Part time work for internation students and what is a National Insurance number?

If you’re looking to earn some extra cash while studying there are a few things that you should know.

The first thing to check is your visa status and how many hours a week you are allowed to work.

If you re from the European Union then you may work as many hours as you like, although this should be cautioned as you still have a degree to pass! If you’re here as a non EU student on the standard tier 4 visa than the usual rules are that you can work up to 20 hours per week during term time and unlimited in the holidays. Many employers will not be aware of the rules so you may have to gently educate them. To find out you’re exact status, look in your passport, or talk to UCL Rights and advice.

Once you know how long you can work you need one other bit of legal information. A national insurance number. Now, you can start work without one but you will need to get this sorted fairly quickly. A national insurance number allows you to work in the UK and makes sure you pay tax on your earning above the threshold of £146 per week. Anything you earn above this threshold will be taxed at 12%.

• 12% on your weekly earnings between £146 and £817
• an extra 2% on any earnings over £817

For more info go to the HMRC website (Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs)

Now you are ready to find work it’s good to know where to look. The first go to place should be UCL Jobonline. This is where all the employers that like UCL students will place their adverts. You can search for part time/full time work and internships as well as graduate positions for when you finish your studies. There are roughly a 1000 new posting a month.

The next place to look is the UCL union Job shop. It has mainly part time roles and most jobs are fairly local to UCL.

Other sites include

1. UCL Careers website job resources
2. http://www.e4s.co.uk/
3. If looking for positions in different countries ie. Not in the UK, then check out Going Global ( you will need your UCL ID and Password to sign in)

When you have found a job you want to apply for, you will often have to provide a CV (resume) and cover letter (Introduction letter) to be able to apply for the role. On the link below are some help sheets to show you how to put them together.

http://www.careerstagged.co.uk/resources/helpsheets~applications/all/popular/1

When you have a draft, come into the careers service and have it checked over by an adviser. We run 15 minute one to one sessions Monday-Thursday that you can book in the morning for later on that same day. There are no advanced bookings. For full instruction on how to book see the link below.

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/careers/students/advice

Don’t forget to bring the job advert you are applying for as it’s really important that your documents are tailored to the opportunity.

Similarly if you are invited for an interview, we can run a practice interview with you and make sure you are on peak performance on the day.

Happy job hunting and if your not sure where to look or how to apply and impress, come in and see us for a short guidance appointment. Click on the link above for detail on how to book.

Good luck!

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International Students : October 2012 Events

UCL Careers Service aims to support international students throughout the entire career management process, from understanding the UK graduate labour market to writing CV’s, interviewing and beyond. 

With the Autumn term having started, we offer a series of careers events specifically designed to address the needs of international students considering work or post-graduate study in the UK and overseas.

To book onto any of these sessions, please log in to your My Careers Service account.

—–

Monday 1^st October 2012, 1-2pm

De-mystifying the UK Job Market

An introduction to finding a job in the UK through a variety of different routes.  We will look at how to find job openings including graduate training schemes, examine other strategic approaches to job-hunting and look at cultural differences in the recruitment process.  We will also provide a term-by-term ‘job-success’ planner so you won’t miss important application deadlines.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the UK job market including the different ways for graduates to access it.
• Provide information on current market using data from previous UCL graduates and an employer’s perspective.
• Form a strategic approach to job hunting in the UK using different approaches such as networking, online tools and speculative applications
• Understand the recruitment cycle in the UK.

 —–

Monday 8^th October 2012, 1-2pm

Working while you study and CV’s for part-time work

This one hour talk offers advice on how to combine earning money with effective studying, the legal requirements for working in the UK, information about the range of jobs that you might be able to do and where to look for part-time jobs.  We’ll then look at how a CV for part-time work should be structured.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the importance of having UK work experience on a CV for finding post study work in a global job market.
• Outline and signpost legal requirements for working part time while studying, including visa and tax issues.
• Explore different types of part-time work in the UK and sources to find jobs.
• Develop an awareness of the structure and content of typical UK CV’s, for part-time work and how to translate previous experiences to a style that future employers will understand.

 —–

Monday 8^th October 2012, 5-6pm

Effective Job Applications

This seminar gives advice on how to effectively communicate your relevant skills to employers and provides key strategies to better stand out through the entire UK application process.  Discover how to build a sound argument that you have what the employer is looking for and learn how best to communicate that argument in your job applications

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain insight into UK employers or educational institution’s perspective and an overview of the application process.
• Understand how best to structure a UK CV and covering letter, and its key components
• Consider how best to explain your experiences in a way UK employers will understand their value and see how they match their job descriptions.
• Understand how best to answer competency (or other) questions on an application form and complete a personal statement.

 —–

Tuesday 9^th October 2012, 1-2pm

Employer presentation – working in China for Mars

This session is presented by Mars representatives to help Chinese students understand the opportunities open to them within the large international organisation of Mars.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the graduate programmes available from Mars
• Gain insights into working for a large multi-national company in China both as a graduate and beyond
• Learn how the Mars recruitment programme works, including tips on completing the application forms and the assessment centre
• Hear real life accounts of working for Mars from a recent graduate

 —–

Monday 15^th October 2012 1-2pm

Writing a UK CV

How can you make sure that your CV impresses an employer?  If you’re applying for jobs in the UK, an excellent CV is critical to your success.  This seminar gives advice on putting together an effective CV and formatting a powerful cover letter for the competitive UK market.  We will give you an insight into what UK employers are looking for, and point out common CV-writing mistakes.

Learning outcomes:

• Develop an awareness of the structure and content of typical UK CV’s, cover / motivation letters and application forms.
• Understand how to translate skills, experience and personal qualities gained through academic and other experiences to a recruiter.
• Explore techniques used in UK application processes, including reading job advertisements, analysing CV’s and tailor CV’s to specific recruiters.
• Articulate positively and convincingly your reasons for applying for specific jobs based in the UK.

 ——

Monday 22^nd October 2012 5-6pm

De-mystifying the UK Job Market

An introduction to finding a job in the UK through a variety of different routes.  We will look at how to find job openings including graduate training schemes, examine other strategic approaches to job-hunting and look at cultural differences in the recruitment process.  We will also provide a term-by-term ‘job-success’ planner so you won’t miss important application deadlines.

Learning Outcomes:

• Understand the UK job market including the different ways for graduates to access it.
• Provide information on current market using data from previous UCL graduates and an employer’s perspective.
• Form a strategic approach to job hunting in the UK using different approaches such as networking, online tools and speculative applications
• Understand the recruitment cycle in the UK.

 —–

Monday 29^th October 2012 1-2pm

Effective Job Applications

This seminar gives advice on how to effectively communicate your relevant skills to employers and provides key strategies to better stand out through the entire UK application process.  Discover how to build a sound argument that you have what the employer is looking for and learn how best to communicate that argument in your job applications

Learning Outcomes:

• Gain insight into UK employers or educational institution’s perspective and an overview of the application process.
• Understand how best to structure a UK CV and covering letter, and its key components
• Consider how best to explain your experiences in a way UK employers will understand their value and see how they match their job descriptions.
• Understand how best to answer competency (or other) questions on an application form and complete a personal statement.

—–

For further information please visit: http://bit.ly/SrBODx

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Summer is on the way!

Summer 2012 is going to see a huge influx of tourists both for the Olympics, Paralympics and the Queen’s 60^th Jubilee so not only will be really exciting to be in London, it will give you a good chance to add to your CV and your bank balance!.  Here are some ideas of how to get started:

• While jobs at the Olympic park are no longer an option (all employees needed to be UK Boarder Agency approved by April), extra help within pubs, cafes, restaurants and retail will needed to handle the crowds.  Keep an eye on the Careers Services Jobonline website or visit the jobs section of the UCL Careers Service website so you don’t miss out.
• Often smaller business advertise their roles by posting notices in their window so keep your eyes peeled as you’re walking around your local neighbourhood.  Getting a local part-time job keeps your travel costs down, and also gets you really involved in your local community.
• The most common type of summer work is within the hospitality industry.  Agency’s such as Hospitalitystaff.co.uk or fest staff recruit for a whole range of roles from checking tickets to serving food and security across loads of different festivals and events.
• Individual venues also take on extra staff over the busy summer period.  A good example is the Royal Albert Hall which hosts the Proms between July and September and who is currently looking for stewards to help out.
• If you’re more interested in an experience and less worried about the money, why not try volunteering.  UCL Volunteering is right here on campus to help out and organisations like the Volunteer England have special sections on volunteering for Olympics.  Also many of the museums, galleries and concert halls will be looking for volunteers over summer.  An example is the Royal Festival Hall on the Southbank who are looking for extra volunteers for their Festival of the World.

To help you out with other ideas, doing up your CV or preparing for interviews, the UCL Careers Service will be open throughout the whole of summer (apart from the official UCL closure days) offering application checking and short guidance sessions.  To check times and see how to book, visit the Careers Service website.

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Working in Pakistan 1: The Corporate Initiative

If you are from Pakistan and thinking of returning to work there after finishing your degree in the UK there is good news. Pakistani employers are currently seeking to recruit new graduates and the demand is high for those with a good UK degree.

To build up links between employers and students the UKTI and the Education UK British Council recently launched a project called the ‘Corporate Initiative’ to spread the word about the opportunities available in Pakistan. Top employers teamed up with these organisations and visited universities where high numbers of students from Pakistan are enrolled. We met up with them at Brunel University to find that opportunities are available not only in multinational companies but in flourishing Pakistani organisations, NGOs and Government Organisations. Recruitment is particularly strong in the energy sector and also in telecommunications, FMCGs (fast moving consumer goods) and construction and development.

More details about the Corporate Initiative and the Partner Organisations for 2012 can be found in the ‘Business Recorder’ at: http://www.brecorder.com/home/events/ukit-career-fair-2012.html

For the other 2 posts in this series focusing on Pakistan, follow the link to our friends at International futures and look at their blog.

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Do you want access to 16 Million International Jobs?

Well if you’re a student at UCL it’s your lucky day. Here at UCL careers we have just arranged access to THE Amazing, THE Fantastic Going Global site.

If you haven’t been on Going Global before you’re in for a treat. The idea of the site is to give you expert knowledge of the global job market, by giving you a run down on the current economic out look, hot sectors and how to approach job hunting in the country of your choice.

Under the ‘Country Guides’ section you click on the name of the country you want to look at and then can view info on:

Industry and Employment Trends,

Top Companies,

Professional and Social Networking,

Embassy Listings,

Financial Considerations,

Work Permits and Visas,

Résumé/CV Guidelines,

Interviewing Advice and Cultural Advice

What’s more, by clicking on the Jobs and Internships button you can then have access to 16 million opportunities around the globe!

So what are you waiting for………Check it out here Going Global site.!

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A life of fighting crime or working in London? Where do International students end up?

So.. this is from a post we did a little while ago, based on some research from our friends at International Futures. They have a great blog for international students, check it out here.

To the post….

So maybe becoming a caped crusader is a little far fetched. That is unless your local neighbourhood watch scheme has gone militant or you’ve watched the film “Kick ass” one too many times. There is however a mystery surrounding what international students go on to do. Well that is, until now!

Every year a survey is carried out of all students leaving university, 6 months after they graduate. It’s called the DLHE report (Destination of leavers in higher education) and its results are often surprising. For full details of where international students end up  see the destinations page at International Futures.

Did you know that half of international students find employment straight out of University and of that number 62% stay in England while 29% find work in their home country.

Those that landed their first job said that the top tip to securing employment was personal contacts and previous work experience in the company. A massive 24% landed jobs through Networking and 21% said they found their current role because they had completed a summer placement or internship for their employer. For current vacancies check out job online or international job online if working over seas is your dream destination.

The top employers were the NHS and UCL itself it seems, however this is likely due to the large number of Medics trained at UCL. Other big employers were Ernst and Young and Tesco. Almost 60% of students worked for employers with 250 or more employees; however the second largest group of students worked for companies with 1 to 49 employees. The figures show that when applying for job roles it is vitality important to include SME (Small to medium size enterprises) in your search.

So what about those that didn’t go on to employment? Well; about a quarter of student go onto further study after they graduate, while a further 6% combine work and study, 6% were still looking for work and 14% were doing something that didn’t fall neatly into a particular category and classed as “other”.

So there you have it, while many students go on to work in England or sign up for another round of academia, 14% remain men and women of mystery, so when Commissioner Gordon puts up the Bat Call, it could be one of your cohort that answers. Just maybe…..

Thanks to our friends at International futures for the number crunching.

For the full destination break down and more surprising facts click here

AW

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A unique opportunity for Indian Students to make a difference…….

Teach For India is a movement of outstanding graduates and young professionals who, in the short term, teach low-income group students full-time in under-resourced schools. In the long term, these Fellows will become global leaders and advocate for educational equity across India. There are currently close to 400 Fellows teaching 12,000 students in 130 schools in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi and is expanding to Hyderabad and Chennai in 2012

In the first 3 years of existence, Teach For India has attracted Fellows from top universities such as Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Institute of Management, Harvard, St.Stephen’s College, St. Xavier’s College, and many more top-notch colleges in India and across the globe. The Fellowship also attracts young professionals from reputed companies such as Accenture, McKinsey, Schlumberger, Tata Group and several more international and Indian companies. The first batch of 80 alumni who graduated in April 2011 are today spread across India and the world, working with organizations such as McKinsey, Leader’s Quest, NIIT Foundation, Akanksha etc. and some are even studying at universities such as Harvard, Chicago Booth, Kellogg and Cornell. To know more, please visit www.teachforindia.org

You could also get in touch with Abishek Maroli who works with the Fellowship Recruitment team at Teach For India and assists applicants from universities outside India. His email address is abishek.maroli@teachforindia.org.

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Opportunity for Chinese Students – China Employability Workshops tomorrow!

The British Council, operating in China as the Cultural and Education
Section of the British Embassy, will run a series of employability workshop
in the UK from 22-23 October 2011.

The China Employability workshop will give Chinese students an insight into
career opportunities available to them; help Chinese students to better
understand employer’s needs as well as the current job market in China, and
how to get ahead of the competition by enhancing their understanding of the
job market.

HR executives from major employers in China have been invited to give an
overview of the competitive job market in China, talk about various aspects
of recruitment from the employer’s side and share job opportunities with
Chinese students. Students will also have opportunities to raise questions
they might have about job hunting and career development in China.

Companies attending

. Microsoft
. 58.com
. Nokia Siemens Network
. Nestle
. Deloitte
. Hay Group

Event Details

London Session
Time: 14:00-16:30, October 22nd 2011, Saturday
Address: Lecture Hall, Central Hall Westminster, Storey’s Gate, Westminster,
London SW1H 9NH

Manchester Session – nearly full!
Time: 14:00-16:30, October 23rd 2011, Sunday
Address: Lecture Theatre B, University Place, The University of Manchester,
Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL

Workshop registration
The workshop is open to all Chinese students currently studying in the UK.
Due to limited venue capacity, RSVP will be required. Interested students
are required to choose one session from the below itinerary and fill in the
registration form online. Registration will be closed after capacity is met
or the stated closing date, whichever comes first.
Students who have registered successfully will receive a confirmation by
email after the registration is closed.

Please visit below link for more event details or to sign up to attend this
workshop:
http://www.educationuk.org/China/Article/China-Employability-Workshop?

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Exclusive access to Financial Alternatives employer speed meet

So you’ve considered investment banking, but you aren’t sure it’s the career for you. What else can you do in finance? Assess. Advise. Comment. Investigate. Regulate. Report.

Financial Alternatives is your opportunity to find out more about your options.

With a small group of other students, you will have a few minutes with each professional. They will tell you about their job and how they got there then you can ask them your own questions.

Employers involved include:

• Financial Times
• Allianz
• Factset
• Burns Anderson
• Tesco Finance Scheme

Venue
This event will be held in Beveridge Hall, South Block, Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London, WC1E 7HU. 20 October 2011. It runs from 5.00pm – 7.00pm.

If you require any special assistance (including induction loops or large print materials) please let us know in advance and we will do our utmost to facilitate your access to this event. Contact us at cs@careers.lon.ac.uk or on 020 7863 6042 to discuss arrangements.

Cost
£16 – current students from colleges within The Careers Group, University of London Consortium and members of GradClub.
£20 – for all other participants.

You should be informed within two working days from receipt of your application whether you have been given a place on the course. All applicants who are not successful will be given a full refund. PLEASE NOTE: There is an administration charge of 10% of the total booking on all cancellations and refunds cannot be given after 5pm on 14 October.

How to apply

To register please click here and set up an account.

Important: Once you have set up an account you need to search the calendar for 20 October and select the Financial Alternatives event.

PLEASE NOTE: If you are a current student at any of the following colleges: Goldsmiths, King’s College London, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway, SOAS, St Mary’s or UCL or you have signed up to receive JobAlert, you will already have an account. Sign in using your College Careers Service or JobOnline username and password and then search the events section for Financial Alternatives.

NB you will not be given a place on the course until we receive payment. After you have registered for the event, please pay online using the link given in the event description.

Please register before making payment.

For general enquiries, call 020 7863 6042.

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Should you disclose your nationality on your CV?

Lately I have seen a number of International Students who have asked me the same question, “should I put my nationality on my CV?” and “will this affect how employers view my application?”

My view is to be upfront about this… Remember an employer will read your CV and may well work out you are from overseas by simply looking at your previous education.

So if you are from outside the UK, be clear about your nationality on your CV whilst clarifying how this impacts your eligibility to work in the UK. For example, if applying for a part-time job whilst studying put something like:
Nationality: Indian, eligible to work part-time in the UK for up to X hours.

(Make sure you know the current position by always keeping up to date with information on the UK Borders website)

If you are looking for work in the UK after you have finished your studies, try something like
Nationality: Indian, Tier 1 (Post-Study Work) Migrant, eligible to work in the UK for 2 years.

Again there are excellent guidance notes from UKCISA

For specific question relating to your right to work in the UK contact UCL Rights and Advice.

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