I don't think that banking in Milan or Dubai will be seen as a plus. Banking in NY is still bigger, better, and more impressive. Top US business schools get a lot of foreign applications, so if they're looking to expand their global reach and global talent pool, you and your two years in some second-tier finance city aren't going to look all that attractive. Stick to doing what prepares you best and gives you the best experience. Where you are is definitely of secondary or tertiary importance.

 
Best Response

Been in IBD in an emerging market for a few years now (not originally from here). I can't really speak to B School applications as I've never applied, but my guess would be that, all things equal, a candidate who spent a few years in finance overseas could use that to differentiate their application in a positive way. Obviously, many other factors come into play in the whole package of an application, but I think it could be seen as a positive thing.

In terms of PE, I've recruited heavily for PE jobs outside of my current location and can tell you that it's incredibly difficult when you are an overseas candidate. By and large, most PE funds want someone local, or semi local (i.e. NY to Boston, not Milan to NY) given the ease of recruiting, more relevant transaction experience, already built network, etc. Plus the PE candidate pool is just so oversaturated that there is no reason to entertain a candidate thousands of miles away, especially at the junior level. So if your goal was PE and you were international, I'd say your best bet would be to find a local PE job (very doable if language isn't a barrier) or transfer internally to a hub city and go from there.

All that said, if your primary goal is high finance career progression, big time PE, don't go international unless you have a very clear and definite route back. But if you want to live your life, experience the world, new cultures, etc., then absolutely do it. That's the approach I took and I'd never retract my decision. I came to my current city on a 1-way ticket and that was one of the most exciting feelings in the world. In many cases the uncertainty of not knowing what's next keeps life exciting and fresh.

 

Like TT said, great for MBA. Most companies value diversity of experiences, so I can't imagine this being seen as anything but good for you. I could be wrong, I don't know firsthand.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Sounds pretty badass. Would you mind sharing what country in south america?

"Yes. Money has been a little bit tight lately, but at the end of my life, when I'm sitting on my yacht, am I gonna be thinking about how much money I have? No. I'm gonna be thinking about how many friends I have and my children and my comedy albums."
 

Exactly what everyone else has posted. Also, why not take a chance to live in a different country and add some new culture to your life.

To resonate the diversity, every interview I've ever had since I did my study abroad has brought it up and we talked about it for a good portion of the interview.

make it hard to spot the general by working like a soldier
 
Skinnayyy:

Exactly what everyone else has posted. Also, why not take a chance to live in a different country and add some new culture to your life.

To resonate the diversity, every interview I've ever had since I did my study abroad has brought it up and we talked about it for a good portion of the interview.

Very true. It would be a good selling point throughout my career.

 

There's one point I always forget to bring up, and probably the most profound piece of advice I've gotten: it doesn't matter. Ultimately you can't tell who you're going to meet where. You can't tell how valuable a job that was priceless yesterday will be tomorrow. You can't tell if the company you work for will even be around a year from now.

If you go after the experiences that interest you, at least you'll get some fulfillment. You'll also likely perform better because... you're fucking interested in it goddammit.

I'd say if you want to do it, do it. Honestly it could go either way, but from everything I've heard (talking to a few dozen FDP associates, some program managers, executives, etc) international experience is a plus. Or at the worst, not a negative.

"You stop being an asshole when it sucks to be you." -IlliniProgrammer "Your grammar made me wish I'd been aborted." -happypantsmcgee
 

Not sure about your organization, but I think a lot of large companies value international experience. Look at the senior execs at your company. Do they have international experience? Is Brazil a growing or important market for your company? What have they told you will happen after a year in Brazil? Will they bring you back home or will you be off to another location?

All that aside, I think it would be really cool to live in Brazil for a year. But do you?

Have fun, it sounds like a really neat opportunity.

 
petetong:

Not sure about your organization, but I think a lot of large companies value international experience. Look at the senior execs at your company. Do they have international experience? Is Brazil a growing or important market for your company? What have they told you will happen after a year in Brazil? Will they bring you back home or will you be off to another location?

All that aside, I think it would be really cool to live in Brazil for a year. But do you?

Have fun, it sounds like a really neat opportunity.

Yeah that's what I've heard. I'm not exactly sure how valuable it is internally at my current company. Lots of the C-level execs are from similar F500s. I know mfg plant experience is viewed favorably given it's a mfg company.

It is an important market for the company, but not the main market as my company is still largely dependent on the domestic market. It's a profitable business in the strongest international market we have a presence in.

I haven't talked to anyone yet about exit opportunities, but I will as we get closer to the interview process. I would most likely end up back at HQ after a year, but I know one of the guys who recently did this assignment took a Finance Supervisor role in Brazil at the plant.

One of the big positives is that the current Director/CFO/Controller of the plant, and thus South America operations is the guy who essentially hired me. He's a fast riser who is well respected and a good guy.

My big sticking point will be strictly personal related. I don't have a problem moving away for another year. (I've been away for 9 months 1,100 miles from home at another plant) My issue is the loss of personal life (ex: time w/ friends & family) for another whole year. (would be 2 yrs in total over 2.5 years) A big part of me wants to stay home, have fun with friends and family, live downtown, and hopefully find a girl. That's all put on hold if I leave. Obviously it's a big decision.

 

This is definitely a great opportunity. I'm at a F50 global brand company and almost everyone in my group has spent time abroad. It is a great experience, a resume builder, and definitely something that'd be awesome to talk about on a bschool app. Good luck!

 

Easy to understand your personal wishes, but if it's only for a year, I would take the plunge & head down there. Who knows, you might like it - at the worst, it could pave the way for a solid MBA program & a future plum assignment. Besides, the guy who hired you is in your corner & it is never a bad thing to stick near a rising star. I only planned on being out of the US for 3-5 years & I ended up working abroad for 11 years. As an expat (you are being seconded down there), it is likely you will get at least one home leave in addition to biz trips home as required. And it sounds like you're a bachelor - these opportunities to go abroad will be tougher to come by when you have a family. Only a 9 hour flight from NY pal, do it!

All the world's indeed a stage, And we are merely players, Performers and portrayers, Each another's audience, Outside the gilded cage - Limelight (1981)
 
Red Barchetta:

Easy to understand your personal wishes, but if it's only for a year, I would take the plunge & head down there. Who knows, you might like it - at the worst, it could pave the way for a solid MBA program & a future plum assignment. Besides, the guy who hired you is in your corner & it is never a bad thing to stick near a rising star. I only planned on being out of the US for 3-5 years & I ended up working abroad for 11 years. As an expat (you are being seconded down there), it is likely you will get at least one home leave in addition to biz trips home as required. And it sounds like you're a bachelor - these opportunities to go abroad will be tougher to come by when you have a family. Only a 9 hour flight from NY pal, do it!

Thanks for the encouragement! 11 years? That's impressive! Where all did you live? PM me if you don't mind sharing more personal details. Thanks!

 

I'm 6 months into a 2-year assignment in Brazil. PM me if you have any questions. In short, I've enjoyed it, but there's a big difference between Brazil and Western Europe or the other places you've probably vacationed abroad. Also, don't underestimate living where less than 5% of the population speaks any English..

"I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people."
 
onemanwolfpack:

I'm 6 months into a 2-year assignment in Brazil. PM me if you have any questions. In short, I've enjoyed it, but there's a big difference between Brazil and Western Europe or the other places you've probably vacationed abroad. Also, don't underestimate living where less than 5% of the population speaks any English..

Awesome, I'll shoot you a PM. Thanks!

 
GoIllini:

Good morning all,

I may have the opportunity to take an international assignment in 9 months or so with my current company and am looking to hear people's opinions/experiences surrounding this opportunity.

Some specifics:
Work for a F500 mfg company (FLDP)
Will have ~ 2 yrs exp at that time
South America location - Plant FP&A and accounting

The assignment would be for a year. How valuable do you think this type of experience would be valued internally and/or externally? I have no idea if I'll be looking to stay or move on from my current company in a year, but I want to know how other companies would value this experience as well.

Thanks!

I think the value depends more so on how the experience would 1) teach you something new and 2) fit your profile. I'd look at it more from a macro perspective.

It sounds like you're not American and you're working in the US. Technically, you're abroad now. I think it depends whether someone would look at your X years in the US and think that you've learned enough in the US before heading to Brazil, and whether you want people to think that way.

FWIW, I moved away from my home country 3 years ago and it was definitely a good career move for me. That said, I'm always trying to schedule vacation time to go home, but I'm always too busy with work to make the trip.

IME, fast rising stars tend to do what suits them, rather than follow trends. It isn't easy to predict what will be needed in the future, but if you perform strongly (because you've put yourself in a position that is favourable to your strengths and thus conductive to success) then you're probably going to do well, no matter whether you've got South American experience or not.

- V
 
Viktri:
GoIllini:

Good morning all,

I may have the opportunity to take an international assignment in 9 months or so with my current company and am looking to hear people's opinions/experiences surrounding this opportunity.

Some specifics:
Work for a F500 mfg company (FLDP)
Will have ~ 2 yrs exp at that time
South America location - Plant FP&A and accounting

The assignment would be for a year. How valuable do you think this type of experience would be valued internally and/or externally? I have no idea if I'll be looking to stay or move on from my current company in a year, but I want to know how other companies would value this experience as well.

Thanks!

I think the value depends more so on how the experience would 1) teach you something new and 2) fit your profile. I'd look at it more from a macro perspective.

It sounds like you're not American and you're working in the US. Technically, you're abroad now. I think it depends whether someone would look at your X years in the US and think that you've learned enough in the US before heading to Brazil, and whether you want people to think that way.

FWIW, I moved away from my home country 3 years ago and it was definitely a good career move for me. That said, I'm always trying to schedule vacation time to go home, but I'm always too busy with work to make the trip.

IME, fast rising stars tend to do what suits them, rather than follow trends. It isn't easy to predict what will be needed in the future, but if you perform strongly (because you've put yourself in a position that is favourable to your strengths and thus conductive to success) then you're probably going to do well, no matter whether you've got South American experience or not.

Thanks for the tips man! I'm actually American, just currently on an assignment on a different side of the country than from where I'm from/grew up. This would be my first assignment outside of the US, but another year away from home.

 

International experience is definitely valuable, at least at the two F500's I've worked at and others I'm familiar with. We recently had a top notch finance director turned down for a VP of Finance job because he did not have international experience.

As far as your personal life, I would say you are much better off doing it now instead of five years from now when you've got a wife and kids.

 

Hey bro,

Go to Brazil. I spent 3 months there and loved every second. Also, there are plenty of people who speak/are learning English there and will be dying to talk with you. The country is incredibly diverse both geographically and culturally which is great if you are looking to travel . Oh, and the women are to die for.

PM me if you have any questions, I'd be happy to help a fellow Illini.

TFP

 

I dont think its viewed badly at all. As long as it is at a legitimate institution that can be verified and you do have proper work experience (not photo copying etc.)....you should be fine. In fact...it might actually give you the leg up if trying to choose between you and another equally qualified candidate with local work experience.

 

I'll preface by saying I work in the energy industry and not finance, so this may not be relevant at all. However, in my industry the international experience thing is a huge benefit. People like to talk about being able to work with diverse teams; what better way to prove it than by actually doing it? If you have worked in different countries you have that nailed down.

Also, this can be seen as proof you are a team player. Company tells you to go to some outback hellhole... no problem I'm your guy. When the next business cycle downturn comes guess who has a better chance of sticking around... yep the guy in the place no one else wanted to go to.

Back in late 2008 I was working in Sakhalin Island. No one likes working there, we just put up with it. When sh!t hit the fan my job was one of the safest positions in the company. It didn't hurt matters that Shell just got their first production on-line about that same time and their Sakhalin II project ran $10 bln over budget. They weren't going to stop drilling for sure.

 
Jector:

Bump

You're not getting an answer because you don't have an offer. Any advice given to you now really doesn't matter since you have no decision to make.

Your potential eventual decision should come down to the work that you will be doing at the TAS role vs. the PE role. TAS is extremely broad and can include anything from FDD to outsourced corp dev to M&A. They are not all equal in terms of what IBs will look for. I would choose whichever role is more transactional in nature.

 

I'm interested in this as well. A few of the VPs/Ds took a year or two in our Euro office. Most seniors have at least a small amount of time overseas so I'd imagine i would be a good career decision.

Anyone have experience requesting a year or two abroad?

 

I guess it depends on the school, but for most Top B-Schools, 2 years is considered ideal. And with the current trend in admission towards Asia, you might be able to write a good essay covering your asia experience as well.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

I think you should maybe talk to someone like that "HBS Guru", I think he will be better positioned to give you a good view on things.

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 

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Please don't quote Patrick Bateman.
 

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