AFTER GRADUATION: Finding a Job as an International Student

Finding a job after graduation as an international student is probably one of the most frustrating things to think about.

A lot of organisations would prefer to not have to deal with applicants for which they would have to sponsor for a work visa. In that case, it's a lot easier to just give positions to UK citizens and permanent residents. This makes it a lot more difficult for us foreigners because only a handful of organisations are willing to sponsor successful international applicants. The fact that as an international student, you are limited in where you can apply for is bad enough but no one mentioned THE APTITUDE TESTS.






As an international student, you are on a Tier 4 (General Student) Visa which allows you to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week during term time. The visa typically expires in October and if you haven't managed to secure a job or further education, you would need to return to your home country.


















The biggest piece of advice I can give is to start ahead of time. Start applying for graduate jobs/schemes/programmes and further education as soon as the academic year begins. Do not procrastinate till December and certainly not till the next year. Funnily enough, a lot of the organisations that are willing to sponsor international applicants are the larger, more successful organizations. They are extremely competitive and have earlier applications deadlines (October-November). 



Once you get past the application, you have the aptitude tests: numerical, verbal reasoning, diagrammatic and situational judgement. This is the difficult part. EVERYBODY'S WORST NIGHTMARE, but honestly, it's ok. There's a secret. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Honestly. It's like with IQ tests. There are people who master the IQ aptitude test structure and score 180+. It's not because their Einstein's cousin. No. The more you practice the aptitude tests, the more you will get accustomed to the types of questions and that's literally all it take and you're halfway there.





With postgraduate education, the only thing I can say is apply on time. In fact, this is the one thing you should take away from this post. Start on time and that alone will help your chances.



Good Luck!






-- Chioma Elsa Nwanna