They pour billions into the economy and pay high tuition fees, but international students often struggle to put their skills into practice. Getting on to a course and achieving good grades is the easy part for many - it's getting the work experience to cement their learning that proves difficult. The additional hurdles of visa requirements and language or cultural differences are sometimes insurmountable for students from outside the European Economic Area.

Harpreet Agand is among those finding the job search tough. The 24-year-old Indian national is studying for an MBA and has begun applying prior to her graduation later this year. "So far it has been very discouraging," Agand says. "I went to a careers fair and I was talking to a man from one company. Everything was going great, he was impressed with my experience and that I'd previously studied in New York. Then he asked where I was from originally and once he worked out I wasn't a resident it was the end of the conversation. I was so put off by that and it wasn't just one company, it was two or three companies.

"I feel like I am contributing so much to the UK economy, I am paying for tuition and I am contributing to the community and the least I would expect is just a little bit of work experience and just a little bit of a return on my investment."

According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, there were about 224,000 non-European Union nationals in UK higher education last year, most paying much higher fees than home students - often around three times the amount for the same course - though figures vary between institutions and some are much higher. A recent report by the British Council estimated the total value of international students to the UK economy between 2003-04 to be about £8.5bn.

Benson Osawe, who founded the Council for International Students, thinks Agand's frustration is by no means unique. "It is difficult to get employers to take on international students," Osawe says. "Some firms may want to take people for a short while, but they often look forward to employing them when they finish university, so for international students it becomes more difficult."

But Osawe points out there have been some positive changes, such as the International Graduate Scheme, introduced this year to allow international students to work for one year after completing their course.
"We have seen some improvements from the government side of things," he says. "What is still lacking is employers wanting to employ international students; they feel they are going to leave soon or they are going to need a work permit."

In Scotland, the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland Scheme was introduced in 2005 to allow graduates of Scottish universities to work for up to two years after their course. So far, more than 5,000 people have taken up the opportunity, and it may be one of the factors that continue to fuel Scotland's growing popularity as a university destination.

For Amanda Drollinger, 26, it made all the difference. Drollinger, from the US, studied a Master's degree in architecture in Edinburgh, graduating in 2005. She says landing her current role as an architectural assistant was easy. "I had no problems finding a job and in fact I got quite a few job offers," she says, acknowledging her success was certainly due to having the two-year visa in place. "Otherwise there wouldn't have been any chance for me to stay and work in the UK at all. At that time I wouldn't have qualified for any of the other schemes and I wouldn't have found a job where they would have had to sponsor me."

For others struggling to crack the job market, more specialised schemes can also provide opportunities. Chinese graduate Xiaofan Wang, 28, found a work placement as part of the British Overseas Industrial Placement scheme (Bond), a British Council initiative that places overseas nationals in British companies. She works as a PA at UK Trade & Investment, and was provided with a work permit for the placement.

"I did study international business law in the UK and I wanted to find a training contract at a law firm, but it is very difficult, even for home students," Wang says. "When I saw my current position I thought it would be interesting as they do quite a lot of trade with China."

When her contract finishes, Wang hopes to find a legal position. "I think some law firms would like to recruit international students, but the problem is if they apply for a work permit, they have to justify why they went for an international student rather than a local one. Because you are an international student and not a native speaker, maybe they also have concerns about your language ability."

Wang heard about her current position via the University of Manchester, where she studied before moving on to a graduate diploma in law. The university came first in this year's Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Service Awards in the services for international students category. Student recruitment manager Scott Foley says the key to their success was an initiative called International Talent, a scheme designed to provide work experience for international students while they study.

"We try to help international students as much as possible in the same way we help UK students, but we also felt there was an opportunity for them to gain experience using their unique selling points," Foley says. "Often businesses are trying to reach new overseas markets, or perhaps have visitors from different offices coming in and need someone to help interpret. So it's about finding opportunities for students to do work that takes advantage of the fact they have knowledge, language or skills that home students don't have."