4 tips for working in the UK after your studies

By Jill Moore, former International Student Advisor at the University of Glasgow, current Careers Adviser at the University of Dundee

You're probably looking?forward to the moment when you’ll hand in your final coursework and start your future. You may already be thinking about your?next steps, and, if you’re an international student, you may be considering working in the UK as your next step. If so, here are four things to keep in mind even before you graduate.

Know when to apply to the Graduate Route

Preparing an application for a Graduate Route visa may be on your ‘to do’ list, but don’t submit your visa application too soon.

For you to be eligible for the Graduate Route visa, the University must notify the Home Office that you’ve successfully completed your course of study before you submit your visa application. The University’s Immigration Compliance Team will inform you by email when they’ve done this. Once you’ve received this confirmation, you can submit your visa application, not before.

While you wait, you can always familiarise yourself with the other application requirements.

Explore your options

The Graduate Route visa is an option that?many students choose, but there are other immigration options for working in the UK after studies.?For instance, you may wish to learn?more about the Skilled Worker visa, a visa for those who have received a job offer from a UKVI-licensed employer to do a specific job that meets minimum salary and skill levels.?If you’re planning to set up a business in the UK, the Start-up visa may be something you wish to find out more about.

You can learn more about these and other routes through the Government's website or UKCISA's website.

Know where to find accurate information

When preparing for a career in the UK, it’s important to know where to find accurate information. This is crucial if you want to secure a visa because immigration policies and procedures may change unexpectedly. The Government’s webpage on visas and immigration is guaranteed to have the most up-to-date, detailed and accurate information. UKCISA regularly updates their website to reflect this. Their website may be easier to navigate to find what you’re looking for.

In addition, the University’s International Student Support Team have prepared a webpage for international students with lots of information and useful resources to help you discover more about different immigration routes for work in the UK after studies.

Boost your employability

UofG Careers is a service available to you as a student and for two years after you graduate. They support you as you identify and work towards your career goals like finding, applying to and interviewing for opportunities (eg internships, part-time jobs, graduate schemes and more).

They?offer online and in-person careers events (eg Masterclasses and fairs) during term and provide resources on their website and social media. They even have a specific webpage for graduate information.

(By the way, UofG students have free access to LinkedIn Learning, online video courses to help you develop your skills. You can easily add these courses?to add to your LinkedIn profile after completion.)

You may also benefit from taking a free online course like Study UK: Preparing for work. This course is designed specifically?for international graduates of UK universities to help them navigate and enter their local employment market.

Preparing to work in the UK as an international graduate is no easy challenge, but you've already managed to pursue your studies here and are reading this article, so you're on the right track. Ultimately, the best advice we have is to ask questions, stay informed and be confident. Good luck!