This blog is written for international students studying at Royal Holloway, University of London. The blog is written by Andrew Falconer, International Student Careers Adviser with contributions from other careers professionals.
Speculative articles for publication are welcome.
Andrew Falconer, International Students careers adviser, is wanting to speak to international students (preferably non-EEA) from Media Arts, Biological sciences, Geography and Earth Sciences, Drama and Theatre, English, European Studies, History, Health and Social Care, Politics, Music and Psychology!
We are wanting to host one or two focus groups (i.e. informal group) for one hour before the end of the Autumn term. We would like to discuss what careers support you may like. A focus group last year led to the development of the international student careers programme of events this year. They can make a difference!
To take part email Andrew here and tell him your current degree scheme and year of graduation. Participants will receive a book token for participating.
This is the penultimate article in the short series considering how the global financial crises is effecting graduate career opportunities internationally. The other articles in the series can be found here. The final article will consider the impact of the recession on careers in the USA. There is also a different in how the credit crunch will effect different parts of China and Hong Kong. It is difficult to fully understand what the employment market is doing in any particular region so if you have any new information you may want to share it using the Comments tag below.
Current Situation:
China’s economic forecast is mixed. With a growing and ageing population, economists believe that a growth of 8% is essential to sustain the economy as it has been developing. However on October 31, UBS have issued a growth forecast for the country at just 7.5% and have called for the Government to introduce measures to avoid further economic downturns.
The past year has been difficult. As the July 2008 video clip above shows, it isn’t just the global credit crises that is affecting employment – natural disasters have also had a powerful impact. To keep up to date with economic issues in China try the China Economy Watch blog. It seems a very straight forward guide to what is happening. Also have a look at the China Economic Review.
China Daily is pessimistic about the employment market for new graduates. They suggest that the number of graduate job hunters entering the market next year is expected to exceed 6 million nationwide, an increase of 7 percent from this year. It is no longer considered easy for graduates majoring in once-popular fields such as banking, finance, trade and management to land positions.
“Employers always give preference to applicants with some experience so the unemployed possess more advantages than fresh graduates, whose inexperience often works against them in the job search,” said Tang Xiaolin, director of the career development Center of Fudan University. Human Resources and Social Security Minister Yin Weimin described the country’s employment situation as “grim“. He promised that the Government is looking to introduce measures to ensure businesses can survive the current market.
But is it all so terrible? Where are the sectors that provide greater opportunities than others? How can you be one step ahead of the crowd and increase your employability?
Manufacturing
Careers in manufacturing are not limited to those in product development and manufacture. Logistics, international trade, quality control, financiers, managers and human resource roles are typical, as well as the opportunities in supply-chain or BPO.
However, manufacturing is being hit hard by the global recession. The China Manufacturers Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) showed that factory activity contracted sharply during October, with the index falling to its lowest level since the surveys began. Despite the usual Christmas demands in the West, the key light industry province of Guangdong has seen nearly half the toy manufacturers go out of business. This contraction in manufacturing is of course having a knock-on effect on other industries including logistics.
The manufacturing sector has also been hit by quality issues in exports. The United States have recently required an independent third party to inspect goods being exported from China, in order to assure quality standards. The Chinese Government are actively engaging with the US to ensure the Chinese Quality Inspection Department meets the quality standard to continue manufacturing exports.
However the situation is not entirely bad. For example, in Yuyao, in eastern China’s Zhejiang province, export-oriented manufacturers have recorded a 17.32 percent increase recently. Exporters are being encouraged to develop their own brands and value-added products.
In heavy industry, automotive manufacturers are feeling the impact of the decline in global car sales but whilst the market is slowing it is by no means over. Even with the pressure they are facing in the USA, General Motors have no plans to halt output in their China plants. High-end luxury car and aerospace manufacturer Rolls Royce are cutting their global workforce but many of those affected will be staff in the UK.
Professional Services
Management consultancy services continue to do well in China although their graduate recruitment intake may be compromised by the market. PWC have a great graduate blog and their recruitment site has details of the recruitment cycle. Remember that your friends in China will have access to the Autumn recruitment round whilst Chinese students studying overseas will tend to be recruited through the Spring programmes. Other companies recruiting include KPMG China , Ernst & Young and Deloitte. BCG Greater China are growing their professional services and whilst they are not in the Big Four they are an impressive organisation with great career development potential. Remember also that there are many consultancy firms of different sizes and the experience you get with a smaller firm may be more varied and with greater initial responsibility than some larger competitors. The only “list” of management consultancy firms that I can find for China can be found here.
Banking and Finance
EFinancial Careers has a broad range of employment opportunities within the banking and finance sector. These include positions in Trading, Risk and Sales. Unfortunately efinancial careers does not yet have a specific site for China but searching the site generally will give you an idea of what the positions are. Click here for their China jobs. Vault has a reasonable section on the banking, finance and consultancy sectors in China.
The banking sector is being hit. In addition to its recent loss of 1,100 jobs globally, HSBC have announced the loss of 500 jobs in Asia – mostly in Hong Kong. Other banks such as Citigroup have also announced significant jobs cuts but it isn’t clear yet what the impact will be in China. However the Jiang Dingzhi, from the banking regulator, recently stated that “The performance of Chinese banks has reached a historic peak”. The regulator takes a very positive view of the banking sector and its growth potential.
Wealth Management is continuing to grow. According to the China Economic Review, most Chinese family fortunes are barely a generation old, which means the target market for wealth managers is fast-growing. In addition to banks such a CMB, brokerages, fund management companies, insurers and trust companies are all offering wealth management services in one form or another. Foreign banks such as UBS, Citi and Barclays Capital are all developing their business opportunities in China. Another area of growth is that of Private Equity. FountainVest, aims to complete 15 to 20 investments in China in the next four to five years.
The State Sector
Despite the move to the greater use of the private sector, the State should still be an attractive potential employers. Premier Wen Jiabao believes the sector to have great vitality and its impact and influence on the national economy have been “greatly enhanced” over the past five years. The most recent figures available state that the total value of assets of state owned enterprises (SOEs) in 2006 grew by 60.98 percent compared to 2002, their total profits increased by 223 percent and their tax contributions grew by 105 percent. A list of state enterprises can be found here.
OK so are there are jobs out there. Where do I go next?
The message from employers is that Chinese students studying abroad need to return home exceptionally well equipped to find the graduate level positions that many seek. English language and soft skills development is essential for working in international companies and candidates will be asked to provide evidence of their soft skills. Contact the careers centre for information about marketing these. Many students only want to work in Beijing or Shanghai without considering provincial capitals or other large urban areas. And yet many international companies are seeking to expand into the provincial areas and require quality educated staff to do so.
Employers also require candidates to have a firm understanding of both the international and China economies and how they relate to specific sectors. For example, if you want to work in logistics you need to understand what the trends and issues are, who the key players are – both in China and in the West. China Daily has a subscription service that covers a range of sectors including industry, finance and energy. You have to pay for it but the quality of information is high and it is an excellent way to keep up to date with the sectors back in China. Click here to see what is available. China Labor is the website of the state China Employment Agency and provides useful information on employment issues in China.
It is wise to spend your time at University developing your own personal network. Guan Xi is a useful relationship to develop not just for your immediate interests in job hunting but also in allowing you to help others once you are in the work place. Think about who is in your network: family, friends, former employers, former school classmates but also consider the connections your department and the college has in China. Royal Holloway has active alumni associations around the world and particularly in China. When you graduate you may wish to join the British Council China alumni association which is a large and active network for anybody who has studied in the UK.
There are lots of Chinese job websites including region and sector specific sites. Excellent general sites include New China Career and 51Job. The University of London’s International Job Online website has a range of vacancies in China and in the New Year will have a significant new partnership with hundreds of vacancies of interest to Chinese students.
I was speaking with an international student recently who had been disappointed that Grant Thornton were unable to recruit students who required a work permit.
Many employers many not have reconsidered the increased potential of candidates taking advantage of the Tier 1 – Post Study Work visa. This visa allows students to stay in the Uk and work for up to two years after graduation. The evidence from recent recruitment fairs is that more companies are willing to take international students and that the two-year scheme makes opportunities more viable than the previous visa scheme (International Graduates Scheme) which only allowed for one year. For example, Enterprise Rent-a-car, the UK’s largest graduate recruiter, now accepts applications from international students on a post-study work visa.
But the reality is that some companies will not recruit international students. Where possible it is best to ask the employer before completing an application form. Applying to companies that do not recruit international students is a waste of time – they won’t change their mind even if your application is sparkling!
So you need to find out who will recruit you. Royal Holloway has a comprehensive database of employers who recruit international students – and we keep adding to it whenever we have new information. It isn’t 100% reliable because company positions change but it is a good starting point.
The database is a horrible Excel spreadsheet but we have tried to make it as user-friendly as possible.
It is organised into different pages (worksheets) covering Advertising & Media, Banking & Finance (also IT), Physical Resources, Retail & Production, Property & Construction. We have provided links to company websites where possible.
The database can be accessed here and is a permanent link on the “Blogroll” on this blog.
If you want to add to the database or find wrong information, email here. Please also use the comments tag to share your experiences of applying to UK companies. Have you been experienced companies that have a policy against recruiting international students? Have you found a better or different source of companies that do recruit? Is there a sector that you feel is more prone to not accepting such applications? Use the comments tag to tell us!
Last year's edition was popular so make sure you get your copy now!
The latest edition of the popular Vacation Opportunities booklet published by The Careers Group is now available free of charge from the careers centre. The guide provides details of internship opportunities (many of which you may not already know about!) as well as voluntary positions in the UK and overseas. The range of opportunities is extensive – from banking and finance, retail, law and positions of interest to humanities or language students. And whilst some internship deadlines are currently closing, many are not so check out this invaluable guide to identify potential schemes.
Internships can be very valuable experiences and make your employability potential grow significantly. If you don’t know what sort of internship would be most useful to you, why not drop in to the careers centre to find out?
The International Student Barometer is a very influential survey at Royal Holloway. The survey is for all current international students to tell us about your experience at Royal Holloway so far. It covers academic work and departments as well as support services like us lovely people here at the careers centre!
There are cash prizes to be won by entering but also the more people who respond to the survey the more relevent it becomes. A larger sample of international students can be more representative.
The survey is confidential so anything you write in it will not be traced to you! (Click here to see their privacy policy) We just want to know! Responses from the survey in the past have encouraged the greater availability of wireless broadband on campus – something the college is now doing; better student accommodation – something that many students are benefiting from, and well, food too!
This is a talk providing an overview of UK immigration policy and how you can take advantage of it. Topics will include skills development and marketing yourself. Please remember that individual advice may not be available at this session.
This talk was previously advertised as being given by Sue Silk, Student Advisory and Support. It will now be given by Andrew Falconer, International Student Careers Adviser.
This session is aimed at 1st year undergrad students from China.
The skills agenda is increasingly important in China. Employers based in China are expressing concerns that job applicants do not have the right skills for careers in an international business economy. The purpose of this session is to explain what this means for current undergraduates and how to make sure they have the right skills to impress employers back in China.
More information on the China Talent Paradox. You are not expected to have read this before today’s session! Information on Hai gui or Hai Dai is available here.
Royal Holloway has teamed up with the South-East Health Technology Alliance to connect students to local companies in the Health Technology sector. The health technologies sector is composed of those businesses from the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, diagnostic and medical device industries which address human or animal health needs. The UK has one of the most successful health technology industries in the world and the south-east is arguably the most important region within it. It has the highest concentration of health technologies companies in the UK with a quarter of the company base (approximately 600 companies) and a third of the employment.
Students currently studying Biology, Microbiology, Biochemistry, Physics, Marketing, Accounting and Finance are welcome to apply. You can specify how long you would be available to work (e.g. summer 2009) and in what field. We will then try to match students with suitable companies. These positions are all paid.
To apply click here and to see the poster click here. For more information email here.
The deadline for applications is 12 December 2008.
An explanatory workshop for students interested in this scheme is arranged for 1.00pm – 2.00pm on 28 November in the careers centre. No need to book in advance, just turn up.
