J1 Waiver v/s Felloship

[winthrop]

Hello,   I’m applying for J1 waiver jobs as well as for fellowship program.  The result of the fellowship program would be declared in December this year. Whereas I will be asked to sign-up for the J1 waiver job contract much before the results of fellowship match (in Q3 of this year).

 

Question is, can I walk away from J1 waiver job offer after having signed the contract for a fellowship program of my choice ?

[katzung]

It depends upon your contract terms. Some employers are easy on that and simply let you terminate the employment contract by returning any sign on bonus they may have already paid as well as expenses incurred on hiring you so far. 

On the other side of the spectrum, the contract may be binding and stipulate a penalty of thousands of dollars.

 

Also, if you are interviewing for job around the Nov-Dec time, you may hold on to the offer letter for a few weeks with out actually signing the contract and gain some time....The offer letter is not a legally binding document.