Working in the UK as an International Student, and
Graduate
Frances Meegan, Careers Adviser
Careers Service
Careers Service
What we will cover
• Things to be aware of regardless of visa status
• Some things to be aware of if you will require Tier
2 sponsorship
• Help from the Careers Service
Careers Service
Regardless of visa status
• National Insurance & Tax
• Active sectors in the entry level graduate recruitment
market
• Key features of recruiters who are active in the graduate
recruitment market
• Sectors that are not significantly active in the graduate
recruitment market
• Being a competitive applicant in the UK recruitment market
Careers Service
National Insurance & Income Tax
• A National Insurance (NI) number is needed to work legally in the
UK
• National Insurance number application line: 0345 600 0643;
Mon-Fri, 8am to 6pm
• NI deducted from earnings over £155 per week @ 12% (15/16)
• Income Tax deducted from annual earnings over £10,600 (15/16)
• www.hmrc.gov.uk/students (includes information on double
taxation agreements) ; Euraxess UK Guide
Careers Service
Active sectors in the entry level graduate recruitment
market
• Investment Banking & Fund Management
• Financial Services
• Management Consulting
• Economic Consulting (often at postgraduate level)
• Commercial Law
• Information Communication Technology
• Large enterprises (with Graduate Training Schemes, and sometimes
internships), e.g. fmcg, retail, manufacturing, pharma, energy, transport …
• Large public sector (local, national and trans-national levels)
• Academia (at PhD level)
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Key features of recruiters active in the graduate
recruitment market
• Will usually have a preferred recruitment cycle which may be similar
across sectors, but can be very different between sectors
• Some may use internships to recruit for graduate roles, but not all
• Some sectors will be very active on campus, others less so, if at all
• Often multiple steps to the recruitment process – so time consuming
• May have some understanding of the rights of international students to
work during vacations and to switch from Tier 2 to Tier 4 at the end of
their studies ……
Careers Service
Tough nuts to crack for entry level graduates
• Think Tanks
• Charity sector
• Social enterprises
• Arts & Heritage
• Human Resources, Marketing Communications outside of graduate
training schemes
• Small Medium Enterprises (especially non-techie)
• Media
• Law (outside of the commercial firms and chambers)
Careers Service
Characteristics of employers who are not targetting
entry level graduates
• Significantly less likely to advertise their opportunities with Careers
Service or jobs boards targeted at students and graduates
• Often require very specific experience at a particular level
• Recruit for jobs as and when the need arises ( several to a few weeks in
advance of start date)
• Application and selection processes likely to be comparatively simpler
and quicker
• Significantly less likely to understand the rights of international students
to work during vacations and to switch from Tier 2 to Tier 4 at the end of
their studies ……
Careers Service
Being a competitive applicant in the UK recruitment
market
Must meet recruiters’ threshold eligibility criteria, e.g. school &/or university
grades, good standard of written & spoken English, PLUS
• EVIDENCE that:
• You understand what the job is and what is required to do it
• You have what is required to do the job (what you have done, and how you
have done it, and the result/impact/contribution of your actions)
• You want to do the job
• You will fit into the organisational culture
• You have a compatible career motivation
In summary: evidence that you possess the right skills, experience, attributes and
behaviours (competencies) & motivations
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Building evidence of competencies & motivation
• Extracurricular activities, e.g. student societies, sport, hobbies, e.g.
trading, writing, blogging, producing, directing, debating
• Competitions &/or consultancy activities (especially team-based)
• Volunteering
• Work experience (paid or unpaid)
• Well conducted research into job, organisation and sector, including
making use of Careers Service events & resources
• Where possible taking opportunities to interact with people working in
your target sector &/or organisations, e.g. Careers Fairs, Careers
Panels, Employer Led Skills Sessions, GradLink, on-campus events
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Additional things to be aware of if you require Tier 2
sponsorship
• Boosting you competitiveness
• Attitudes to sponsorship vary across and within sectors
• Top tips for targeting your efforts
• Help from the Careers Service
• Tips for keeping your options open in your home country
Careers Service
Particularly important if you will require sponsorship
• Evidence of in demand/scarce skills
• Giving convincing answers to career motivation questions
 evidence of extracurricular involvement outside your own culture;
 Evidence of personal involvement within the UK;
 awareness of recruiter’s talent strategy (e.g. growth and development
outside the UK, skills shortages in the UK, developing future leaders for
the UK, developing future leaders for the global business )
• Making personal connections during recruitment (cultural fit: passing the
taxi or airport test)
Careers Service
55K Tier 2 General Visas Y/E June 2015
By my estimate roughly just over a third of these were under the quota
system, and two thirds were switching from Tier 4 to Tier 2
• Information, Communication & Technology (23.5K)
• Science & Technical (10.7K)
• Finance – banking, fund management, insurance, accountancy (6.7K)
• Human Health, and Social Work (3.3K)
• Education – primary, secondary and higher education teaching (2.7K)
• Manufacturing (2.7K)
• Other (5.9K)
Careers Service
Careers Service perspective on sponsorship
• There is an overlap, although not a direct match between sectors that
actively target entry level graduates, and those most willing to sponsor
visas
• Main driver behind recruiter attitude to international applicants is
business need
• Scarce in demand skills usually mean a greater willingness to sponsor
• A recruitment strategy based on recruiting the top talent can mean a
greater willingness to sponsor
• Insufficient UK/EU applicants can mean a greater willingness to sponsor
• Core graduate roles/schemes in some sectors may not be sponsorable
under the immigration regulations (below NQF 6)
Careers Service
Top Tips : deciding where to direct your efforts
• Is your target employer on the Tier 2 (general) Register of Sponsors?
• Is the type of role you are interested in applying for on the Tier 2
Shortage Occupation List?
• Does the type of job you are interested in applying for meet the Tier 2
sponsorship requirements? What is the minimum £ requirement for
new entrant?
• Are there any additional nationality and/or residency requirements?
• Is the job you are applying for likely to require frequent travel to
countries outside the UK?
Careers Service
Top Tips: refining your targeting
• Do they say anything on their website about recruiting international
candidates?
 "The successful candidate must, by the start of their employment
have permission to work in the UK”; “…..we welcome applications
regardless of …..nationality…….”; “Do you have the right to work in
the UK?”
• Check to see if your target employer has an earlier application deadline
for international applicants
• Prioritise employers who recruit comparatively large numbers of
graduates
• Prioritise employers who work internationally, and particularly in
contexts where your linguistic or cultural experience may have some
added value
Careers Service
Applying for UK opportunities – help from the Careers
Service
• Website www.careers.cam.ac.uk portal to all we offer – across sectors including further
study and Academia
• What’s On? diary
• Vacancies & Opportunities (jobs, and vacation work) : do save searches
• CamCareers email service: do register your interests
• GradLink
• Podcasts , sector-based and generic
• Employer led skills sessions
• CV & Cover Letter Guides, skills sessions & checks, referral to the Language Centre
• Careers advice sessions, including applications for further study
• Interview Practice
Careers Service
Top Tips for being competitive outside the UK
• Maintain &/or develop links with your home country
 Do work experience there if possible
 Tap into Cambridge Alumni groups
 Use Linkedin (your profile, relevant groups)
 GradLinks working outside the UK
 Ask on campus recruiters for advice on accessing opportunities
in your home country
• Learn to market your UK education and experience back home
• Use the “working abroad” sections of sites like prospects.ac.uk;
TargetJobs.co.uk; monsterjobs
Careers Service
Applying outside the UK – help from the Careers Service
• GoingGlobal
• Gradlink UK- India, ASEAN, China, Africa, Canada (different to our
GradLink)
• Vacancies & Opportunities - geographical search
• CamCareers emails
• Careers Fairs in China, Hong Kong, Singapore
• Organisations recruiting from Cambridge may also recruit graduates in
your home country or region
• Help with applications
• Interview Practice
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