Career Opportunities in UK
Being one of the largest economies in Europe, the UK has seen a significant decline in the unemployment rate. This reflects that study in UK for Indian students is an impeccable opportunity for them to build fulfilling careers in the country.
• Part-Time Employment in the UK
As per the rules of the government, enrolled students are given an allowance to work for up to 20 hours a week during term time and full-time, 40 hours, during holidays or vacation time.
While part-time employment is an option for students studying in UK, those students who are pursuing a course below the degree level are allowed to work only 10 hours a week (this was initially 20 hours but has been reduced since). Foundation Degree students are exempt from this cap and are allowed 20 hours. Students who are enrolled to study in UK from India can earn around £ 5 - £ 7/hour i.e., approximately £375 - £525/month during the term. They can also work 40 hours full-time during vacation time.
As UK education consultants, we often advise students to seek relevant employment opportunities by browsing through local newspapers and job shops, as well as the Universities and C career cells. While universities in UK assist students in seeking employment opportunities, they are not guaranteed part-time employment by the University.
As per the rules of the country, students looking to study in UK for six months or less, cannot work nor extend their visas further.
• Employment in the UK After Graduating
To attract international students, the UK government has altered its pre-set study visa rules for international students. Based on the new set of rules, international students from various countries, including India, are eligible to stay back for up to 2 years after the completion of their study program. Before the introduction of these new rules, students that completed their study in UK programs were allowed to stay back only for a maximum of 6 months.
As a benefit to Indian students, the new visa rules apply to students who are enrolled to and are studying any subject at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. This new visa requires a student to make a new application, which compromises payments of visa and health surcharge.
A prominent benefit to studying in the UK for Indian students is that it now gives them an opportunity to stay back and seek employment within the UK. During the stay-back period, if the student secures employment, they may switch their visas to the skilled work segment, which is a route that completes itself at immigration or settlement. Moreover, this doesn't restrict the type of jobs students are permitted to undertake.
Although universities have opened their doors to international students, academic qualifications are still the main focus for universities in the UK when it comes to accepting the academically eminent.
This new route was launched in 2021, and eligible graduates in the summer of 2021 (Academic Year 2020-21) will now be able to apply for this route. This also includes those who have already commenced their course in 2020.
Thus now, study in UK for Indian students includes an application under this route after the completion of the program. In the time allowance of the visa, the students have secure employment and then switch their visas to that of a Work one and gain exposure.
Graduates looking to build careers in the field of Information Economy, Oil & Gas, Construction, Graphic Designers, Animators, Health Care, Restaurants, Medical Consultants, etc. are those who are going to greatly benefit from this route.