Frequently Asked Questions


Employment
1. Where can I expect to find my first position following graduation from Thunderbird?
2. What are the job prospects abroad for a United States citizen?
3. What are the job prospects in the United States for an international student who doesn't have permanent work eligibility status?
4. What are the best industries for job opportunities in today's business climate, and what companies are doing the most hiring?

Internships
5. How many students enroll in internships during their Thunderbird program?
6. What about internship opportunities outside my home country when I am enrolled in the Thunderbird program?
7. How much can I expect to earn on an internship?

Salary/Compensation
8. What is the average salary Thunderbird graduates initially earn?
9. Does the amount of prior work experience a student has before entering Thunderbird have an effect on starting salaries?

Employment Outlook
10. What percentage of each graduating class finishes with a job offer?
11. What percentage of graduates has been hired domestically within the U.S.?
12. How will my gift be used?
13. Is my gift to Thunderbird tax-deductible?

Career Services Support
14. What recruiting events do you hold each year?
15. What percentage of each graduating class lands a job derived from these recruiting events and other school-facilitated activities?
16. How many companies participate in each recruiting event?
17. What services do you offer alumni in search of a job?

1. Where can I expect to find my first position following graduation from Thunderbird?

Answer. The majority of Thunderbird graduates find initial assignments in the country or region where they have work authorization — and where their skills and immediate value to the organization are most evident.

Back to top

2. What are the job prospects abroad for a United States citizen?

Answer. About one in 10 U.S. graduates accept positions outside the country immediately after graduation. In 2007/2008, 16% of U.S. graduates accepted positions abroad. Companies seeking to fill positions throughout the world focus on functional skills, interests, and cultural and language proficiencies. They often hire graduates who are either citizens of a specific country, have permanent work authorization in a country or region, or have prior living and/or work experiences in that part of the world. Remember, Thunderbird has more than 36,000 alumni working in more than 140 countries — many of whom began their careers in their home country.

Back to top

3. What are the job prospects in the United States for an international student who doesn't have permanent work eligibility status?

Answer. Finding positions in the United States can be difficult for students from another part of the world. About 50% of our international students accept their first job in the U.S. (in 2007/2008, 55% of international students reported accepting positions in the U.S.). Of these, many may transfer back to their country of work authorization. Although many companies have recruited qualified students regardless of citizenship, many hire limited numbers of international students for work in the States because of the costs and challenges associated with work visas. In today's job market, companies are typically hiring citizens for positions in the United States and nationals to work in other countries where they operate.

Back to top

4. What are the best industries for job opportunities in today's business climate, and what companies are doing the most hiring?

Answer. Rather than focusing on "A-list" companies or industries that appear to be hiring the most graduates today, we recommend identifying companies and industries that match well with your skill set, interests, and professional goals. Keep in mind that companies and industries with the most opportunity for immediate expansion do the most hiring.

Back to top

5. How many students enroll in internships during their Thunderbird program?

Answer. At least one in three students completes an internship by graduation. Since internships are a primary source of full-time employment (around 1/3 of MBA full-time hires held internships at the hiring company, according to the Graduate Management Admissions Council), we recommend all students consider pursuing an internship during their program.

Back to top

6. What about internship opportunities outside my home country when I am enrolled in the Thunderbird program?

Answer. Generally there is flexibility in employing Thunderbird students to work as interns around the world.

  • Internship employment in the United States for foreign students attending the program under an F-1 visa is possible through the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) that is part of a student's academic study. Of those international students completing internships, well over 50% do so in the U.S.
  • Internships in Asia, Europe and Latin America are usually available for U.S. students who can demonstrate appropriate language fluency and business skills. About one in four U.S. citizens complete internships outside of the United States.

Back to top

7. How much can I expect to earn on an internship?

Answer. Most internships at the business graduate level are paid positions. Though the value of an internship should be measured by the value-added potential of the experience, internship monthly salaries are provided by employers to defray the cost of living and attract high caliber talent. The average internship base salary is $5,533 per month (based on 2007/2008 officially reported data); however, the range is quite broad and often includes travel to and from the internship and subsidized housing. Further, internships outside the United States tend to pay less than similar opportunities in the United States, and students interested in careers in international development in not-for-profit agencies often accept internships without pay.

Back to top

8. What is the average salary Thunderbird graduates initially earn?

Answer. The average base salary of all Thunderbird 2007-2008 graduates is $84,295. Signing bonuses and other guaranteed compensation averaged $14,258 and $15,148. These figures include data from positions accepted in countries outside the U.S. that offer local currency salaries, denominated in U.S. dollars.

Back to top

9. Does the amount of prior work experience a student has before entering Thunderbird have an effect on starting salaries?

Answer. The amount of work experience you've had can influence your starting salary depending on whether you are a career-changer or are looking to advance your career in the same function and industry. Historically, there is a general correlation of years work experience to average salary. In 2008, graduates with less than one year work experience averaged $85,428 base salary, while graduates with five years work experience or more averaged $89,153. Within these groups, however, a wide variety of salaries were reported.

Back to top

10. What percentage of each graduating class finishes with a job offer?

Answer. Of all Thunderbird 2007-2008 graduates seeking positions, 73% had job offers within 90 days after graduation. For many Thunderbird graduates, employment is delayed by choice because they:

  • Choose to travel for an extended period of time before seeking employment.
  • Prefer to return to their home country to start a career search.
  • Delay the start of their international career search until graduation.

Back to top

11. What percentage of graduates has been hired domestically within the U.S.?

Answer. Seventy-five percent of all Thunderbird 2007-2008 graduates who accepted offers reported accepting positions in the United States. Of these, 25% were international students. (Fifty-five percent of international students that reported accepting an employment offer were employed in the US.)

Back to top

12. How many graduates have been hired to work abroad, and where?

Answer. 25% of all Thunderbird students who accepted employment in the 2007-2008 academic year reported accepting positions outside of the United States. These students accepted work in 21 countries:

Afghanistan Japan
 Russia
Angola Korea, Republic of
 Saudi Arabia
Belgium Liechtenstein
 Switzerland
Brazil Mali
 Taiwan
Chile Norway
 Thailand
Germany Panama
 United Arab Emirates
India Philippines United Kingdom

Back to top

13. How many graduates have been hired by international firms (not based in the United States) to work abroad?

Answer. The majority of international firms recruiting Thunderbird students will hire natives of the country in which the company is headquartered. For example, Japanese firms will hire Japanese students; Korean firms, Korean students; German firms, German students, etc. There are exceptions, of course — especially if a student has lived or worked in that country and is both bicultural and bilingual.

Back to top

14. What recruiting events do you hold each year?

Answer. Primary recruiting events sponsored by the Thunderbird Career Management Center are Career Week in October, and the Spring Career Fair. Career Week is directed to companies recruiting for full-time positions and is scheduled to coincide with the typical MBA campus recruitment cycle. This annual five-day career building event provides companies a chance to provide information, network with students and interview selected candidates for positions, while providing students with opportunities to enhance their interviewing skills, industry knowledge and career search success.

Additionally, the Thunderbird Career Management Center coordinates seminars, industry and function overviews, soft skill improvement workshops, guest speakers, networking events and company presentations throughout the calendar year.

Back to top

15. What percentage of each graduating class lands a job derived from these recruiting events and other school-facilitated activities?

Answer. Around 63% of 2007-2008 Thunderbird graduates accepted offers generated as a result of CMC activities.

Back to top

16. How many companies participate in each recruiting event?

Answer. The total number of companies recruiting on the Thunderbird campus during the 2007-2008 recruiting season was 127. Seventy-five organizations participated in Thunderbird Career Fairs. Additionally, more than 500 organizations posted positions with Thunderbird.

Back to top

17. What services do you offer alumni in search of a job?

Answer. The Thunderbird Career Management Center (CMC) offers full-service support to recent graduates and alumni. Once you graduate, you may still access all student career management services, including personal counseling by your advisor and online job posting tools for three months. After that you may take advantage of a variety of career resources, including career job search tools, networking discussion groups, job postings and career-focused articles, all on our Alumni Career Management Resources Web site. The CMC also offers alumni a bimonthly e-mail newsletter of the latest job listings for Thunderbird working professionals.

Back to top