Employability Support for International Students at the University of Bristol

Several studies have suggested that one of the key motivations for international students to pursue their higher-education abroad is the streamlined accessibility to employability support and career guidance offered at the host universities. In the recent past, however, a noteworthy employability support gap between domestic and international students in the UK has been observed. Naturally, for an international student, the often domestic-centric employability rankings do not stand to offer much reassurance. Whilst Bristol, for instance, consistently ranks high on league tables for graduate employability, the question remains - what career guidance or employability support should one expect to receive here as an overseas student??

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In this article, as such, I hope to highlight some relevant resources accessible to Think Big Scholars and international students at the University of Bristol. Drawing upon my experience as an international scholar at Bristol and that of my peers’, I have attempted to cover the three broad verticals of ‘employability support’ available to students - personality and soft skills development, internships and work placement, and industry-oriented career guidance.?

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Personality and Soft-Skills Development -??

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Think Big Development Programme – Exclusively made available to overseas students who are also recipients of the University’s Think Big scholarships, the Development Programme, delivered by leadership coach Guillemette Villemin through a series of online and in-person workshops and activities, is focussed on cultivating inner-leadership and core skills as part of holistic personality development, promoting a conscious character and transferable skillsets.??

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Bristol PLUS series – ‘Career-ready courses’, delivered as a component of the Bristol PLUS Award, that are structured as pathways designed to help cultivate employable skills such as creative and innovative thought process and data analysis and presentation. As somebody on the PLUS Award track this year, I would highly recommend it to international students since it is endorsed by a host of employers, and also serves as a formal on-transcript validation of employable skills gained at university. PLUS Award is open to students across all faculties.?

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Internship and Work Placement Opportunities -?

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SME Internship and myCareer Portal – If the idea of gaining a four-week paid work experience with a small and medium enterprise appeals to you, look no further than the University’s SME Internship scheme – an innovative university fund that contributes a grant of ￡1,458.80 to the organisation participating in the scheme for the prospective intern’s wages. Should you wish to learn more about this scheme or hear from previous interns, head to the blog on the scheme, highlighting stories from previous interns. What I believe is equally noteworthy about this is that enterprises that participate are often also willing to potentially hire for a graduate role.??

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Because most such internships and part-times within and beyond the University are vetted and made available to students through the myCareer portal, however, it is important to know how to navigate the platform. MyCareer offers students a free skills assessment, CV and interview preparation, and a host of interesting blogs to go through in order to be better prepared for any upcoming interview or simply have an overview of the sector. I personally found the interview guidance provided through in-person practice workshops and the online interview simulator incredible. Next time you’re on the portal, make sure you register for one of those!?

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Work Experience Abroad – Have you ever had the thought of going abroad to work, volunteer or study for the summer? Whilst the opportunity might sound lucrative, what students, both international and domestic, find most discouraging are the expenses associated with working abroad. On a very generic note, this includes flight tickets, visa expenses and additional living costs. In order to alleviate some of these pressing concerns, the University has support schemes like Knowlson Trust Travel Awards, Alumni Foundation Grants, Summer Abroad Scholarship, and the UK Government initiated Turing Funding. It is worthwhile to remember that besides domestic students looking to further general outward student mobility, international students seeking support to work in a country other than their home country or for research presentations in conferences outside the UK are equally welcome to apply for these opportunities.?

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In-Curriculum Placement – Most of Bristol’s degrees, with the transferable skillsets imparted, prepare you for life beyond university. Specific degrees in engineering and the social sciences – such as policy studies and management, however, offer a curricular component that includes credit-bearing work placements undertaken by students. In addition, for courses with a year-in-industry, students are offered the opportunity to undertake a paid placement. If you are an international student and are wondering what it feels like to spend a year-in-industry, read this? detailed article by fellow International Scholarships Ambassador Jennie Soh.??

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Industry-Oriented Career Guidance:?

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Careers Series and e-Mentorship – As somebody who only started at Bristol last September, I feel one of the best things about being here is you never run out of career guidance and advice. Irrespective of whether you have already found a dream career pathway for yourself (kudos to you if you have!) or are still unsure of what you hope to go into after graduation (we got you!), I very highly recommend attending the Careers Series events. From sessions on the Graduate Route Visa specific to international students to panels on what work within the governance or the media and broadcasting sector looks like, there is no better way to learn about the potential challenges within specific sectors than to hear it from University alumni themselves.?

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If you haven’t yet, also consider registering for Bristol Connects – the University platform that gives you access to e-career mentors in your domain. Career mentors are usually experts who volunteer their time to support matched applicants in navigating their career pathways.??

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Furthermore, as always, for queries or clarifications, remember to head over to the live chat with the Careers Office, taking place regularly from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 4:30 pm GMT.?

This article was written by Souhardya De . Souhardya is a first year Undergraduate student at the 英国布里斯托大学 studying History.