Finding a job in the UK for PGT International Students

David Levinson, Careers Adviser

Aims of the session: To provide information and advice on UK job hunting

To be informal, interactive and provide an opportunity for questions to be asked and answered

To highlight support available from the Careers Service and additional resources

To answer many, but perhaps not all of your questions

These slides are available on our blog: http://edinburghinternationalcareers.wordpress.com/

We won’t go into detail on

Looking for part-time jobs Visa regulations CVs, application forms, interviews

We run regular workshops on all of these

In pairs…………

Where are you from?

What are you studying?

What would like to get from this talk?

“I just got here, why think about careers now?”

Some deadlines are as early as OctoberOctober

Don’t wait until it’s too late

It’s not too early to think about what you want to do after University and to plan how to get there

The UK graduate job market is very competitive – you need to stand out from the crowd

How do we work?

Can the Careers Service find me a job?

Will the Careers Service write my CV?

Is the information only for UK students?

A quick quiz….

TRUE / FALSE - In the UK all jobs must be advertised FALSE

TRUE / FALSE – Most graduate jobs in the UK are either targeting only undergraduates or only postgraduates FALSE

TRUE / FALSE – It’s possible for a Tier 4 international masters student to do a full-time internship next summer FALSE

CVs in the UK should be no longer than 2 pages

Am I eligible to work part-time? Most (non-EU) international students will be eligible but to be

completely sure you should check your passport

You can also visit The International Office, 33 Buccleuch Place, where staff are trained to advise on permission to work

If you are eligible to work then you are permitted to work up to 20 hours per week. The University however recommends that you work no more than 15 hours per week

Bulgarian and Romanian students will need to obtain form BR1 for their Registration Certificate (until Jan 2014)

Come to one of our “Finding a part time job” workshops for more information

What are my first steps?

Log in to SAGE at www.ed.ac.uk/careers/sage

You should use your Myed/EASE user name and password

SAGE gives you access to:

Vacancies, Employer details and Latest news items

National Insurance processing days:

Jobcentre Plus is coming into the Careers Service to process National Insurance Numbers for students. Appointments are not bookable, please just come along and wait your turn. The session opens at 9.30am; the last appointment will be determined by demand on the day and is likely to be around 3.30pm.

Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 25 September 09.30-16.30 at the Careers Service in the MLB

Graduate jobs in the UK.….Helping you to stand out from the crowd

The UK graduate job market…

Graduate training schemes ( large blue chip companies)

Graduate jobs with small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs), not-for profit sector (but salaries may not meet visa criteria)

Graduate schemes are not your only option – many employers do not recruit in this way

Before applying for graduate jobs, you should ...

Assess your own skills and experience

Research suitable opportunities and organisations

Find out what they want for that role

Match yourself to their needs and identify sources of evidence

Applying for graduate jobs in the UK

When should I start....? NOW!

Many UK graduate jobs close by the end of November

What do employers want?

Do you want the job? Can you do the job? Do you want to work with us?

WANT-CAN-FIT

This is more important than what degree you have

It’s competitive....

Make a good application – get feedback Think about your USP – what makes you stand out? Build your skills (and evidence of them) outside study Make use of the Careers Service

Top tips….

Be clear about what you want to do and why Ensure your CV / application is targeted and relevant Use the best examples you’ve got Review – ask yourself “so what” Ask for feedback - first impressions

Visible job market

Responding to advertised vacancies = reactive job hunting

To do this you need to know where (and if!) the jobs you want are usually advertised

Sources of vacancies include:

Websites

Campus activities

Newspapers

Industry magazines

Recruitment agencies

Visible Graduate recruitment process

On-line application forms On-line tests Telephone interviews Assessment centres Face-to-face interviews Competency-based questions

Hidden job market - proactive job hunting

Why should you consider doing it?

Where does this approach work?

Opportunities exist – but are not advertised

Employers prefer to recruit in ways which minimise costs and risk!

Websites

SAGE - our vacancy and employer database:

www.ed.ac.uk/careers/sage

Other graduate vacancy websites examples:

www.prospects.ac.uk

www.targetjobs.co.uk

Directories – e.g. GET, Prospects, Top100,

The Best 600 Companies to work for

International (non-EU) students:Come to one of our workshops on “Working in the UK - a guide to employment and work visa

routes” for full information on:

Tier 2 ‘Graduate’ Skilled Worker Tier 1 ‘Graduate’ Entrepreneur Tier 5 Youth Mobility UK Ancestry Working after a PhD

International (non-EU) students:Applying for graduate jobs in the UK

NO resident labour market test under Tier 2

Minimum salary criteria form most roles is £20,300 – but varies e.g. £23,600 for electrical engineers and £16,700 for some “creative roles”- check the Home Office SOC codes

Must switch within expiry date of T4 visa and from within UK

You must have been awarded your qualification

“How will I know if an employer is a sponsor?”

Home Office register of sponsors

Much more information is available in workshops throughout the year – but get clued up early….

What do the regulations mean in practice?

If you want to work in the UK after graduating, you have to secure a job with a sponsoring employer before your visa expires

You must check that the employer is a registered sponsor and that the job meets the salary criteria

Other routes may be possible – come to a visa workshop to find out more

Resources for international students

International students web pages

International employer and vacancy information

Information on visas

How do I get help with my CV?

Appointments available every day, both centres

Resources in our careers information rooms

Talks on how to write a winning CV

Talks on application forms/interviews

Check out our events on the website

Some events to look out for:

Careers workshops start 12 September International talks China & SE Asia Virtual Careers Fairs Employer presentations start 16 September Careers Fair 8-10 October, Adam House

and much more….

Have a great year, build your CV and use your Careers Service!!

King’s Buildings Central

Weir Building 3rd Floor, Main Library

0131 650 5773 0131 650 4670