How to Work in the UK After Graduation
Are you nearing the end of your studies in the UK? Are you planning to stay in the country and gain valuable work experience? If so, this is the guide for you.
When you study in the UK as an international student, you’ll also have the opportunity to launch your career here. To make this dream a reality, it’s important to know where to start, including visa options and requirements.
Here is everything you need to know about how to work in the UK after completing your studies.
Working in the UK: Visa pathways
The Graduate route
Since July 2021, international students in the UK have been allowed to stay an extra two to three years in the UK after completing their studies. This visa rule is known as the Graduate route.
The Graduate route is available to all international graduates who have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher; the level of your qualification will determine how long you are allowed to stay in the UK post-graduation. The Graduate route applies to every corner of the UK, meaning you are eligible for it whether you study in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland or Wales.
Best of all, the Graduate is an unsponsored visa pathway. That means you do not need to have a job or be sponsored to be eligible to apply for it. There are also no minimum or maximum salary requirements under the Graduate route. This means you can work for whomever, switch jobs whenever you’d like and build your career as you see fit.
The Skilled Worker route
If you would like to work in the UK even after the Graduate route expires, one of the best options is the Skilled Worker route. This will permit you to continue working in the UK for an extra five years.
The Skilled Worker route carries more requirements than the Graduate route. Namely, you must have a job with a UK company approved by the Home Office. Your job must be on the list of eligible occupations and you must earn a minimum salary. In most cases, you must be paid at least £25,600 annually or £10.10 hourly (whichever is higher).
After holding this visa for five years, you may be able to apply to live permanently in the UK.
Employment opportunities in the UK
There are job opportunities across a wide range of industries in the UK. Some of the major sectors in the UK include:
The UK is also experiencing skills shortages across many sectors. This means that there aren’t enough skilled workers to keep up with the demand of these industries. In turn, there are many job vacancies and opportunities for the taking.
Some of the roles experiencing shortages in the UK are as follows:
Economists
Statisticians
Architects
Project managers
Primary and secondary school teachers
Chemical, civil and electrical engineers
Nurses
Baristas
Chefs
Software developers
You can learn more about the UK’s skill shortages here.
How to find graduate jobs in the UK
There are many tools you can use to search for graduate jobs in the UK. A great place to start is the Prospects job search tool, which allows you to explore graduate schemes, internships and more.
Employment sites like Indeed and Reed are also excellent tools to use in your job search. These sites feature job postings across various sectors and with many different employers.
Student Circus is another fantastic platform for finding graduate jobs. Designed especially for international students, the site not only shares job postings but offers employability tools such as a Job Seekers’ Toolkit and Country Career Guides.
It’s also worth using professional social media platforms, such as LinkedIn, to find graduate roles. Not only can you connect with your network but you can explore job vacancies and submit applications.
Read our full guide on finding postgraduate jobs in the UK here.
Making yourself more employable
A great way to improve your chances of finding work after graduation is to boost your employability. There are several ways you can do this, including:
Attending resume-writing workshops
Doing mock interviews with friends or family members
Volunteering in your community
Taking an online course (platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Udemy are excellent places to start)
Attending employability webinars
Networking
How PTE Academic can help you work in the UK after graduation
To work in the UK, you’ll need to demonstrate English language proficiency. With the help of PTE Academic, you can do exactly that.
PTE Academic is accepted by the Home Office, meaning you can use it to apply for UK visas, including the student visa (Graduate Route) and the Skilled Worker visa. Learn more about the test here.
Find out more about working in the UK
Eager to learn more about working in the UK? Check out any of the resources listed below to explore the possibilities:
Author: Rebecca MacFarlane
