Upcoming masters program, but have new job offer

Question

Currently I am working at company A, and I have a job offer from company B.

My masters will begin in fall (sep 2021), and thus I am not sure if it is wise for me to accept offer B.

I am willing to work part time during my masters, which company A will definitely say yes to (as people are currently studying and working at the same time already), but I am not sure if company B will do the same.

I still have a phone with the recruiter for B, but would it be wise for me to tell them from the start that in a couple of months, I will likely have to

leave the position

or

continue to work part time (if allowed)

I do want to tell them, but I am afraid that if I tell them from the start, my current offer might be rescinded because they don't see me as a full time employee for a long enough time, and would rather give it to someone else.

What should I do?

Answer 1

I do want to tell them, but I am afraid that if I tell them from the start, my current offer might be rescinded because they don't see me as a full time employee for a long enough time, and would rather give it to someone else.

But that is exactly the case. You will not be a full time employee because at best you would only be able to work part time.

Reach out to them an let them know about your masters program and see what accommodations (if any) they can make. It is better for all parties involved to have this handled before you join this company.

Answer 2

The options here are (in order of what I'm guessing your preference is):

1. Start masters while working at B
2. Start masters while working at A
3. Start masters and work at neither company
4. Work at B and don't do masters
5. Work at A and don't do masters
6. Other undesirable choices...

You need to find out if B will let you do the masters or not. If they will let you, 1 is on the table. If not you have to do 2. Do not quit A before clearing it up because you could then end up with 3. And if you go for B without clearing it up you could even end up at 4 or 6.

You have received an offer from B. There is no law saying they can't rescind the offer. But rescinding the offer is considered very very bad and extremely unprofessional. The company is not supposed to give an offer until they are done tweaking it, otherwise the whole hiring process becomes unworkable. Rescinding is only appropriate if they somehow discover very bad information about the candidate after the offer is given - unless you've lied on your application, that could only happen if you negotiate in a rude or unprofessional way. So just politely state that you are planning to do a masters in a few months and whether they would consider letting you be part time while you do it. If it's a deal breaker for you, feel free to add that you cannot accept if they refuse (but don't promise to accept if they agree unless there is nothing else you want to negotiate for).

I think it is slightly more likely that their answer will be no because this is too big of an alteration and too complicated. Moreover, once you finish your masters you might likely decide to quit and do another job, so it's not a good deal for them. But there's a good chance they might agree too. Either way you lose nothing by asking politely. If they say no, politely tell them their offer is not a good fit for your goals and proceed to option 2.

If B says yes make sure to get it all written into the contract. You don't want to end up in a situation where they "change their mind" come September, and what you thought was option 1 turns into picking between 3 and 4. If they drag their feet on this, I would say it's a huge red flag, walk away.

If you go with 1, do not assume A "will probably agree". Get it in writing. And even if you do - don't assume you will never have to choose between option 3 and 5. However, having it in writing will help you if they ever try to renege.

In my opinion the best time to ask A is August, however. That way if their answer is no, they can't pre-emptively fire you or somehow worsen your work experience. You can ask a month before - that gives them plenty of time to prepare if it's yes and gives you plenty of time to hand in your 2 weeks notice if it's no and you have to quit. But it all but guarantees that you will continue working there the entire summer.