Why did you choose to study in the UK? 

Many UK institutions consistently rank among the best in the world and the qualifications are internationally valued and recognised. These institutions also offer flexibility of choice and enable international students to combine academic and vocational courses of our choice in an international context with best in-class facilities.

As an international student, I got the opportunity to be taught by the world's leading academics and experts and benefit from their academic support, and also interact and network with a diverse group of talented students from around the world. 

What’s your career aspiration? 

With all of the skills that I currently have in project management and technology, I aspire to learn more about product management and get exposure to customer interactions with products and services in a deeper way. I think this will create a highly sought-after type of employee that is in high demand. One with a wide variety of skills that can strategically help companies move forward. That is the type of professional I aspire to be in the next 5 years, a versatile Product Manager. 

What were/are the main barriers and challenges you faced as a Tier 4 international graduate to getting a job in UK? 

There are many. First and foremost is the Visa Sponsorship. Getting an employer to sponsor a work visa is really very hard. The first question they (employers and recruiters) ask is whether the graduate or candidate will require visa sponsorship and not how skilled the candidate is or what he/she will bring to the company. This filtering makes it almost impossible for international graduates to get a job in the UK. Other challenges include effectively understanding the UK labour market, recruitment practices and processes. 

What advice would give to a current Tier 4 international student who wants to secure a graduate role in UK? 

Start early. Do not wait until you graduate. Try and get some sort of relevant work experience part time or during vacations. Think long-term and ignore tempting short-term benefits. Network, network, network. Join student societies, volunteer, go to events, attend careers fairs, get to know professors and the careers team at your university and build connections over time. Make use of these support networks and opportunities as they are valuable and help a lot. Always keep your CV updated and up to the UK standards. Same goes for Linkedin. Cannot stress how important it is. 

Looking back, what advice would you give yourself as a student in UK for what you could do to develop your employability skills? 

In hindsight, I would advise myself not to be hesitant and not overthink things and instead to use the time wisely and develop skills in your field. Find relevant work experience as getting the degree is just the first hurdle. Employers want some sort of experience and transferable skills, and it is particularly important in an increasingly competitive job market today. 

Do you think careers support should be different for international students compared to home students? If yes, why? If no, why? 

Yes, definitely. The background, the needs, the foundation everything is different for international students. So, it is only fitting that the careers support should be too. Their experience, awareness and aspirations needs to be evaluated and understood to some extent and then tailored careers support should be provided. 

What’s your definition of employability?

According to me, employability is a set of transferable skills and personal attributes. If a person has a strong foundation, good subject knowledge and technical understanding then that makes them employable. These skills include hard and soft skills like communication, teamwork, organisational which can be learnt and honed over time. Add professionalism and emotional intelligence to this and one becomes highly employable and valuable. 

Thank you to Arpit for taking the time to answer these questions and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours. If you are an international student/graduate or just anyone else who wants to get in touch, please do.

careers@praino.co.uk. 

Ciao for now, 

Bianca