Fulbright Early Termination vs International Affairs Fellowship

[Madagonk]

Hi All,

 

I am in a situation where I am a current Fulbright ETA who signed a contract to be in country for 11 months (until June 30). However, I have also been selected for a International Affairs Fellowship that requires me to be in Washington by May 15. This breaches my Fulbright contract. I have spoken to my Fulbright director about this and the director was very serious that I keep with the contract. If I were to breach contract, I was told that the director would write to DC to excommunicate me from any Fulbright affiliation and also write to my graduate schools to explain that I can no longer claim Fulbright alumni status. 

 

I guess if you're aware of the few International Affairs Fellowship then you have basic idea of which one I am participating in (so much for anonymity). The director of the Fellowship said that they are also not flexible with their requirements, which puts me between a rock and a hard place. I suggested a compromise such as going to DC for orientation then flying back (out of pocket) and then leaving a little earlier once school exams were finished. Exams are done by 6/20. However, this was not an okay option. 

 

What are the pros and cons of early termination of this grant? I will have been in country for 9.5 months by the time I will have to leave for orientation, meaning that I have fulfilled 90% of my grant period. Furthermore, my students do not suffer because all the major lessons and school activities will be done by the time I leave (minus finals). 

 

Thoughts?

 

 

 

[hj2012]

International Affairs Fellowship -- as in, full-ride for grad school? Considering the costs of professional IR schools, I would have broken my contract for that in a heartbeat. (And I'm a Fulbrighter myself!)

[GnosisExchange]

Is there anyone else at Fulbright you could contact and negotiate with?

[Torrid]

Hi All,

 

I am in a situation where I am a current Fulbright ETA who signed a contract to be in country for 11 months (until June 30). However, I have also been selected for a International Affairs Fellowship that requires me to be in Washington by May 15. This breaches my Fulbright contract. I have spoken to my Fulbright director about this and the director was very serious that I keep with the contract. If I were to breach contract, I was told that the director would write to DC to excommunicate me from any Fulbright affiliation and also write to my graduate schools to explain that I can no longer claim Fulbright alumni status. 

 

I guess if you're aware of the few International Affairs Fellowship then you have basic idea of which one I am participating in (so much for anonymity). The director of the Fellowship said that they are also not flexible with their requirements, which puts me between a rock and a hard place. I suggested a compromise such as going to DC for orientation then flying back (out of pocket) and then leaving a little earlier once school exams were finished. Exams are done by 6/20. However, this was not an okay option. 

 

What are the pros and cons of early termination of this grant? I will have been in country for 9.5 months by the time I will have to leave for orientation, meaning that I have fulfilled 90% of my grant period. Furthermore, my students do not suffer because all the major lessons and school activities will be done by the time I leave (minus finals). 

 

Thoughts?

 

I am very, very surprised that your Fulbright director is so stringent on this. I know of Germany ETAs that are leaving early for TFA, for jobs they have found or for other reasons, and the impression I got is that they are willing to be accommodating. 

 

Is there anyone else you can speak to? Maybe if you have a good relationship with your school, they can try to go to bat for you on this issue (basically say, "We loved Madagonk but we don't want him/her to miss out on this opportunity; it's fine if he/she leaves early")?

 

Moreover, even if they say you can't claim "Fulbright alumni" status, I don't think that means you can't say you were a participant in the program on resumes and such. Maybe you include a line that says you terminated early due to extenuating circumstances (circumstances I think any respectable person would understand), but as far as I can tell they can't stop you from listing this as an experience. They can only stop you from publicly proclaiming yourself to be a "Fulbright scholar" or something of that nature. 

[kbui]

I would talk to another Fulbright commissioner and explain to her/him your situation. Negotiation is rarely just a one-on-one person compromise; try to find other stakeholders and talk to them.

[Madagonk]

Thanks for your suggestions everyone! I was actually able to change up my fellowship requirements so that I can finish out early. 

 

Yes, our director does have a reputation for being stringent and loves to enforce the red tape as much as he can. It's kindof the nature of bureaucracy and I understand why he has to do it.