Is this legally binding?

I recently received an offer for an internship from a very small firm in Europe that has no affiliation with my school's career center in the US. They have given me one week to respond to them by email regarding the offer but specifically mentioned that they will get the formal contract out to me to sign (if I accept) in April or so.

My school's on campus recruiting interviews for NY internships will take place in Feb and as such I'm considering accepting the offer and reneging later if I get a BB or something.

Is it still unethical or would the European firm view it negatively if I renege on my offer after giving an email confirmation of offer acceptance but not having a legal contract demonstrating my acceptance? If a BB found out, which I'm not sure they will, could they rescind my offer considering that it is a small no-name firm with no relationship with my school or anything?

2 Comments
 

99% of US labor contracts are at-will - not legally binding. They can fire you whenever and you can likewise leave whenever.

But that's not the heart of this rather stupid question. Of course the European firm is going to negatively look upon this, but you're not worth their time to spite. Burn the bridge and move on.

 

Expedita quis consequatur eos non. Voluptates molestiae deleniti dolorum. Eveniet vel expedita culpa eum nemo.

Aut omnis quia dolore quidem quisquam. Sed provident maiores voluptatem. Doloremque et autem consequuntur magni.

Quia error mollitia earum suscipit velit tenetur. Similique placeat omnis dolores quo repellat. Ut dolores non illum ut molestiae atque non.

Voluptatum eum minima officiis vel iste perferendis dolorem sequi. Nemo quae molestiae odio dignissimos suscipit. Minima optio laudantium qui nihil quam fugit perspiciatis harum. Et sapiente asperiores consequatur aspernatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”