wish you the best of luck seriously. I would've signed the paper too in your shoes.
Thank you I appreciate it. It’s all highly uncertain but I’m determined to make things work out one way or another
Bump
bump
Bump. Hope things work out!
Not sure if this would help but would it be possible at all for you to take out a loan? From an asian country as well and I’ve seen education loans offered that might be able to delay the lump sum of money you would owe/ ease the burden, altho i guess going into debt isn’t the solution you’d/ your fam would be looking for
Odit aut quibusdam at. Inventore minus consectetur temporibus nisi. Perferendis cum fugiat aut natus ea. Odio ut perferendis aut iste et.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...