Planning to Study in the UK? These Strategies Could Change Your Life

So you've been admitted to the British university of your choice, you have been approved for a student visa and your flight to the UK has been booked, but are you sure that is all you need before making that transition to your new life in the UK? If you would be self-funding part of your time spent in the UK, do you have a plan and a strategy to execute that plan?

In our experience, 8 out of 10 international students approaching us for a part-time job have no relevant experience for the job they want. In the UK, most jobs require work experience, even weekend jobs like babysitting, customer service or care work. It is therefore important to strategize, so you can make the most out of your stay in the UK.

As an international student aspiring to study in the UK, you should be keen on acquiring work experience even before arriving the UK. This is important because to potential employers in the UK, it demonstrates that you have the practical skills required to perform as an employee. Employers expect students who are seeking a part-time placement to already have work experience. Planning your strategy and approach to part-time work while you study should start as early as the same time you made the decision to study at a UK university.

Strategies you can use to gain work experience before arriving the UK

1. Internships:

Internships are a great way to gain valuable work experience before arriving the UK. It also allows you to experiment with various career paths before committing to one. Applying for either paid or unpaid internship positions would broaden your opportunities and assists you in developing new ways to stay up with the fast-changing environment when you arrive the UK.

2. Taking on part-time jobs:

Getting a part-time job that isn't directly related to the field you're planning to study can be an excellent approach to getting work experience. An example of this is working as a carer in a care home while planning to study for a law degree can help build patience and organisation skill. It can also help you find niche law firms or sectors willing to hire you. Working a part-time job is also an excellent way to meet and network with people who may be helpful later in life, not just for your study in the UK alone.

3. Taking online professional courses:

Acquiring online certification is a common practice for people in all industries around the world. It communicates an individual's expertise and training to employers and also increases your competencies. Many employers in the UK use this to filter candidates, so as an international student planning to study in the UK, you should start taking on professional courses while you're making other preparatory study plans, as it will help boost your chance of gaining getting a job while studying. You can explore some of these courses on Udemy, Coursersa and others can be found here.

The benefit of this is that even after graduation, you can use these experiences to transition into the industry you have gained work experience in and this increases your chances of staying back in the UK if that is your goal. This is particularly more common in the healthcare and teaching industry, not so much in other industries.

International students who want to stay back and work in the UK upon completion of their studies should focus on the industries with high demand for workers, namely healthcare, teaching, and truck driving. While formal qualifications might be a gate pass to the interview stage, something else takes precedence at this point: You would need to prove that you have the necessary experience for the job and the easiest way to gain this valuable job experience is to work part-time jobs while studying.

Regardless of your availability, there are lots of job opportunities that can fit your schedule. If you are interested in getting live updates about student jobs in the UK, kindly register your interest and be informed when we go live with student job ads in the UK. Just as well, if you are a foreigner who would like to stay updated on our recruitment service for care jobs, nursing, and doctor jobs, kindly register your interest and stay informed.

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