I was recently involved in a research project funded by the British Council to understand the employment prospects of UK-educated Indian and Chinese students upon their return home.
As part of the research, I met with a number of UCL Alum and below is a summary of their top tips to find a job upon your return home.
- Maintain and re-establish links with friends, lecturers and colleagues. Establish a presence on business networking websites such as LinkedIn – networking is a very effective way of finding work.
- Join the UCL Alumni Community and the British Council Alumni Group, this will not only expand your network but you can talk to UCL alumnus, learn from their experiences and source job opportunities.
- Be realistic in regards to starting salary upon your return home, remember the cost of living will be very different to the UK.
- Be prepared to sell your rationale for studying in the UK and returning home positively. Recruiters may have negative perceptions attached to leaving your home country to study overseas.
- Overseas employers may not be familiar with the UK education system and as such they may not know much about UCL, so make sure you include UCL’s world ranking on your CV.
- If finding a job in the UK/Europe proves too challenging, explore career opportunities in different emerging markets such as the Middle East, Singapore and Africa to gain overseas experience, as most businesses are seeking to trade in these regions.
- Target multinational organisations or organisations in your home country with multinational joint venture partners.
- Explore UCL’s International JobOnline to support your job hunting. This site carries job opportunities from employers who are interested in UK returnees.
- Expect a degree of ‘reverse culture shock’, give yourself time to adjust.
- Stay positive, finding a job is a job in itself – so persevere!
For more information or to see a careers adviser before you return home, book in for a Quick Query.
