global graduates: study abroad, languages and careers
TRANSCRIPT
Lizzie Fane,Founder of
Global graduates: the strategic importance to the UK of increasing the international experience of UK graduates.
• Funding• Accommodation• Insurance• Travel• Shipping• Language• Documentation• Money/banking• Packing• Phones• Registration• Settling in• Culture Shock• Summer jobs• Career advice
The Student Experience
• International opportunity = part of course OR advertised to them via mailing list, social media, flyers or an International Fair.
• They are attracted by adventure, popular culture, CV benefits and funding.
• What do they think the advantage is? Everything they are told! It is “good for your CV” and…
“The best year of your life!”
Does an international experience make graduates more entrepreneurial?
Nick Holzherr, International Business and
German. Year abroad in Frankfurt where he started his first business. 2012: on
The Apprentice.
Universities’ Choice Award for Most Transformed Student
Our winner, Rae-Ellen Collins, nominated by the Placement Officer
at Sheffield Hallam University
BC’s Generation UK-India (Digital India or Make in India)BC’s Generation UK-China Internships
UKTI’s Postgraduates for International BusinessEC’s Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
Lord Bilimoria,
Founder of Cobra Beer
EMPLOYERS’ PERSPECTIVE
SKILL ACQUISITION= “the value-added
graduate”
• “Global Graduates understand and appreciate international cultures in external client meetings (e.g. etiquette).”
• “Global Graduates can enrich the company culture and bring new ideas and attitudes.”
• “Global Graduates diversify our junior intake which, traditionally, has been red-brick 2:1 same old, same old.”
Employers say…
Graduates looking for roles which specify language skills.
Employers looking for ‘value-added graduates’ but don’t want to reduce application pool by specifying
individual skills, like languages.
+
MFL graduates have difficulty translating the skills they have acquired on their year abroad into
workplace skills on their CV.
Catch-22 Situation
GlobalGraduates.com
• Global Communications internship, International Chambers of Commerce, Paris
• Multimedia Reporter, BBC Afrique, Cameroon• Cricket coaching year abroad work
placement, Cricket Argentina, Buenos Aires• Summer 2016 internship, Christie’s, New York• Marketing Assistant internship, WayToStay,
Barcelona• Social Media Broadcast Journalist (Arabic-
speaking), BBC, UK• EU Finance internship, Amazon, Luxembourg• Marketing Internship, Etsy, Australia• Spain & Italy PR Specialist, Airbnb, Barcelona• Asia Internship Program, Christie’s, Hong Kong
“I work for the ambulance service by day, and by night I am a Special Constable for Greater Manchester Police. Both of these
jobs revolve around interaction with different people and cultures, and I believe my year abroad helped me
enormously in securing these positions.”
Elise Jackson, German, University of Leeds. Erasmus in Germany, now works for the ambulance service and Greater Manchester Police.
How can we better support the UK’s future graduates?• Work with Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
• Promote the funding aspect of the year abroad
• Promote case studies not clichés
• Fund an annual UK-wide Year Abroad Award to find the best case studies to use for promotion
• Collect case studies from employers about the benefit hiring Global Graduates
• Support our website :)
Thank you very much!
@thirdyearabroad@globalgrads