By Ellen MacAskill
There are many reasons why young people decide to leave the country to start their careers. The job market is improving at a snail’s pace post-recession and graduates see few opportunities for work in their field in the UK. According to the Parliament’s website, in September to November 2013, “the unemployment rate (the proportion of the economically active population who are unemployed) for 16-24 year olds was 20.0%”. With depressing statistics like this, many are seizing the opportunity for the gap year they never had. Or maybe the grim Scottish weather finally becomes too much. Whatever their motive, more and more young graduates are going overseas for work.
Prospects, the UK’s official graduate careers website, lists Australia, America, Canada, New Zealand and Spain as the five most popular countries for relocation. Jobs found range all the way from engineering to beekeeping. The pull of going to an English-speaking country is clear, with no language barrier to hinder your job prospects and social life, and the familiarity of a first-world lifestyle.
Olivia, who graduated last year, has recently fulfilled a life-long dream of moving to Canada: “what I think is important to the experience of moving abroad is the connections you make before you go – the people who are going to point you in the correct directions, help once you’ve landed, hook you up with work experience and job offers and give you a hand structuring your resume, or taking you out for lunch in the city.”
South of the equator, the Australian Working Holiday programme promises 18-30 year olds the best deal on a temporary Visa which allows them to enjoy a 12 month break in Oz with opportunities for ‘casual employment’ to keep them afloat financially. If not the best way to kick start a graduate career, this service can provide a refreshing break. Jobs in bars and retail may be necessary when on the hunt for something more rewarding. The success of the Working Holiday shows that they are arguably a lot more fun in a new country.
Frankie is in Australia for a year after leaving her university course in Scotland: “it’s been a thousand times better than I thought it would be. It’s really chilled out here and everyone is lovely. And it seems really easy to find work which is a plus!”
Teaching English as a Foreign Language is one of the most popular ways to find work abroad. TEFL courses can be completed through online distance learning or intensive weekend-long training courses. This will appeal to language students who want to use their degree to travel. If Higher French feels like a distant memory, never fear: English itself is the only language required to find a TEFL job abroad. A course like this provides a great jumping-off point for a career in a country which you may otherwise be unable to explore.
Before graduation, many universities offer opportunities to study further afield as part of a degree. Usually in third year, students have a range of options to consider. Erasmus provides funding for courses within Europe; the British Council employs students as language assistants in schools overseas; and the International Exchange programme pairs up universities in countries across the continents.
Rosie, an Italian graduate from Edinburgh University, says about her year in Verona: “I met new friends from all over the world, picked up the language and had the best year of my life. If you are lucky enough to have the chance to study or work abroad, take it!”
The question is, how many of these far-flung folk will return? Losing the best graduates could be detrimental to our economy in the long run. An article in the Telegraph in late 2012 labelled this export of graduates since the economic crisis as a “brain drain”. This perspective fails to recognise the struggle of youth under-employment, and shows a lack of faith in our universities to produce enough talented workers to fill our ‘no-vacancies’ job-market.
We are constantly reminded to think of future employers and what they will consider desirable attributes. If this adventurous generation do choose to return, they will be marketable across the board. The National Union of Students’ website advises that “moving abroad and finding work experience shows motivation, independence, maturity and adaptability”.
Graduating into a skint, rainy Scotland need not be as scary as it seems. Start saving, stick a pin on the map and the world could be your oyster.
Have you upped sticks and left Scotland to start a new life? Share your stories on Twitter, @Scotcampus and be sure to visit our careers and lifestyle event Futures Fest for more inspiring opportunities in 2014.