Options overseas
“A degree from Britain is the ticket to a plum job”

As a part of its ‘Education UK Initiative’, the British Council has been organising a series of road shows, seminars and exhibitions in different cities. Such events, says Ruchika Castelino, Head, Education UK India, British Council, are an opportunity to get the right information about courses and universities, about scholarships, staying arrangements etc. Here she provides a broad roadmap for interested youngsters. Excerpts from an interview:

What are the advantages of learning and training in the UK?

The UK offers a very high quality of education and short-duration courses. Besides, each subject has a large number of branches that one can specialise in. All these factors make it an attractive destination.

Another factor is the job avenues that open up when one acquires a degree from the UK. Being internationally recognised, a degree from that country helps one get a good job.

Tell us about the ‘Education UK Initiative.’

As part of this initiative, the British Council is organising a series of road shows, exhibitions, and seminars in Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Jalandhar. While in Chandigarh we have been holding this programme for the last 2-3 years, we plan to make it an annual feature in other cities too. In fact, in Ludhiana, we would be organising a show later this year itself in which participants from universities from the UK would be there to guide students. Our aim is to provide the right kind of guidance to students, given the fact that many students fall into wrong hands, landing nowhere.

How does one select the right course and the right university?

Universities that are providing guidance through us are genuine. So far as the suitability of a course and university is concerned, I feel every student needs to do a thorough analysis and, depending on his taste and ambition, should select the course that is most suitable.

What is the right time to apply for admission to the UK?

If one is planning an undergraduate course, then research needs to start right after Class X. In case one is looking for a postgraduate course, then during graduation only, one should start looking for options. Considering the fact that there are more than 100 institutions, a thorough research needs to be done. The good news is that all the information is available on the Internet, which makes it easily available to students.

— Shveta Pathak

Earn while you learn
Amrita Dhaliwal

Known to be an expensive country to study in, with strict visa rules, the UK is now making itself more attractive for the youth looking for options to earn and learn abroad. For, not only has it made its visa rules more flexible, now it is also providing students a lot of opportunities to work part-time while studying, to help fund their stay there. Foreign students in the UK can now work up to 20 hours per week and full-time during vacations.

The courses in the UK most popular with the Indian students are — management and business studies, engineering, IT and communications, art and design, life sciences and medicine, among others.

There are many opportunities for international students to earn extra money in the UK, both during and after their studies. The opportunities available include part-time or vacation work, as well as course-related work placements. The European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss nationals are free to work in the UK. Before you look for a job in the UK, you need to check that your passport stamp or visa sticker allows you to work. Speak to your institution or see the UKCOSA guidance note working in the UK during your studies (www.ukcosa.org.uk) for more information.

You can find out which part-time jobs are available by consulting notice boards around your institution, looking in local newspapers and job centres, and visiting your college or university careers office. Many institutions now have their own ‘job shop’, which displays part-time and holiday vacancies and sometimes issues job vacancy bulletins.

A careers service can also provide you with extensive information and advice about employment.

Graduates and students who have completed a higher education diploma in nursing may be able to stay in the UK to work, as long as their employer can get a work permit for them. Work permits are usually issued where a job requires a skill that is in short supply.

The UK Government has also introduced a Highly Skilled Migrants Programme that is designed to allow very highly qualified and experienced people to stay in the UK to work. You can check for news on the ‘work permits’ section of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

At the end of your course, you may be able to stay and work in the UK through the Training and Work Experience Scheme (TWES). Under this scheme, your employer must apply for your work permit, and you will have to do one of the following:

nUndertake training leading to a recognized professional or specialist qualification (e.g. accountancy)

nFollow a graduate training programme leading to international employment opportunities

nJoin a work experience scheme where you gain up to 12 months’ work experience with a UK employer.

If you are looking forward to getting into the top universities in the UK then you need a minimum of 70 per cent marks. However, for average universities, 50 per cent marks would also do, informs Manjeet Singh, Assistant Manager with a consultancy firm. "The university a student enters and subsequently the job he also gets depends on the pass percentage."

According to Manjeet, if you are looking to staying back and work in the UK, you should definitely have scored more than 60 per cent in the course you choose to study.

Depending on the university, courses begin between January and September. If you are keen to join a course starting in January, the right time to apply is September-October, while for courses starting in September it is advisable to apply a year in advance. "It gives ample time to process a student’s application for scholarship," informs Namrata Pandey, branch manager of another consultancy company. "A student can only apply for a scholarship after he/she receives an offer letter from a university but the whole process takes time."

Career-based courses: The UK offers recognised career-oriented qualifications in such important subjects as business studies, computing, engineering and art and design, not to forget options such as hotel and catering, tourism and fashion design. Examples include the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) diploma and qualifications offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). You can study career-based courses at tutorial colleges, FE institutions and HE institutions.

Postgraduate foundation programmes: A small but growing number of universities in the UK now offer access/foundation programmes for postgraduate students. These courses are six to nine months’ long. They include a large English language component along with training in study/research skills and a range of optional subjects. Successful completion of a postgraduate foundation programme paves the way for entry into a master’s programme at the same university. Some programmes are specifically designed to prepare you for entry to an MBA.

Short courses: Many UK institutions offer courses lasting up to one, three or nine months. These are usually specific career-based programmes that allow students to develop a particular knowledge or skill in a short period of time (for example, in marketing, photography, social work or tourism).

Professional courses: Many professional, job-oriented courses, for example, accountancy, medicine, law and teaching, require specific professional qualifications and training. A number of undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in the UK give you what you need to be regarded as professionally qualified. It’s important to check whether the qualification you gain in the UK will be recognised by employers and professional bodies in your own country. It’s also worth checking out to see if the course you wish to study is accredited by professional bodies in the UK.

The UK government had in 2004 announced a scheme for students who graduated from a UK college or university with a degree in physical sciences, maths and engineering, whereby students would be able to apply for permission to stay in the UK for a year after graduation to work and gain experience. To find out more about the scheme check with your institution, UKCOSA or on the IND website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

Finding accommodation

If you’re coming to the UK for the first time, accommodation provided by your school, college or university might be the most suitable choice. This is an option taken up by more than half of the international students doing degree courses in the UK and around 30 per cent of those who come to FE colleges.

There are advantages to living in accommodation provided by your institution. For starters, you usually live close to where you are studying, you spend less time traveling, so you save on time and money.

A room in a self-catering hall of residence or student apartment costs from `A3180 to `A3360 per month. The term ‘self-catering’ means that you will have access to a shared kitchen where you can prepare your own meals. Some universities and colleges also offer accommodation where meals are provided and the cost of your breakfast and evening meal is included in the rent you pay. Where meals are included you can expect to pay from `A3320 to `A3400 per month. For residences with en-suites, where you have your own private bathroom, you would have to pay slightly more. For students with families, a number of universities and colleges offer two-or three-bedroom family units at a cost of `A3450 to `A3550 per month.

If you choose to rent accommodation in the private sector, the options are private hostels, lodgings, bed-sits or shared flats/houses. For hostel accommodation and lodgings where meals are included, you can expect to pay `A3300 to `A3400 per month. For a bed-sit or a room in a house or flat shared with other students, you would pay from `A3200 to `A3380 per month.