INTERNATIONAL students are by nature open-minded and risk-takers. Having left home comforts, family, friends and their wider support network they may even have travelled thousands of miles in order to experience a new culture and gain a big edge over others in their future careers. But international students sometimes unfairly face challenges which arise from circumstances beyond their control and which can affect their career prospects.
One example of a raft of changes beyond international students’ control which have made things harder are the changes the UK Government made to the Post-Study Working Visa. Since the changes, international students have had to pass conditions where, according to Gradlink at the UWE Bristol, the “bar has been raised higher,” for international students studying in the UK who want to stay and start their careers here.
International students from the UWE Bristol are some of the most successful graduates from international backgrounds in finding employment. At the last count, a huge 94% of international students who completed their first degree at UWE Bristol went into employment or further study within six months of graduating.
So what is it that UWE Bristol does to help such a high proportion of international students find jobs? And what can international students do themselves to make the most of the opportunities on offer?
David Gee, who is in charge of the Gradlink UK programme based at UWE Bristol, says the changes in post-study work visas in the UK around April 2013 had made it, “five or six times harder for an international student to get a job in the UK.” International students faced having to have a job confirmation with a UK employer before their student visa expired, which could be four months before the end of their course.
Added to that, some of the largest UK online resources focused on the needs of international students had been withdrawn. So David initially aimed to provide a new online resource for Malaysian students, but once he had analysed the data from his new website he realised that the demand from international students was much larger than he had anticipated, “there was more and more traffic and more and more employers.” It showed that international students in the UK needed much more resources to help them find employment after graduating.
There’s now thousands of graduates from China, India, Canada and Bangladesh on the site plus whole areas of the globe such as ASEAN and Africa with over five hundred employers of all sizes looking to employ international students with the skills international students with UK university educations can offer. David says that the site now hosts students from all of the Top 50 universities in the UK.
Partly as a result of the successful Gradlink project, UWE Bristol won Best Careers Service at the National Undergraduate Employability Awards and Gradlink itself was shortlisted for The Times Higher Education Award in 2014, was runner-up at The Guardian Awards in 2015 and in the same year finally won The Times Higher Education Award. David Gee perhaps describes UWE Bristol's achievements and expertise with international student graduates as setting the university apart from other institutions in the UK.
International students have skills, such as their native language and unrivalled knowledge of their home culture, which are incredibly valuable to UK employers who wish to expand their business globally from their UK base. The programme enables overseas students to get an insight into a UK company and experience of UK workplace culture, meaning that it will be easier to settle into not just UK offices but also international offices of UK companies abroad.
One way in which interns, whether international students or not, make the best impact is by showcasing their individual skills and showing that they add value to a business or organisation – if you’re successful in gaining a placement through the International Talent Scheme, you’ve already been chosen for your unique skills and this provides a great platform to impress potential future employers.
So far, UK employers who have utilized the unique skills of international students have described the impact of UWE recruits as, “invaluable.”
Maria Martinez from Colombia completed her MSc in Construction Project Management at UWE Bristol and has since secured a role working for multinational engineering firm Aecom. She says that international graduates need to be proactive in applying for roles they think could launch their career: “No matter what people tell you, It’s never too early to start looking for roles. Get a head start as soon as you can.”
Maria also stresses the importance of networking as much as possible and especially making the most of the employer events at your university: “Try to make new contacts wherever you can. Networking is the foundation for building your relationships towards finding a job. LinkedIn is a very good tool. The director of my company told me ‘your LinkedIn profile is going to be important as they can confirm you are the person you say you are'.”
Finally, Maria says she believes that your CV could hold the key to getting noticed by employers - after all, it's likely to be your first introduction to any employer when you make your application: “Long resumes are the worst, so keep it short. My resume is one page. If your descriptive paragraph at the top is not engaging, people will ditch it! Be sure to include the correct company name, especially if you’re applying for lots of jobs!”
This editorial was sponsored by UWE Bristol. To find out more about their courses take a look at their profile.
