Eurograduate have launched the digital issue of Eurograduate 2012.
Eurograduate focuses on graduate recruitment and further study opportunities in Europe. This issue includes:
Working abroad
Women in the workplace
Industry information from Tourism to Automotive
Postgraduate courses
University profiles.
You can view the magazine online and save a copy. For more information about working or studying abroad please see Prospects and visit Careers in WG3 in the Queens’ Building.
Whether you have a passion for teaching or want to travel abroad to discover new cultures, teaching English as a foreign language might be the perfect career choice for you. Since fluency in English is the main essential requirement for the job, why not think about kick-starting your career in an original way to really stand out from the crowd?
What Is It?
Teaching English means a bit more than just classroom experience. It involves a particular methodology designed for and targeted at a specific audience. If the plethora of acronyms in teaching confuses you, here’s a helpful guide:
Why Do It?
Teaching English abroad is a fantastic way to get the firsthand teaching experience necessary for a career in education, while the accreditations you will obtain can add to your CV and maximize your chances of getting a job.
Even if you don’t want to become a teacher, teaching English abroad can be extremely useful regardless of your career plans. You can gain valuable transferable skills such as project management or learning a new language, as well as work experience to get your foot in the door of the tough job market.
Before You Start
While the main requirement is proficiency in both written and spoken English, you might need to have additional qualifications depending on what you’re interested in. Think about who and where you would like to teach, whether you want a long-term engagement or just a summer placement, and what sort of skills you would like to develop. Also consider the financial aspects, e.g. paid work or volunteering, or the living costs and employment legislation of you chosen country.
Training
Once you’ve decided what you want to do, start looking at the relevant requirements and courses available for teaching English abroad. Here are some options:
Although different companies expect different qualifications, most employers tend to favour courses of a minimum 100 hours ELT/TESOL input, especially for people looking for long-term commitments.
If you’re interested in short-term work or want less intensive training, look into distance learning, an option offered by some TESOL/TEFL centres. Though such courses are generally shorter and cheaper than others, they are not as widely recognized as longer courses. For more information about the types of courses available, see i-to-i TEFL Courses or English Language Centre (CIC).
What Next?
After completing a training course, you can start looking for jobs and work on your application. TEFL England provides a free job placement scheme for people enrolled on TEFL courses for vacancies across the globe, which is useful for finding both long-term and short-term opportunities. The British Council is also running its own recruitment scheme for TEFL teachers. Visit their website for more details on the programme, and on TEFL in general.
You can also have a look at the Prospects website for more information about the teaching industry, as well as for a list of vacancy sources.
We Can Help!
Whether you’re confused about choosing the right course or need help with your application, our team of career consultants can offer you guidance and support with your career. Just give us a call on 020 7882 8533 or drop by our office in room WG3 in the Queen’s Building to book an appointment or look through the resources in our Information library.
Raluca – Maria Chereji
2nd Year French and Politics student
Working here in the USA this summer I am gleaning a number of pearls of wisdom about the US job search, so here are a few…
Firstly, if you are thinking about working in the US then the first thing that you need to find out about is visas. There are strict rules on who can work here, but the good news is that you can get visa sponsorship through a US company or come over as a short term intern. The US embassy provides full information about this and these websites allow you to search for companies who sponsor work visas (note that this isn’t exhaustive but provides a starting point): http://www.immihelp.com/h1b-sponsoring-companies-database/ and http://www.myvisajobs.com/Top_Visa_Sponsors.aspx
Secondly, only 10-15% of jobs are gained via the typical UK process of application to an advert. In the US 75% of people get their jobs by referral, where someone within a company put’s forward a candidate’s CV to the recruiter and as a result the candidate gets prioritised for interview. This means that you need to connect to people in the USA to increase your chances, and you can do that via LinkedIn the networking site for professionals. You want to look for people working in the same role as you and preferably in companies you’d like to apply to. You can do this by running a search for people in 3 main ways:
1) search members of the company you are applying to
2) members of the QM Alumni network who may now work in the USA
3) members of the US professional association for your field of interest.
Once you have found individuals to approach write them an email, asking them if you could find out a bit about their job over email (or maybe even skype). This way you can start to build a relationship with them. You never know what useful tips you may get and if you develop a good relationship over a few emails you could ask them to review your CV before you apply. If they like it, it may end in them offering you a referral.
Finally, here are some top websites for the job hunter: www.indeed.com, www.simplyhired.com/newgrad, www.dice.com, Jobsinthemoney.blogspot.com and www.wetfeet.com
Visiting Careers Advisor
Northeastern University Boston
Good with languages? Want an internship in Europe? If so then the Leonardo da Vinci programme may be the perfect thing for you to do this autumn.
What is it? – Fully funded internship in Europe – Choose between a 2week or 9week placement – Chance to work in Ireland, France, Portugal or Spain – Programme includes return flights, accommodation, health & travel insurance and more.
Placements available in: – Business Administration – Marketing and Sales – Travel and Tourism – Journalism and Reporting. Only 30 places left for September & October 2011 so apply now. Visit this link for more details.
If you are interested in working in Europe or worldwide, International JobOnline is our job board for vacancies abroad. Find out about different opportunities and employers, and get ideas and inspiration for your global career.
Recently, quite a few students have visited Careers asking about working or interning abroad. The economic climate may encourage more graduates to look further afield for employment but many students have picked a country because they have visited it before and have personal links there. You may like the national culture or be hoping for a post-university gap year. Perhaps you want to enhance your career and/or salary prospects or you would love to take part in an overseas community project. Whether one, some or all of these are true for you or not, you have to do your research first!
What is the country like?
Do you know how healthy the job market is at the moment or how to look for and make job applications, have a look at a country profile?
How long do you want to stay for?
You can stay on a short-term basis for an internship such as the AIESEC scheme. Or perhaps you wish to stay for longer which is dependent on work permits etc (see below)?
Can you travel there?
You may need a work permit to work outside the EU so contact the relevant embassy in the UK to find out. Is there any instability in the country that may prevent you safely travelling there? Check official travel advice and use this checklist to ensure that you have acted on these and other essential practicalities.
Can you make links from home?
There may be a UK employer that you are interested in with international offices. Try looking into work opportunities with the international-facing government departments like the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Department for International Development (DFID) and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) . Find your destined country’s equivalent of the relevant UK professional body or contact the UK body and ask for their international links, for example The Actuaries Profession in the UK and The American Academy of Actuaries.
Looking for work locally requires research and planning and so expect working abroad to demand the same if not more attention. There is a tidy Working Abroad section on Prospects to cover all the bases and of course come and see us in WG3, Queens’ Building.
Eurograduate have launched the Eurograduate 2011 Digital Issue.
Eurograduate focuses on graduate recruitment and further study opportunities in Europe. This issue includes:
Working Abroad
Graduate jobs in Europe
Engineering opportunities in Germany
Careers in Finance
Postgraduate courses
MBA programmes.
You can view the magazine online and save a copy plus there are a few printed copies in Careers (WG3, Queens’ building).
Many graduates are looking abroad to find work opportunities. Asia is seen as an exciting and attractive option due to the growth of the economies in this area.
Fresh graduates and final year students in Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong were surveyed to find out who they felt were the top employers in their country. The results show that multi-national companies are consistently ranked top in each location. To see the full lists, visit the links below.
Did you know that QM JobOnline also has a section for jobs abroad? QM International JobOnline not only has job listings, but also advice on working in different countries.
This weekend the Guardian published an article about how an increasing number of UK graduates are looking at working overseas as an additional option when jobhunting. They give 5 tips for finding work abroad:
1. Be focused. It might sound obvious, but having a specific goal in mind will help focus you. “Either look for particular sectors, companies, or countries,” suggests international careers expert Nannette Ripmeester.
2. Consider work permits/visas. This may not be a problem if you’re heading to the EU, but for other countries it’s essential to check with the relevant embassy or consulate. Agencies can help with this process – expect to pay for the service, though.
3. Brush up on your languages. Obviously a grasp of local languages is a big advantage in mainland Europe, “but UK graduates are lucky in that English is still the lingua franca of business,” says Ripmeester. Chinese employers might want you to take a crash course in Mandardin – but they may even sponsor you if they like what they see.
4. Be culturally sensitive. “Almost more important than not speaking the language is the way British workers often forget jobs markets differ in other countries,” says Ripmeester. “For example, employers may not place such value on things like your hobbies as they might in the UK.” So do your homework and show you understand the locals before you apply.
5. Think tactically. Do you know people who already live where you’re heading? If so, ask them to put the feelers out on your behalf, and if possible take advantage of their hospitality (but don’t overdo it). And network as much as possible, both before you go and while you’re there. A personal recommendation can be invaluable in any culture.
Do you speak Japanese? Would you like to use your language skills in the workplace? If so, this event could be just what you are looking for…
Graduates and postgraduates who speak Japanese and English are invited to attend the London Career Forum on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th of June at the Earls Court Conference Centre.
Global companies based in Japan, Europe and the US will be attending with a view to hiring candidates who are bilingual in Japanese and at least one other language.
To find out more visit www.careerforum.net or www.careerforum.net/?lang=E (English version).
Before you start making applications, it is important to find out about your visa status. You can ring The US Embassy helpline or visit their website: http://london.usembassy.gov/cons_new/visa/index.html
According to the US Embassy to get ahead in the USA job application process you need to get rid of ‘British modesty’ and be happy to explain your achievements and to get to the point! They expect that by 2018 there will be 34% more jobs for software engineers, 23.9% for management analysts and 10.3% for accountants / book keepers.
For advice and information about job opportunities abroad, including the USA, look at the jobs section on the new International Futures website.
Some short term and work placement schemes are listed below:
America’s Career InfoNet provides occupation and industry information, salary data, education resources, self-assessment tools, and career guidance.
