Drawing on two semi-structured biographical interviews with graduates of German Schools Abroad (DAS) in Peru and Spain who grew up in the respective school contexts and later moved to Germany for higher education, this article examines how the interviewees retrospectively interpret their migration decisions. Both describe this decision as the result of a gradual process driven by the increasing acquisition of German language skills and, eventually, the German university entrance qualification, as well as by (subtle) recruitment efforts from school representatives. Yet their interpretations diverge markedly: the graduate from the DAS in Peru frames the process as an extraordinary opportunity enabled by the school and achieved through personal effort, whereas the graduate from the DAS in Spain views it as a manipulative practice directed at young, impressionable students. The comparative analysis shows how DAS in the Global South and the European South operate as recruitment instruments geared toward Germany, attracting students from rising middle-class families through comparatively low tuition fees and subsequently steering them toward educational migration. These dynamics evoke contrasting forms of biographical meaning-making and generate attitudes ranging from gratitude to resentment. The findings highlight the ambivalence of DAS recruitment practices and underscore the need for greater transparency and reflective guidance for students at DAS who are confronted with early, far-reaching educational and migration decisions.