The Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS), a member of UKCISA’s International Student Employability Group (ISEG), has captured the experiences of international graduates seeking employment in the UK after graduation in a series of case studies.
Who are you?
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Name
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Saejin Lee
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Nationality / country of origin
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Korea (South)
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Current visa
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Graduate route
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Are your expectations of your Graduate route visa being met?
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Undecided
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University, level of study and programme of study
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University of Nottingham
Undergraduate degree
Media, journalism and communications
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How many roles have you applied for since leaving university?
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25-50
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Current activity
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Employed - full time (permanent contract)
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Where do you work?
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Job title
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Communications Coordinator
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Employer / organisation
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Communications and press organisation
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Region of your contracted place of work
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London
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Briefly describe your role and your main responsibilities
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Managing social media, event planning and working with stakeholders on projects
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Time between the end of your course and start date for your current role
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More than 6 months
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How did you find your current role?
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Through social media (e.g. LinkedIn, Twitter)
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Thoughts on your visa
It is a great opportunity that I can stay 2 years with my Graduate route visa and I am very glad that this post-study work visa has been relaunched. However, it is quite expensive compared to other visas and this isn't counted as a skilled work visa. I have to get a Tier 2 visa and then work for more than 5 years if I want to apply for a permanent resident visa. With the post-study work visa, I should be working in the UK for a total of 7 years to be eligible to apply for the permanent resident visa and this sounds like a massively long time.
Since this visa was launched last year, it was quite hard for me to get the appropriate details. There was a well-written description on the website, but some information such as deadlines regarding Covid was insufficient.
In the process of checking the biometric residence permits (BRP) on the app, I had a technical issue and had to arrange a meeting with the visa immigration team in person. Some of my friends also had the same issue, although they had no issue with their devices, they also had to arrange the meeting with the team. In this case, there was less information provided so I was stuck during the weekend, and I also paid extra money because of the meeting with the immigration team. The visa process was delayed because of this meeting. I called the visa team but it was really, really hard to reach them via phone. When I asked questions because of the lack of information, they just told me to wait or keep checking my email, but I asked about the deadlines and technical issues.
The process of applying for the visa online was easy, but I was wondering if I really should be in the UK to apply online. I ended up going to the office to check my ID so I was fine, but it was very hard to travel from my country to the UK when I was applying.
Luckily, I got the visa quickly, it took approximately 10 days and an extra few weeks to receive my BRP. To sum up, I can say most of the processes including applying online, paying and registering were easy, but at the same time there were difficulties in accessing the app to check my current BRP before the expiry date, some extra costs and travelling to get this visa.
"I think it has been quite tough for me to enter the UK work industry."
Support and development
While at university, I had a one-to-one appointment with a careers adviser and received CV feedback. I attended an employer event, skills enhancement sessions and a careers fair.
Since university, I have volunteered, tried to get a certificate and taken part in online training.
"I had some interviews and they asked me to describe what exactly the post-study work visa is."
Employer knowledge and attitudes
I had some interviews and they asked me to describe what exactly the post-study work visa is. It seemed that they were not that familiar with this visa.
All the jobs I have applied for asked if I have a work permit in the UK. I had a graduate visa so there was no problem to apply for a job, but the application section was closed when I clicked no (before getting this visa). They also double-checked if the graduate visa was right to work in the UK.
What advice would you give to current international students seeking graduate employment in the UK?
I would advise them to try to apply for lots of jobs before their current visa expires. It is because this visa isn't counted as a skilled visa so they might face another visa problem when the graduate visa expires. Also, keep checking LinkedIn or specific communities focusing on EDI. I think it has been quite tough for me to enter the UK work industry.
"Most of the companies that I interviewed for also asked about my extracurricular activities during my university life. Keep trying a lot of activities, as much as you can before graduation!"
I also would like to advise that work experience is one of the important skills in the UK I believe, so maybe applying for an internship after the first year or during the second year! Most of the companies that I interviewed for also asked about my extracurricular activities during my university life. Keep trying a lot of activities, as much as you can before graduation!
