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Studying in the United Kingdom opens doors for international students. With the right to work during your studies, you’ll have the chance to gain valuable work experience before graduation.
But what if you decide you want to stay and work in the UK after your studies? Now, it’s easier than ever to find graduate jobs in the UK, thanks to recent visa changes.
Let’s explore what this new UK government initiative means for finding a job after graduating.
You can start your career off with the Graduate Route. Since July 2021, International students have been allowed to spend an additional two years in the UK after successfully completing their degrees. It’s an unsponsored route: this means you don’t need a job offer or funding to apply.
You’ll be able to search for a job and get professional experience of the UK job market before returning to your own country.
If you decide to remain in the UK and pursue your career after your visa expires, you’ll be able to switch from the Graduate route to the Skilled Worker route.
As long as you meet the relevant requirements, the Skilled Worker route allows you to work in the UK for a further five years. It allows you to stay in the UK to do an eligible job with an approved employer. This visa also contributes to settlement rights – meaning you may be able to apply to live permanently in the UK.
Read more about the different types of Visas available in the UK.
Now that working in the UK after your degree is easier than ever before, what kind of graduate jobs are available?
The jobs market in the UK is full of opportunities for international students. After all, the UK economy is the fifth biggest in the world. And, there are certain fields which are crying out for workers.
It’s certainly helpful to know what’s available for you when it comes to your graduate job search in the UK. Science technology, engineering, and maths (STEM) careers in the UK are in especially high demand.
Let’s take a look at some of the STEM jobs on the UK Shortage Occupation list:
If you have recently graduated with a degree in the sciences, then you’re in luck. There are lots of science jobs in the UK for graduates. The nuclear industry, the oil and gas industry, and the engineering industry need people in the following roles:
Chemical scientists
Biological scientists and biochemists
Geologists and geophysicists
Hydrogeologists
Geoscientists and geochemists
It’s good news for students planning to study biology, physics, chemistry, or geology. Your knowledge and skills will be in demand after you graduate!
Find out more about studying the sciences in the UK.
Engineers of all kinds are always in high demand in a wide variety of industries, from manufacturing to construction to retail. Most undergraduate engineering degrees require you to specialize in mechanical engineering, for example, or electronic engineering. But there are some general engineering degrees where you can specialize later in your studies, once you’ve decided where your interests lie.
Once you graduate, there’s a shortage in the UK of the following:
Civil engineers
Mechanical engineers
Electrical engineers
Electronics engineers
Design and development engineers
Production and process engineers
Find out more about studying engineering in the UK.
Studying computer science or software engineering is a good choice if you want to future-proof your career. Nowadays, technology is all around us, underpinning our everyday life.
With a computer science degree, you can work in virtually any sector. The following jobs are in high demand:
IT business analysts, architects, and systems designers
Programmers and software development professionals
Web design and development professionals
Learn more about studying computer science in the UK.
It’s not just science and technology jobs that are in demand in the UK. The creative industries are also looking for skilled practitioners to work within the UK in the following roles:
Artists
Classical ballet dancers
Contemporary dancers
Orchestral musicians
Arts officers, producers, and directors
Graphic designers
Architects
If you’re studying in a creative field, you’ll have lots of opportunities to work in the UK after graduating. Learn more about studying the creative arts, design, music, or architecture in the UK.
Discover 5 more graduate jobs in demand in the UK.
If you want to study at a university in the UK, you’ll need to attend lectures, participate in seminars and tutorials, write essays, and complete assignments — all in English. So, you’ll need to show that you have good language skills.
PTE Academic is a robust, reliable test of English that’s accepted by 99% of universities in the UK, as well as the UK Home Office. So, you can also use your PTE Academic score to apply for a UK student visa.
PTE Academic is completed on a computer, including the speaking part of the test.
So make sure you are prepared by familiarizing yourself with the equipment you will use during your test. Reading these test tips and you will be fully prepared.
There are many ways you can improve your chances of gaining points in Part 2: Reading during PTE Academic.
To improve your reading skills, practice increasing your reading speed and comprehension at the same time. In turn, you will improve your writing, grammar and vocabulary skills.
To do well in this part of the test, you need to be able to read quickly, using effective reading strategies, as there is a limited time to answer all questions.
Speed reading tasks will help improve your reading speed. Practice speed reading every day and:
Aim to be reading at least 220 words per minute
Reading short articles of around 300 words
Read often for short periods of time
You can also try this as a challenge with your friends to help keep motivated. Once you are happy with your comprehension and speed, focus on chunks (groups of words) rather than individual words.
When your reading skills reach a level you are happy with, you will feel more confident to answer the questions.
In the Multiple-Choice, Single Answer question type, some test takers make the mistake of scan reading and matching the words in the text to the words in the answer. Generally, the words in the text are not used in the correct answer, therefore it is important to learn how to use synonyms and paraphrasing as it will be used in the test.
Learn how to improve your grammar in our Reading: Core Skills part 1 article.
In this question type, you will need more time than in the Multiple-Choice, Choose Single Answer question type, as you need to intensively read the stem (the part before the options) as well as the options, then scan read the text on the screen until you find the part of the text that contains information that was in the stem.
Read the options very carefully and match the meaning of the option with the text. Do not match the words – this is something test takers may make errors with.
You should also make sure not to choose all the options since you lose one point for each incorrect choice. However, you cannot score below zero.
To do well in the Re-order Paragraphs questions, you will need to have a strong understanding of cohesive devices and how they work. You will also need to understand how articles work, as well as the logical and chronological order of information.
In this question type, skim-read the text to get the ideas of the topic of the text. From there, you should read all the sentences carefully.
For both Fill in the Blanks and Reading & Writing: Fill in the Blanks question types, you will need to understand a range of vocabulary, collocations, grammar, pronouns, and cohesive devices, as well as being able to identify when plural nouns are needed.
You will also need to be able to skim read to get an idea of the meaning of the text, then read intensively before and after each blank. If unsure, you should guess based on the context.
Make sure you do not leave any spaces blank. You do not need to correctly fill in all spaces to get points.
To go back and review the question types within the reading test, we suggest learning more about the reading questions.
Explore Smart Prep, which combines all our practice materials in one place, so it's easier for you to stay on track with your PTE preparation.
Smart Prep is a clear path to test day, guiding you through the official paid and free resources available for your test
It can be accessed whether you’ve booked a test or not – just create, or sign in to your myPTE account
Preparation materials include guided practice tests, introductory videos, video courses and test tips.
Ready to get started?
Do you have your heart set on studying in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland? The UK is a wonderful place to live and learn, but you’ll most likely need to get a UK study visa before you start packing your bags.
This comprehensive guide covers who needs a UK student visa, the requirements for getting one, how to apply, how much it costs, and how long it takes.
If you’re an international student hoping to study in the UK, you’ll most likely need a student visa. The only exceptions are nationals of Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area (EEA), who don’t need a visa to enter the UK. *
* Please note: The outcome of Brexit may alter this after 2020. Check the UK government’s website for up-to-date information about this.
There are several UK study visa requirements you’ll need to meet to successfully apply. These include:
You’ve been offered a place in a full-time course from an eligible university (i.e. the school must be a licensed Student route visa*Tier 4 sponsors)
You can understand English (both written and spoken)
You have enough funds to support yourself and any dependants, while also paying for the course.
These requirements apply to students from all over the world. This means the UK student visa requirements for Indian students and American students are exactly the same for Chinese students and Australian students (and so on).
