Stay in the UK: finding a job

Getting a work visa

Many people with Bachelor and Masters degrees are forced to take jobs for which they are overqualified.

All rights reserved by Renato Granieri

Matheo, 23 years old, BA in Business Administration, says:

“I got my bachelor’s degree in Business administration last August and have been searching for a job ever since. But I have to pay for my accommodation and you know I have to eat something so I had to take up a job in catering. It’s not so bad. So I usually go to job interviews in daytime and do my shifts in the evening. No luck in getting a job so far… I want to work in events management.”

So imagine how hard it is for non-EU students who are asking their employers for a work visa.

“This year I lost my job… Now I’m really scared I’ll have to go back to Moscow and start all over again. I have my whole life figured out here and now I might have to leave.”

Elena, 27, LSE Graduate

But there are some happy endings as well.

Olesya, 24, Masters at AA University:

“Thankfully I found a job just a day before my visa expired. I’m an architect and was struggling so much going to all the architectural bureaus trying to get a job and never hearing back from them. On my last day in London I had an interview so I just went there for the sake of it. My suitcase was already packed. And… I got the job!”

The facts are that for the first time in many years the number of non-EU students at UK universities has dropped by one percent, says the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

Solutions

So here is some advice for students who still haven’t lost their hope:

– Apply everywhere. Don’t be picky about your positions. You never know where help might come from and who might give you a visa. It’s always easier to move up inside the company. So one day you are a social media manager assistant and the other they might have an open position for a news editor.

– Take a good look at your CV. You should consult your professors – they might give you some valuable advice. Are you presenting yourself in a right way? Remember an employer takes 30 seconds to look at it. Make it interesting.

– If Internet applications are not working for you, why not drop by the office? At least your prospective employers will know what you look like.

– Find your love, get married and have kids. Who needs to work anyway?

ALN spoke to some people who were happy to share their experience!

Meet Sophie – current international student at LCC, who is still struggling to find a job in the UK.

What about European students? Is it easy to find a job for them? Kate and Thomas – both LCC students – are optimistic about the future! Listen to what they have to say.

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