HF Analyst Offer (Non-US) vs Promotion at $10B+ US Endowment (2x Pay)

I’m a third-year analyst (this was my first job out of undergrad) at a US-based E&F. Stock investing has been my long-term passion, and my ultimate goal is to work at a hedge fund (and eventually run my own in the later future). I’m not a US citizen and currently work under a post-grad work visa.


I recently received and accepted an offer from a hedge fund in my home country (think HK/SG/Japan) as an analyst. This has been a long-time goal, and it would also allow me to be closer to family after 10+ years abroad.


After I gave notice, my current firm actually countered with a promotion, ~2x pay, and H-1B sponsorship, something I did not expect. For context, our office is pretty small with only a few ranks, so promotions are rare and the pay jump is significant. On a USD basis, my new salary after promotion would be 3-4x higher at the US E&F than the HF.


Almost everyone around me (including my parents) thinks I should stay.


Am I crazy to turn down the counteroffer and take the hedge fund role? I wouldn't mind leaving the US, and HF aligns way better to my career goals, but I do understand the counteroffer is very generous. Any advice would be appreciated!

17 Comments
 
Most Helpful

congratulations on the offer & counter. Wish I could help more but the only person that can answer this question is you. 

It depends on how much value assign to proximity to your family and the ability to move "home". if you accept the counter, do you intend to stay in the US long term or does it move back your time table? I.e., you make money for another 5yrs with the eventual goal of moving back. Do you cover & directly invest in issuers on behalf of your E&F's mandate? Assume its long only? Or do you allocate to strategies? Typically the longer you stay in an E&F environment, the more difficult it will be to transition to HF down the road but there are exceptions.

The question is if you fast forward your life to 10yrs from today, which of the decisions would you regret passing on more? Either way, make the decision and don't look back. Life works itself out.

 

Think you should prolly stay. I trust there will be better offers from your home once you are more experienced and you are only 3 years out of college - there’s more to learn here for another few years.

Also side question: I’m in a similar shoe (as in background) so was wondering how did you land a job in APAC? Did HHs reach out or did you apply/network yourself? Would rly appreciate any insights cuz I also look forward to going back in a few years…

 

How are you 3 yrs out of undergrad and haven’t lived with the family in 10 yrs?

P.S. the endowment job is probably a lot more secure. There are TONS of wealthy families looking for CIOs with capital preservation / moderate growth goals that you will be in a prime position to recruit for. Personally, I would take the HF job, but don’t discredit e&fs

 

stay, fetch a better offer in a few years from a better fund. Take it then and never look back

 

I think you should stay as it sounds quite lucrative. But ultimately you have to weigh out what you consider more of a priority. Project out what the path could look like for each. If you'd end up finding a lady here and settling down or if you want to do that back home. Consider everything. And then yea make your decision and don't look back as said in the other comments. But again you never know where life will take you, be open to things. 

 

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