Indians in UK struggle to land jobs after completing expensive degrees: Report

Since employers often prefer hiring local candidates due to visa sponsorship complexities, students find their applications rejected even if they have relevant skills.

Studying in the UK remains a dream for lakhs of Indian students. However, it has proved less than flowery for many who pursued undergraduate or postgraduate degrees in the country - for finding a job remains particularly difficult. A combination of factors, ranging from the post-pandemic economic slowdown to employer unwillingness to sponsor visas - or even hire those who paid for the Graduate Route Visa scheme (which allows students to live and find work in the UK for two years post-completion of degree) has resulted in a nightmarish situation for Indian students, many of whom work part-time jobs even as they apply for full-time ones.

In a story published on Saturday, The Indian Express spoke to some students who recounted their experiences of finding work in the country.

“I was working with a local sports coaching company in the UK as an intern, and even though the employer liked my work, they were unable to offer me a full-time job as they do not have sponsorship rights. The only solution we found in this situation was for me to work for them as a consultant from India,” said Shrey Upadhyay, who pursued MSc Business Management in Sport from De Montfort University, Leicester.

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Since employers often prefer hiring local candidates due to work permit requirements and visa complexities involved in sponsoring international hires, students find their applications rejected even if they have relevant skills and qualifications.

“My course was 18 months long and I had a six months extended visa. I applied to over 200 jobs but didn’t get anything more than the standard automated reply. It really affected me as I was wondering what was I doing wrong but then a friend who was an HR told me that the companies weren’t hiring people for whom they have to sponsor visas,” said Siddhi Dolas, who pursued an MA in Fashion Media Production, Communication and Media Studies from the London College of Fashion.

Another student added, added: “I was applying for nearly 25-30 jobs based in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a few other places. So imagine getting rejections from different time zones. I woke up with ‘we are sorry to inform you’ and went to sleep reading that too.”

Moreover, once a student secures an interview, the process of actually securing a job offer may itself prove additionally exhausting. “I used to apply through LinkedIn and Indeed. Sometimes I received replies, mostly nothing at all. Even if you get an interview call there are multiple rounds— a recorded interview, followed by an interview with the team then a technical interview then an interview with the HR and team and finally the call letter and offer. But, I believe if you don’t give up you will succeed eventually,” said Akshat Vashistha, who received two offers after applying to over 500 companies after pursuing his MSc in Financial Analysis and Fund Management from the University of Exeter.