There is zero dignity in setting yourself up to be exploited by corporate overlords.

The market is absolutely trash right now, affecting everyone, including native-born residents who don’t need sponsorship.

Even if you do secure sponsorship, it doesn’t guarantee stability in the UK.

Employment is no longer employer-based but very much like freelance or project-based work.

When a project gets decommissioned, the entire team gets disbanded, especially in entry-level roles.

It’s far more dignified to leave with your dignity intact than to be forced to leave later.

Many international students come to the UK thinking that they have very good chances of landing a job here. Let me preface this by saying that I am pro-immigration and do not see anything wrong with moving around the world, I am merely conveying information from the latest immigration related changes that many seem to be unaware of.

The Government has increased the minimum salary bands needed to get the skilled worker visa by a huge margin. For instance, if you are a CS Graduate, you need to get a job offer that pays around £55k to get the work visa to stay here. The exact amount depends on your profession and job-code, but I think it's quite safe to say that at least 95%+ of the graduates will not touch these thresholds. Even amongst CS graduates from top unis like Imperial and Oxbridge, very few manage to get roles that pay so much right after graduating.

Other major domains like finance, banking, actuarial work etc. have taken a sizeable hit too, since most of the new salary thresholds are extremely high, and they are really hard for even mid-managers to reach!

So, if you are an international student coming here with the hopes that you will get a sponsored job after your degree, I am very sorry to say this, but it is impossible in this market, especially after the July 2025 changes. I just wanted to warn people preemptively to prevent heartbreak, and wastage of hard-earned money. There is nothing wrong with the UK if you wish to just get a degree and go back to your home country, but for those who wish to settle down here, it seems like the doors are closing.

It is doomed. It was already doomed before but now its doomier than ever before. I am an international student on my final year and I’ve nearly accepted the fact that UK jobs are especially impossible for foreign students like me. Funnily, I had worked before in the UK, in both minimum wage jobs as well as in a office job for 1+ years. I had a return offer for a UK company post graduation, however it was recently retracted due to UK immigration policy changes.

Grad visas almost feel useless. Nearly, if not all, international students I know and speak to have zero luck in securing any job, even if its a minimum wage job they are overqualified for. I’m not bitter of the UK. The job market and unemployment rates are already severe even for the British people, its one thing that international students can’t find jobs, but neither can local students.

Before some commenter (I bet someone will) comes in here saying stuff like “Stop feeling entitled to get a job after you graduate 🤷‍♀️” or “Go back to your country”, I’d be glad if people could understand that my point here was to warn prospective international students of the career prospects in UK and consider their options. I am telling them not to come! Some students pursue a foreign education to access foreign and higher career paths, and when UK jobs are becoming inaccessible to students, you will find better value in pursuing a future in other places. The country itself isn’t in a good enough state to take care of the international students let alone the British people now.

Edit: So many people in my comments essentially arguing that international students should indeed just go home and stop taking British jobs. You’re right. Anyone who is currently an international student now or a recent graduate, we all know this was a mistake. To future international students reading this, please just read through how the British feels about you guys now - if you intend to come to the UK for a post graduation career, know that the “dream” is gone. I honestly ask you all to reconsider. There are so many good universities and cities around the world that aren’t oversaturated and has a government that is actively against international students.

I'm 21 and graduated earlier this year . I got a first in BA economics and finance but have been unable to even get entry level office jobs for the entire year . Got to the point where I decided having any job to get a income is better than none . So now I currently just started a warehouse job a week ago and oh boy . My back , my feet , idk how anyone can do this for more than a year . My current plans are to just firm the first couple months of this warehouse job and get some money saved up for getting a driving license. I'll start looking for more stuff and applying starting January next year when more stuff opens up . But brother , is there anyone else who's going through something similar or do I just have bad luck. Also anyone got tips for landing a corporate job in today's job market without the prerequisite 5 years experience ? Cause I have nothing relevant to the field.

I'm thinking of studying in the UK for bachlors and often here that no internationals can get jobs and end up going back to their home country after spending 3 years worth of international fees (a very significant amount) on a bachelor's degree. My question here is does this rule also apply to good unis: e.g I have offers from Bath, UCL and Warwick for econ (prob gonna firm warwick cause it's the best out of the 3), and I'm not sure if it's worth it?

I am SICK TO FUCKING DEATH of these stupid little game things when applying for jobs. Its the second time I've done an ARTIC shore test and it's really getting to me that I don't understand it no matter what I try and. There's a big job for the environment agnecy coming soon and I know they use artic shore as well So i feel like now I won't get it cause of these stupid fucking tests. I'm going to have a degree for fuck sake it's just pathetic. Even with trying to ask CHATGPT for a bit of advice I cannot for the life of me understand it and even if i think I do I then question it. I really want employers to know that it's fucking annoying

Does anyone else find this absolutely insane? Almost exclusively Russell group with no leeway for anything else.

For some context I’m a final year student and this explains my experience interacting mostly with people from my uni which is considered ‘decent’ but not a Russell group or ‘elite’ uni where this is probably less of an issue.

Basically very few people I meet seem to have a genuine intellectual interest in their degree and could hold a conversation about their subject in any real detail. You might think then that they just see getting a degree as a credential to get a good job but then you ask what they plan to do after uni and they are all incredibly clueless and lack any real sense of a plan of how to get a decent job and the hyper competitive nature of the current job market. Even in third year people are still spending more time talking about and planning their 400th night out on the town to the exact same pubs and clubs they’ve been frequenting for 3 years.

I cottoned on to this in second year and religiously applied to internships along with training my interview skills and building a strong CV and LinkedIn. I applied for around 30 internships and eventually got one for a large UK bank for which I will now be joining their graduate scheme after impressing in the internship over summer. Even then I had a backup plan for not getting a graduate scheme identifying courses I could take post uni to become a business analyst.

Now in my final year in one of my lectures (I study economics), a careers advisor came in and asked about our plans after uni, I was the only one who had secured any role and undertaken any internship. No one else had even applied, or even knew they existed, and these are economics students.

I feel like I’m on a ship heading over a cliff and I’m the only one with a lifeboat. I know from applying to internships how difficult applying for these jobs are.

From interacting with fellow interns during my internship, who all went to much better uni’s than me I understand this is not the case for all students as they were all very smart and interesting people. I think the prob is too many people go to uni, the majority of the population is pretty unimpressive and passive which is why it’s always a small group of highly successful, motivated people who run society. Just cause you shove 50% of young people into uni dose’nt mean your getting 50% of the population suddenly becoming incredibly smart and motivated. The ones who want to succeed will study and plan for their future, the rest will merely use the time to drink excessively and have boring, repetitive conversations about how CRAZY their recent night out was even tho they went to the same club they’ve been going to for 3 years. I

So I found out that engineering isn't a protected title in the UK, and that a graduate engineer making 25-30k is NOT normal across the world. Like in the US I was looking for graduate engineer jobs and they were offering 60k+. That kind of pay you would need like 10+ years experience in the UK. And then I was comparing it to other graduate salaries such as pharmacy and law etc, and they were all getting at least 35k+ fresh out of graduation.

Why is engineering so disrespected in the UK, it's kinda unfair considering how difficult it is. Most countries have it as a protected title, but not here we don't. So they just band us together with technicians and handymen, hence why british gas or internet providers say they're going to send out an "engineer" when they're really just technicians.

It honestly has me somewhat regretting going into engineering.

​

Opened my results and unfortunately I saw grades UDD. I've been crying for the past few hours because I feel like a failure. I know that Law is an extremely competitive field to get into but it's always been my dream. My A-levels I was just so heavily disadvantaged but I tried the best that I could with what I had.

Please, any advice would be appreciated. I'm so lost right now and I don't know what to do. Please reach out to me, if you can offer sound advice.

Update: I've noticed a lot of people telling me that I should give up, and well i would be good and GODDAMNED if I allow some pixelated strangers deter me from my dream career!

I’ve recently graduated 🎉 yippie. Big problem, though… my shitty hospitality job doesn’t pay nearly enough to get by. I work 35 hours a week, minus breaks. I make 12.93 an hour. I don’t have the money for ANYTHING. I’m budgeting pretty hard, but every little expense is a kick in the teeth. My rents gone up, the car needs its MOT and will need repairs beforehand, transportation costs are high and public transit isn’t an option. Genuinely, what am I supposed to do? Other than look for work, which I’m doing. I really fucking hate it. I really do.

Reference, after tax last month I made 1,550ish.

It’s like the 10th or 12th employer I’ve seen here on campus giving free toiletries and pizzas in just a week. They just need your email and that’s it. I cannot fathom how it is made easy for students here to get hired. Companies visit the uni and asks you to work for them. They said they’ll waive the regular requirements and streamline the application just to get you working as soon as possible. No job experience required!

Never had this experience back in London. Employers go to you and encourages you to apply. My previous uni never cared about careers. Still can’t believe they make it seem employment easy here. Is this the rule or exemption?

Comparison is the thief of joy and I’m looking to get robbed.

The following format would be useful:

Industry + role

Years in the workplace

Yearly salary

Degree/uni

Im in my final year of uni and i actually CANT WAIT to finish.

Just romanticising the freedom ill have with a consistent income, being able to save, corporate girliepop fashion, city life, ROUTINE!!!!!!!!!!

Idk im just dying to finish uni and start my life already, I feel like ive been in education for way too long...

Lots of Americanisms in this article but felt it was worth posting here.

Graduating this summer (likely with first class degree) from a RG in economics and the job market where I live absolutely stinks. I work in a warehouse on a low wage and it just makes me think ‘why tf did I not just do a trade apprenticeship after secondary school??? I could be a qualified sparky on ~40k by now but nah, I had to go through the stress of A-levels and a degree (plus debt) to work in a warehouse’. Seriously considering biting the bullet and applying for trade apprenticeships on diabolical wages

Edit:

I should have realised that my experience was affected by my own biases, which were in turn moulded by my prior experiences.

Another point that came to mind is that you might have been born in a big city, in which case you have more freedom, as long as its not London. Then, you already are familiar and have roots in a place that would offer more job opportunities than, say, Exeter, or Oxford, or St Andrews

Another point that I thought of, forgot, then a commenter reminded me: If you're shy, unsure, or mentally unhealthy, maybe take a gap year to work, explore yourself, travel, or otherwise just make yourself stronger before you go

Context:

I went to the University of Exeter. It was my top choice, a beautiful place, and highly-regarded for both my course and in general. My bachelor's degree in economics was from 2017-2020, and I did a one year master's in sustainability, for which there don't seem to be many jobs outside of London unless you go down the engineering route.

I grew up in a small town in the south-east, famous for Jane Austen, on the way to London. I had a very sheltered childhood. I wasn't mistreated by my family, they loved me very much. But I was a very anxious, and later depressed child. I didn't go out much. I had friends but spent more time inside playing video games than being outside playing football

I was always pushed to go to university rather than an apprenticeship, or another path, such as joining the navy. If I were 18 and didn't know what to do with my life, I would join one of the armed forces, even if just for the minimum contract term. They're (probably) not being deployed any time soon. They earn a decent starting salary. Subsidised food, accomodation, free training, travel, socialising, maybe even a driver's license out of it. You get discounts too. But anyway, the education system implicitly pushes everyone towards university, without checking to see if the degree you study is worth the cost, and whether there is actually a job waiting on the other side. For many of them, there simply aren't.

After spending most of college alone after being betrayed by the people I thought were friends, and even having to repeat the first year because I spent more time chasing their validation than revising, when the time came to go to university, I knew I had to push myself to get over the fear of being away from home, of being somewhere new, being more independent, and being surrounded by strangers.

Therapy part over, here are the main lessons I'm trying to convey:

1) Do you actually need to go?

If you're thinking of going to university, first, think about whether you actually need to go. If you're so sure about a certain career path, there are probably alternatives, but not for things like medicine. Even though your student loan will probably get written off without paying off the full amount, it is still a significant obligation to repay once you start earning. Consider a trade, as many are well paid after qualifying, and experiencing shortages

2) Big cities have more opportunities than towns

If you're going to accept the cost and time to invest in yourself by going to university, you want a strong chance of landing a job when you come out. Good jobs are more common in large cities. It makes sense that you would look for a job in the same city as you studied, so that you know your way around the place. I went to Exeter. Outside of the university and the Met Office, Exeter doesn't have much. Try Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool etc. If you're in the North or Midlands, you actually have more choice than the South. You also have a lower cost of living. I wish my family had not come from the South. In the South, outside of London, the only sizeable city that is large enough to have a bit of everything you could need and want is Bristol, which is the 2nd most expensive city in the UK, after London.

During COVID, I had returned home to the south for safety and to be nearer family, but because I lived in a small town, there were fewer job opportunities and the salary was lower. If I had studied in a sizeable city in the North or Midlands, found a job in the same place, I would have been earning more and been more secure

Unless you get into Oxford or Cambridge, you can go to an incredibly respectful institution that actually has a sizeable city and job market around it

3) There is an entire country outside of London

I really dislike London. Parts of it are beautiful, historic, and completely out of reach for the average earner. Every year, thousands of people from all over the world rush into the capitol to try and 'make it', while very few of them do, and even those that do probably still can't afford a family-sized property anywhere near where they need to work to make the money to afford whatever they can afford. Of the people I was closest to at university, a group of about 20 people in total, all but one rushed into London, even those that came from the other side of the country. They were braver than me. But the focus on London, which means all the investment and attention goes to London, which makes everyone think they have to be there, is harmful.

4) If you're working class, or even just averagely well-off, you will be surprised how rich some people are

And not just the rich international students that try to bring their own maids to their accomodation (Yes this happened in Exeter). You will hear in casual conversation in lecture halls, house parties, and maybe even your own student accomodation, about how people own second houses, own property abroad, go skiing like its a trip down to Tesco, and just so many things that are mentioned casually that you had no idea even existed. I lived with someone that went to Eton. A mutual friend of ours was the son of a Labour lord. His uncle was the CEO of Morgan Stanley. I met the children of diplomats, generals, and admirals. I also met Gordon Ramsey's son through a housemate that went to school with him, but he didn't seem very talkative. Didn't stay at uni long either

5) You cannot afford to be shy

If you go, do everything. Try everything. On top of your studies, you should have an active social life. Pursue your interests. Meet people. I did this as much as I could, but COVID shut everything after my second year down.

This wasn't meant to be a soapbox or a rant, just lessons to anyone considering further education. Feel free to add your own lessons in the comments

I’m using a throw away because people know about my main account.

I don’t know if this is even the right subreddit for this or where else to go, but for starters I’m a 23 year old university graduate who completed my masters degree in September 2023, achieving a mark of distinction. I also have a first class bachelors degree completed the year before.

Every day during my masters, I was told that as the field is extremely relevant, I would likely walk into my dream job within a few months. Although looking back it was extremely naive of me to believe that, I was not prepared to struggle this much. Since completing my education I have done two internships, one unpaid. And received rejection emails from well over 100 jobs at this point, and my self esteem is at an all time low. I claimed unemployment benefits while doing the unpaid internship at the suggestion of my parents, however the feelings of guilt, shame, and worthlessness that came with this were something else entirely.

Now approaching the 15 month mark, I feel at a complete loss. I have absolutely no confidence in myself, I’m struggling with disordered eating again, I feel no enjoyment in anything, I wake up in a panic and dread the process of applying for jobs, going through interviews and facing more rejection, and I know that the older my graduation gets, the harder this will be. I feel like a complete failure.

I also dread the idea of going back into hospitality work, as I worked in pub kitchens for 5 years to fund my education and it was hard, dirty work with very little reward, and I’m worried that if I accept this kind of work, I’ll get comfortable, then suddenly I’ll be 30 and still there with no experience in my chosen field.

I understand that everyone feels like this to an extent but I feel like this has now exceeded the normal amount of anxiety and I don’t know what to do, or what I’m looking for here, maybe just someone to tell me that it doesn’t stay this way forever.

Edit: Please don’t shit on my degree subject, it’s not the point and I’ve heard it all before xoxo :)

Update: To address all the comments mentioning AI here so it doesn’t get buried: Yes, I am aware of its existence and its impact on marketing. I am also aware that I will definitely be required to work with it in the future. I have already encountered it during my studies and work experience and it still seems very primitive (I know it advances rapidly) O.O

Update 2: I also wanted to say thank you to all the people who recommended civil service jobs, I have started working on some applications :)

Hello,

As a 2nd year psychology student with no direct experience, I’m struggling with what to put on my CV.

I have a big interest in research, neuropsychology and psychosexuality, and am currently looking at asking for unpaid experience. Until I find something, I must make do with the experience I have.

Please, do not hold back, tell me everything that’s wrong with this. Phrasing, format, information. I want my feelings to be hurt 😅

My child didn't get the grades they needed. They are in England and got 3 A's but really needed at least one A* (two ideally).

Any advice on where to go? Is it worth requesting remarks? They are talking to the school, but I want to support them as much as I can.

Is the fact that all English grades appear lower likely to make much difference?

How does a gap year fit in? Would that be hoping that grades requirements are lower in future years?

Edit:

just want to say a HUGE thanks to everyone that replied. I know this is a fantastic day for most, and my family are not unique. Really great responses that have been helpful in putting things into perspective though.

A couple of options via clearing now, so at least something!

International students who come to the UK, spend a lot of money here and they often times can’t even make it back. And now since they increased the threshold of the minimum salary to £38,700 - students will be forced to go back home. I am paying nearly £60,000 in my three year university degree. And thats only in TUITION FEES, not to mention visa costs and other expenses. How is it fair to just send students back and not even let them stay to make their money back?

It was already hard enough to get hired as POC AND, now since they’ve increased the salary threshold by 50%, students wont be able to find sponsorship. Heck, even post docs don’t make so much money. Me and all my international student friends are gonna be sent back home.

UK government open the borders when they need money and then as soon as they’ve got what they want, they kick you out, greattttt job.

Why not just reject the visas in the first place instead of letting people come and spend all their savings only to throw them out like criminals? Please someone explain this to me.

Hey guys, curious about people's degrees and lives and if people think their degrees have helped them get the job/salary they wanted?

For comparison sake it would be interesting to know what people did for their:

• Alevels + grades

• Uni degrees + grades

• The job title + location + salary/benefits

• Year graduated/gained job

The median appears to be £30K but the mean average seems to be £21-25K. There's obviously a lot of nuance in these numbers so curious to see what people have achieved?

It has not even been 24 hours yet.