Emily Packer and Krista Cooper, Careers Consultants here at the CS, share their best pieces of advice and top resources for those wanting to work internationally, whether in the UK or elsewhere
Working globally is exciting, aspirational and ambitious.
After you finish your study, you may be thinking of working internationally. This could mean working in the UK or working in another country to your home.
Wherever you choose to work it is important to have the correct information about your rights and responsibilities in accessing eligibility to work in a particular country. This could entail applying for a Visa or ensuring your employer will support you to work in the country of your employment. It might mean opening a discussion with an employer on what the opportunities might be.
This is true whether you are a UK student looking to work internationally or an International Student looking to work in the UK, or another country to where you need rights to work.
The Careers Service cannot give advice on visas, but we know people who can and hope that this blog can help you to connect with the resources to support you.
Working in the UK
Connect: International Student Office (University of Cambridge)
- The International Student Office at Cambridge has information pages on Work visas for after study, including information on the Graduate Route, which comes into effect in July 2021.
- You can follow the International Student Office team on Twitter for regular updates
Watch: UKCISA: UK Council for International Student Affairs
- The UKCISA have a range of helpful articles on visas and working the UK following the completion of your studies. Their information pages on ‘Working after your studies’ breaks down the types of visa available.
- They also held a webinar in March 2021 for students on the new routes available, a recording of which can be found on their website.
- Follow the UKCISA on twitter
Read: AGCAS’ FAQ Document responding to student questions about working in the UK
- AGCAS (Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services) is a helpful friend to Careers Services and their task group has collated some useful FAQs from International Students who are looking to work in the UK. Read it here
Bookmark: UK Visa and Immigration (UK Government)
- The UK Visa and Immigration pages are the legal guidance and information pages for all persons looking to secure a visa, including information for employers.
- They have specific pages on working in the UK and a list of employers who are licensed sponsors in the UK
Other useful websites for your career planning
- GradLink a specialist job searching website for international students who have studied in the UK
- TARGETjobs – Guides for International Students working in the UK
- If you are unfamiliar with the various regions of the UK you use Local Enterprise Partnership sites (LEPs) pages to learn more about the labour market in a particular region, including infrastructure and industry developments that are being focused on in each area. There are 38 LEPs in the UK. You can access each of them from the LEP Network.
- Help translating qualifications for your employer through UK ENIC
Working Globally
There are a range of useful websites that can help any graduate wanting to work globally.
- GoinGlobal: Contains information to help you plan your international career. The Careers Service has subscribed to this service, and it is available via the links on this page to Cambridge students, staff and alumni only. It has particularly useful guides to working by country, city and US cities.
- Prospects: Provides advice, information and jobs board recommendations for students and graduates wanting to work globally. They give detailed advice per country, including the UK.
- TARGETjobs: Provides advice and information for students and graduates looking to work internationally. This includes their country guides and articles based on student FAQs, such as this one on the impact of Brexit on the graduate job hunt.
Using Handshake for your job search
If you are using Handshake for your job search, these tips will support you in finding suitable roles:
- Complete your ‘Career Interests’ profile, and answer ‘Where are you interested in living?’
- On your personal profile (‘My Profile’) complete the section ‘Cities: What cities would you consider?’
- When searching for a role, filter by ‘location’
- Note: an employer can register as having their base in one country (i.e UK) but have offices globally – so do read any job description thoroughly to see if they mention any other location opportunities
- Tip: Be open to asking employers about their opportunities in various locations, including whether people transfer to new locations after being in post for a while – this will help you understand any opportunities for movement for established staff.