[Anonymous]

Hi everyone,

I am an experienced audit associate at a mid-tier firm. The firm has a 2-year secondment program with our London office that I’ll be eligible to apply for beginning winter 2014. If I am accepted, I would most likely do the secondment from summer 2015-2017. After returning to the US, I believe I have to commit another 2 years to my local office, otherwise I’ll have to repay the company for the visa fees and such if I resign within 2 years.

I’d like to ask for some advice. Would you recommend sticking with the current company to do the secondment? Or would you recommend applying for a work visa to the U.K. directly and then looking for a job (possibly with Big Four) once I get to the U.K.? Has anyone done a secondment abroad before?

It appears difficult to find a U.K. company who will sponsor me from the U.S., so I think staying with my current company will be the easier option. However, the long-term commitment makes me reconsider, because I would be 30 by the time I complete the post-secondment 2-year requirement and I am not 100% certain I want to stay in audit for that long.

Thank you for reading!

[evesocal]

Hi, what does “secondment” mean?

I'd vote for staying with your company and getting to live and work abroad because that is an amazing opportunity that i'd absolutely love to have but never will.

IMO, that opportunity is well worth accepting the 2-year commitment afterwards or potentially paying visa fees, although I admit I do not know how much the visa fees are.

Good luck and enjoy the U.K.

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[Anonymous]

Thanks for your advice, Evesocal! I appreciate your input. A secondment is a temporary transfer to another job within the same company, in another country in my case. Hope you'll be able to live and work abroad some day!

[Author]

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