Hello,

Background info: I graduated from a US university with a degree in Finance in 2011. Immediately, after graduation, I got a job as a project analyst to support a project manager and that slowly evolved into a full scale project manager role for me (although my formal title is yet to change, I love what I do ) This is thanks to God and the on-the-job training I got from some of the best hands in the industry. The projects I manage deal with software development.

Plan: After about 3- 5 years on the job, go for my MBA (typically a 2 year program in most top universities in the US) and then relocate back home, immediately to work.

Problems:

1. When I relocate to Nigeria, I am looking to come as an experienced hire so I do not start from ground zero as a graduate trainee. I am interested in working as a project manager in Nigeria as well, working on software development projects. I would prefer to work in a company whose main goal is not to develop software (like a bank, oil company, manufacturing) so the internal tech team provides software solutions to business needs vs. a full scale tech firm that gets contracts from other companies to build software. However, I am very flexible on this. I do have experience managing budgets as well so a Finance role may be of interest to me as well.
- Is 5 years enough to be considered an experienced hire?

2. The problem is I have not done my NYSC yet and do not plan to do it until I relocate after my MBA. I would like to secure this job before relocation, ideally.
- Would this hinder my chances of getting a good job in Nigeria?

3. Mind you, post my 3 - 5 years work experience, I would be out of the job market for 2 years doing an MBA and then another year for the NYSC (if there is no suitable workaround to this like teach while working in the company as well so they do not need to wait a year to derive my value add).
- Dear HR professionals, Hiring manager and everyone: How does the 3 years out of the workforce affect my suitability as a job candidate and the weight of the prior work experience?
- Dear HR professionals, Hiring manager and everyone: How do you handle candidates employed by your company from outside the country or just newly relocated, in this current NYSC dispensation where you can no longer serve in a private sector company?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

1. 5 years (half a decade) is enough experience.

2. How old are you? Am just thinking about 30 years old and exemption.

3. Following the law, you will be posted to NFPs/MDAs - the best you can get is working your posting to Ministry of Finance, CBN or any other finance-related MDA.

4. If your mind is set on serving for a year, you can do the wring things. What people do are:
i) 'Ghost corping' - I know someone 'serving' in the UK if you know what I mean.

ii) Local GC - like the one above, you sort out your service year with your PPA and work in the private sector you wish to work in. Some companies don't care - theirs is that you sort your service out and work for them. Others are ethical and don't involve in such deals.

5. This one may be wishful thinking - the policy may be reversed before you serve.

6. There was a thread where someone was asking of the policy was really implemented. You can still work in a private organisation and be within the law if you do your homework well! There are people presently doing this.

@Mustay

Thanks a lot for your very detailed response. A few things:

1. If I understand this 30 years old requirement correctly, it is actually that you are 30 years old at the time of completion of your degree to be able to get the exemption and not 30 years old at the time you choose to go for NYSC.

2. Me and my overthinking again lol: so I had heard about the ghost copering as well but then I had imagined that if I say I worked in XYZ company from 2011 - 2016, on my CV, but at the same time show NYSC certificate for 2014 - 2015, that may leave a bad taste in the mouth of an interviewer. Is removing the one year of the ghost copering NSYC from my working years on my cv really worth it - that's me thinking aloud? But to your point, the policy that you can no longer serve in a private company may not be fully implemented yet. Thanks for the other options also presented. Will give those a thought.

Mustay - Thanks again for taking your time to help me.

Everyone - please keep the comments coming.

@OP,
Your posts history don't seem to tally with this your topic, y'know

@Ajanlekoko

We all have our hands in a few different things

Any advice/comment as regards the problem at hand that you can offer will be deeply appreciated.

9jabizinfo: @Ajanlekoko

We all have our hands in a few different things

Any advice/comment as regards the problem at hand that you can offer will be deeply appreciated.

In reality, the problem does not exist. For the following reasons:

1. NYSC is mandatory in Nigeria, for everyone. So long as you completed your degree before you were 30. For those who went to school abroad, there are some concessions though. One is the ability to select your place of primary assignment.

2. Regarding your second question: why do you think an HR professional in Nigeria would read your MBA 'furlough' period different from how an HR professional elsewhere would read it? Hardly any organization recruits based on length of experience anymore. The 'quality' of your experience and education seems to be the primary requirement for getting any white-collar work these days.

AjanleKoko:

In reality, the problem does not exist. For the following reasons:

1. NYSC is mandatory in Nigeria, for everyone. So long as you completed your degree before you were 30. For those who went to school abroad, there are some concessions though. One is the ability to select your place of primary assignment.

2. Regarding your second question: why do you think an HR professional in Nigeria would read your MBA 'furlough' period different from how an HR professional elsewhere would read it? Hardly any organization recruits based on length of experience anymore. The 'quality' of your experience and education seems to be the primary requirement for getting any white-collar work these days.

Thanks for your insight.

Regarding # 2 - I do not think its a Nigerian HR professional vs non-Nigerian HR professional issue. It was more an issue of the 3 years furlough in between previous job and the job I would be seeking at the time...almost similar (but not quite) to a case where a woman decides to leave the workforce for 3 years to raise kids or something. In addition, I think the world is tilting towards experience over education, hence my apprehension. However, to your point, its the quality of the experience and education and MBA isn't exactly idle time. Thanks again.

You actualy don't need to do ghost corper what you will do is find a place to do your ppa yourself most micro finance will rush for you because of the 5 years working and mba abroad and you will be working for them practically free

Hi 9jabizinfo,

I'm in a similar position to you, I.e. over 5 years post uni work experience (studied in the UK). Now a chartered banker in a management level position. I consider being forced to do the NYSC in some remote school as waste of one year of my life, not to talk of the impact it could have on my career, considering I will have other natural occasions (children by God's grace) that will already do that. I want to live in my country again so desperately and this has become a big dilemma for me. I do have a lot of financial commitments as well that will make it impossible for me to take such a pay cut even for 1 year.

If you have more information about this or how you've decided to proceed with yours, will really appreciate if you could share.

By the way, the '30 year old' rule is that you are exempted if you got your first degree after you are 30. I know people over 30 that had to do their Nysc after they relocated to Nigeria.

Regards

Sweetmina: Hi 9jabizinfo,

I'm in a similar position to you, I.e. over 5 years post uni work experience (studied in the UK). Now a chartered banker in a management level position. I consider being forced to do the NYSC in some remote school as waste of one year of my life, not to talk of the impact it could have on my career, considering I will have other natural occasions (children by God's grace) that will already do that. I want to live in my country again so desperately and this has become a big dilemma for me. I do have a lot of financial commitments as well that will make it impossible for me to take such a pay cut even for 1 year.

If you have more information about this or how you've decided to proceed with yours, will really appreciate if you could share.

By the way, the '30 year old' rule is that you are exempted if you got your first degree after you are 30. I know people over 30 that had to do their Nysc after they relocated to Nigeria.

Regards

I believe you would have a choice of where to do your primary assignment. Not in a remote school.

Ok, but what are my options, especially now that you can only serve with govt agencies.

Is there any chance that I can be allowed to serve with one of the big banks? The bank accepting me is not an issue.

Sweetmina: Ok, but what are my options, especially now that you can only serve with govt agencies.

Is there any chance that I can be allowed to serve with one of the big banks? The bank accepting me is not an issue.

Well, I know of returnees who already had secured a job in Nigeria when the NYSC requirement came up.
Since they already had a job, they simply observed their primary assignment at their place of employment. The issue would be when you don't have a place secured for yourself, then NYSC will be obliged to post you at their discretion.
Note this only applies to corpers who are returning, not those who studied in Nigeria.

That is great to know because I have already secured a job. I'll try to post an update once I make progress in that area. Thank you very much.

1. You don't have a choice to choose your PPA - you take whatever you are given, that's why it's called national service. This is the other reason people try to sort. The only choice you have is when a PPA rejects you after being posted there.

2. From what I know now, the Minister's directive that only schools & MDAs serve as PPAs is being strictly enforced (depending on the state). You can go to the NYSC section to ask, I saw a thread like that.

3. Due to the 'conditions', the best bet is being posted to a finance related MDA if you pull the right strings.
Similarly, the ghost thing is suggested but if you want a bank as your PPA, you're on a loooooong thing!


4. NYSC normally exempts those over 30 years. In fact, some people do not go to service after uni so they can wait for the time e.g. someone who graduated at 26 or 29 would have his/her name appearing in the call-up list till s/he gets to the exemption list

5. The same way it's not compulsory for PT students to go for service, some still choose to go.

6. Some bodies (I know of ICAN), if you are a member of that body, you don't need to go for NYSC, you apply for exemption. These (+ PT grads) were among the policies OBJ used to reduce the ever-growing number of prospective corpers.

@all - thanks for your input

@ sweetmina - how did you get the offer in 9ja from UK? Do these companies have a recruitment process for candidates outside the country? Do you mind shedding more light please? Thanks

Ok, so I'll be going to my local Nysc secretariat to see if I have any hope of having my current employment as my primary assignment.

With regards to getting jobs in Nigeria from abroad, check http://www.careersinafrica.com/en they hold fairs in London about twice a year or so, featuring several employers all over Africa who come to recruit for Foreign trained Africans. I've never attended a fair, but I think one has to pre-register, upload your CV and then get invitations from interested employers to meet them at the fair. I also know of a Nigerian HR consultant who recruits from the UK on behalf of some Nigerian companies.

In my case, I was blessed to already be working for a UK company that is affiliated to a bigger company in Nigeria, so for me, it was simply an internal transfer, hence why the NYSC was not a requirement.

@sweetmina

Thanks for the help. Please let us know how this goes for you. I am still thinking it all through.

you emailed me bro. what's happening?