If he is relocating to the area to be with his GF, and sought employment there in anticipation of the move, then he likely included that info in the cover letter. In that case (since he WILL be local) I don’t think his travel would be covered.
If he was able to push his interview back a few days or so would the airfare drop much? Employers are often willing to be a little flexible on the interview schedule although it might be to late now to broach that.
A Skype interview is usually offered in these circumstances. Surprised he’s flying out.
He’s already had the distance interviews. It’s not unusual, and actually smart in my opinion, to want a candidate onsite, in person at some point.
Being onsite is a good thing for both the candidate and the company. Based on this signal, I’d suggest that he be alert to other signs of how they treat their employees and ask subtle questions designed to dig deeper into the issue. Are employees encouraged to attend conferences and how does that work? Is parking available for free? Discounted lunches? What will his workspace look like?
Not at all normal in the financial services industry. I would stay away.
@hebegebe Having worked my career in the same industry, I disagree. As I mentioned, it really depends on the level of the position. Here the OP mentions her son is “entry level plus”. Having worked in large financial institutions, those types of positions are filled locally and the company would not cover the expenses of someone wanting to be considered from a distance nor would they cover relocation expenses. When you get to mid tier or higher type positions, that’s a different story.
In my D’s experience, this was untrue, even for summer internship interviews.
After thinking about this a bit more, I think @doschicos’s perspective is right in terms of whether the position is locally filled or nationally filled. My experience in finance is with the smaller companies, and my D’s internship positions were selected nationally.
When I interviewed with my big employer, already well situated in my industry, they paid for everything. Flights to the regional hq and more. When a competitor interviewed me, same. They needed time together at the regional hq and had it budgeted for final prospects. (In both cases, the actual job was in my home area.)
When DH got a job across the country and I wanted to join him, another company did not. They wanted a local hire, expected final interviews to be as simple as making the appt. I flew out on my own dime. It was, in effect, transparent that I wasn’t already local.
Btw, I didn’t get the cross-country job, got ghosted.
The following is directly from a job posting for an entry level research assistant at the University of Colorado Medical Campus:
“PLEASE NOTE: Candidates may be responsible for travel expenses related to the interview process and any relocation expenses, if applicable.”
To me, this seems to be a very fair way for a company to inform their job applicants that they may have to pay their own way to a final interview. If the company is upfront about things, I wouldn’t hold it against them. This simple statement makes the applicant aware of the situation before they invest in the process. If the company lets an applicant get through all the screening and preliminary interviews before telling them they need to pay, that would be a problem.
I do think the way a company treats their applicants is a good indicator of what it will be like to work there. But I suppose it can also be that it’s just a bad HR department.
Agree, OP’s son found the job and is jumping into a locally recruited interview situation. He has a strong reason to seek out the job and he passed the initial interview phase. He should go and cover the expenses himself. Is his girlfriend there already? He could consider the interview opportunity an investment and increase his desired salary by $1000.
Since he is being considered local, they will probably validate parking and feed him lunch if he has all day interviews. (Lunch is part of the process and feedback to the recruiters will be given.) They probably do get plenty of potential hires in Austin but are interested enough in him to invite him to onsite interviews. He should check Glassdoor to see if this company is known for paying a new hire bonus or giving a wardrobe allowance. Good luck to him!
Edited to add that I got paid paid parking and a very nice lunch as a locally recruited candidate for the main training program. This bank rolled out the red carpet for out of town recruited candidates and paid all expenses for all business travel I ever did. Very nice accommodations, coast to coast, employees treated very well.
Is a wardrobe allowance a thing these days? I could see it for a flight attendant, pilot, fireman or some other position that wears a uniform but otherwise I haven’t heard of it.
For financial institutions, sometimes where the expense reimbursement line is drawn is whether the position is part of an admin type cost center vs a “professional” in a production/revenue center. So, while a fresh out of college (or even summer intern) position in say IB, sales and trading, capital markets, research, etc… may get their expenses paid, entry level and perhaps higher level positions in admin (IT, HR, Accounting) may not. The admin type positions are also typically locally filled until you get a little more high up. I wonder if Op’s S is looking at such an admin type job. A prospective data analyst working in the finance/accounting department maybe be treated differently than a data analyst who is doing client work.
If the company has no skin in the game, I would not be interested at this point. I will also say that my advice to young people is to never accept a job without having met the hiring manager face to face. And absolutely do not relocate for a job where you have not been physically in the office. I will grant that there are a lot of remote jobs these days – but still – everyone can tic all the boxes and then just not be a culture fit, My son found this out the hard way and it’s now his rule. If the company can’t invest travel expenses in you, it’s a big red flag.
Did they specifically state that they would not pay? Or did they say they would not pay upfront an that they would reimburse him?
Has your son thought about moving to Austin sooner? It’s a lot easier to look for jobs when you are in the city you want to live in? Are he and his girlfriend planning to live together?
@Iglooo - Graduate school interviews are a different animal than medical school interviews (and both are different than the OP’s question actually). DS went through MD-PhD interviews this past round, conversing with MD candidates in the process and also having one college suite mate interviewing for math PhD programs and the other interviewing for medical school. I agree with @thumper1 regarding medical schools not reimbursing interview expenses. YMMV, the following are DS’s experiences:
- PhD interview travel expenses are fully reimbursed, including hotel arrangements made/covered by the university.
- MD interview travel and lodging expenses are typically not reimbursed.
- MD-PhD interview travel expenses are reimbursed up to $300 +/- (university dependent) and often the university will arrange free lodging with a current/host student, if desired.
The “Second Look” invitation (upon receiving an acceptance) will be an all-expense paid trip, although DS noticed that, unlike the MD-PhD students, the accepted medical students were not put up in the hotel by the university.
Sorry OP for getting off-topic and good luck to your son 
They have UT and other institutions right there. Why in the world would they pay for flights for a professional but entry level plus position?
If I ran the center, it would not be an expense that would seem to make sense with so much local talent coming into the market. It would rare for me to approve that cost. More specialized and senior. Sure.
It can still be a wonderful entree to a varied and interesting career. It’s a data analyst role for big bank, investment shop or fund complex. Many have formal career pathing and internal job posting opportunities.
He’s moving there anyway. Use it as a chance to explore the city, look at neighborhoods and nail the interview.
Get the job and then see where it goes. Getting a job in a booming state with a bit more experience this job offers will be no problem.
Worse case , he visits his future town, has the experience of a formal interview in this field.
Yes it costs a few bucks but it doesn’t sound like an outrageous investment with the opportunity within reach.
He and his GF have already made plans to go down in July and look for an apartment, but the woman asked if he could go down sooner, like next week. I’m hoping she’s ready to offer a job. They can’t change their flights and do it all next week because she’s out of town with her family. She said he was responsible for his own travel expenses.
Again, he can’t just say no, he won’t go. He needs a job now and this has been his only reply to any resumes he’s sent out.
Thank you to everyone who responded, I enjoyed reading them.