HELLO ALL,

I AM DOING A SURVEY AND WOULD LIKE TO RECIEVE YOUR SINCERE RESPONSES.

1) WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND?
2) WHAT SUBJECT DID YOU STUDY?
3) WHICH YEAR DID YOU GRADUATE?
4) HAVE YOU FOUND A GRADUATE JOB IN YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION? (EITHER IN NIGERIA OR UK OR ANY COUNTRY)
5) ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE UK GRADUATE JOB MARKET. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HEAR FROM NIGERIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND ALSO HOME STUDENTS TOO.

THANKS IN ADVANCE.
NB: INFORMATION COLLECTED FROM HERE WOULD BE COMPILED AS STATISTICS AND SHOWN TO SECONDARY SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NIGERIA WHO INTEND ON COMING TO THE UK OR ANY OTHER WESTERN NATION TO STUDY. PLEASE BE SINCERE. THANKS AGAIN.

Royal Holloway University of London

Royal Holloway University of London
Computer Science
2002
YES UK
HOME IS BETTER

1) WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND?
Middlesex University

2) WHAT SUBJECT DID YOU STUDY?
I did a combined degree in Business Studies and Sociology

3) WHICH YEAR DID YOU GRADUATE?
1997
4) HAVE YOU FOUND A GRADUATE JOB IN YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION? (EITHER IN NIGERIA OR UK OR ANY COUNTRY)
Yes I did

5) ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE UK GRADUATE JOB MARKET. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HEAR FROM NIGERIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND ALSO HOME STUDENTS

THESE COMMENTS ARE ALL MY PERSONAL VIEWS AND NOT TO BE TAKEN AS GOSPEL
(a) The UK graduate job market is highly competitive.
(b) To get into certain jobs or industries can be very challenging and I do believe that there is a prejudice in the corporate world especially.
(c) In order to get into the corporate world you need to look a certain way and talk a certain a way in order to fit their profile and be quite brilliant.
(d) I believe it is easier for those us of us from Africa to try and get into smaller organisations and the public sector.

I must say that I disagree with Hustler's comments. Much as I would wish that our education was better than the UK's, I am afraid that our fatherland has a long way to go before they can be matched. For our system of education to be able to compete we would have to

(a) Seriously look at all the teachers and lecturers from primary education upwards and review the accordingly. Sack those who do not meet the standard and start paying those that do a very decent wage.
(b) Investing heavily in technology, books and teacher training.
(c) Invest money in local libraries. Each community in London alone has at least 3 local libraries. In some areas there is even what is called a mobile library, where a big van distributes and collects books.

Hope this helps.

Okay, not yet a graduate but will be on about 7months. But anyway,

1) WHICH UNIVERSITY DID YOU ATTEND?
- University of Kent

2) WHAT SUBJECT DID YOU STUDY?
- Computer Science

3) WHICH YEAR DID YOU GRADUATE?
- 2007

4) HAVE YOU FOUND A GRADUATE JOB IN YOUR CHOSEN PROFESSION? (EITHER IN NIGERIA OR UK OR ANY COUNTRY)
- Spent last year as a placement student and I'm currently applying for graduate job positions for next summer start. Fingers crossed

5) ANY COMMENTS ABOUT THE UK GRADUATE JOB MARKET. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HEAR FROM NIGERIAN INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND ALSO HOME STUDENTS TOO.
- I'm a international student and believe me that is least favourable place you can be in term of graduate job prospects because the UK's(and other Western countries') employment law is structured to reflect a peculiar order that would determine employers' preferences. One just has to give it your best and pray for the best. For instance as a Nigerian citizen with limited leave to stay in UK I can't even apply to 90% of the companies I'd like let alone get a consideration or attend their interview. This is because you'll need your employer to obtain a work permit and that isn't appealing for most. It's a tedious, long, bureaucratic process that will cost them money and could easily get them in trouble if they're found on the wrong side of the law - employing people illegally that is - so I don't blame them. Afterrall they could easily get a UK citizen, EU citizen, or at least a foreign citizen with unlimited leave to live and work in the UK instead of you without having to go through that so what the hell?

The other thing has to do with high school qualifications. Nigerian qualifications pretty much don't count here because Nigerian educational system does not have an A-Level equivalent stage. A Level is held in high regard and is a benchmark for most companies.

These are the main reason most Nigerians here who are graduates in respectable fields work in fast food, supermarkets, security, and care. The UK graduate market is far too competitive to consider them. I mean we're talking about the same market wher you'll find graduates from Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Warwick, York, Imperial, Queens Belfast,, the list goes on(I've read about a Cambridge graduate who couldn't get a job 12months after graduating!)

As I've made clear it's hard for normal UK citizens and even harder for non-permanent residents of an EU member state but it's not impossible. You just have to work hard, get a 2:1 from a good university, do your research, have a well structured plan, be patient, and leave the rest to God. Like I said I was able to get a placement position which is pretty much as hard as getting a graduate job. The important thing is to get into a company and luckily the UK government has a scheme where graduates of selected degree courses(Computer Science is currently one of them!) are allowed to seek and take up employment for upto 12months after graduating. Once you're with a company you can change your "visa" to HSMP or at least since you've been with your employer for some time, know about their business environment, have experience, (and hopefully they are happy with you) they may wish to apply for a work permit for you as that could be a better choice for them than recruiting a new person.

Hey rof, my cousin is doing his MBA in kent uni
Do you want his addy? samejohnton@yahoo.com

JosBoy, Dude or braod?

Oh stupid me, his dummy!

Na dude sef, i thought maybe you fit organise chicks for him  
He is only two months old in the UK

if it were her, i bet you would recognized that quicker

Word! Or at least I'd be on some other stuff right now,

Anyway is that your e-mail or his e-mail?

his own, i think it could possible be .co.uk abbreviation that is used in the UK

No qualms, could try both .com and co.uk. Do you know his university e-mail?

thanks people, any more comments would be appreciated. i have noticed some true words here! keep the truth alive peeps.