Qualifications and Prospects

When planning on studying abroad, it is important that you ensure that the qualifications and prospects you will be working towards match your career goals and ambitions, ensuring that your hard work in the sunshine will be geared towards placing yourself in a strong position in the job market upon graduation.

Studying abroad in itself can indicate desirable traits in a graduate to employers. It reflects an independence and willingness to seek challenges and seize opportunities, which are transferable skills in employment. Although studying in the UK is likely to place you in unfamiliar territory, as you are likely to be living away from home for the first time, and initially with people who you don’t know, the culture and surroundings will typically be similar to those at home, making for a relatively smooth transition.However, when moving abroad to study, not only will you have to manage the issue of living in a separate country to your friends and family, you will also find yourself in an unfamiliar culture. Therefore, you can discuss your strength of character when immersing yourself into vastly different circumstances, with prospective employers. You can also discuss how studying abroad developed your communication skills, as you overcame language barriers. Being multi-lingual is an attractive trait for employers, as it can help you to liaise with international clients.

Prospects for employment

As well as this immediate benefit to your employee profile, studying abroad can provide you with the prospects and opportunities for post-study employment. Some universities abroad boast strong links with international companies, for whom they source employees. For example, studying in America may present the opportunity to undertake an internship with a leading name in business. Likewise, studying at prestigious, internationally recognised universities can enhance your CV and networking opportunities. An example of this would be studying Film and Television at the world renowned New York University, which is celebrated for producing hugely successful alumni such as Spike Lee and Martin Scorsese, thus placing your name amongst a distinguished pool of talent.

However, studying abroad may raise certain issues regarding qualifications. One such issue surrounds the validity of your qualification. If, for example, you plan on studying abroad before returning to the UK to seek employment, certain qualifications from outside the UK may not be recognised by employers, thus undermining your years of study. Although the EU has worked to increase the portability of qualifications, it is recommended that you seek confirmation from the relevant authority before commencing your studies, especially if your desired career path requires the involvement of professional bodies, such as teaching. UK NARIC offer the necessary resources to learn more about the recognition of various qualifications by employers in the UK.

Although the recognition of certain qualifications may present a problem when studying abroad, the benefits of studying overseas can enhance your career prospects through the display of various traits. Looking into universities’ links with employers and statistics regarding their alumni could help you to pick a university which can help you to earn qualifications and credentials which are sought after features for prominent names in their industry.