The current state of the job market is enough to make any graduate's eyes water, but for foreign students you would expect it to be even more challenging, given the social, culture and linguistic barriers they may face. The number of migrants moving to the UK in 2012 is expected to fall by around 40,000 to 180,000, due to the economic downturn. However, in the recent live Q&A here on Guardian Careers on job predictions for the forthcoming year, Jonathan Black, from the careers service at University of Oxford, commented that there would be a rise in applicants moving into the UK job market from affected members of the eurozone crisis, such as Italy, Greece and Ireland.
While London may seem an attractive place to come, with its vibrant cosmopolitan mix and new cultural attitudes and languages, this does not automatically mean that applicants from outside the UK will fit into the capital's lifestyle. The transition of migrants to London is a small piece of the bigger picture of how the geopolitical landscape is changing. Graduates are becoming the byproducts of globalisation, and international shifts in employment have been aided by the recent boom in digital technology, which acts in many ways as a universal language. A recent example of this is Ulrike Schulz who tweeted her way into a job under the username @TheLondonJob.
To get a true flavour of what it is like to be young, employed and foreign I interviewed three people in different situations, but with one thing in common, a job in London. I asked them about their experiences, their hopes and fears, and the barriers job-hunters from outside the UK face when deciding to move to the capital.
A recently employed graduate
Zsofia Varga is an MA graduate from Hungary. She works in the not-for-profit sector
I completed my master's in the summer, and after two months of the dreaded application process I was employed. I work for a small charity in north London, as a web administrator. It may not be the grandest of jobs but it is a foot on the ladder at least. I feel comfortable here because of the warm office environment and my friendly colleagues. Feeling comfortable has come naturally to me in London. I was lucky that I had a good grasp of English before I came here so I feel I integrated more easily than others.
As for the future, I am enjoying the London lifestyle, and money can be tight but I do plan to work here for as long as possible. I am not ruling out moving back to Hungary. I am bilingual and have overseas volunteering experience so I feel this will only work in my favour.
Having travelled around I did not have any fears about relocating to a new city and pinning my hopes on a lucrative MA course that I was led to believe would propel me to bigger things. However, I admit, I have had it lucky, I found a job quite quickly and if my transition had not had been as smooth it might be a completely different story.
A graduate who is optimistic for 2012, but aware of the challenging market
Fernando González, 25, is an unemployed MA graduate from Brazil
When I started my master's in 2010 I did not really know what I wanted to do career-wise, but moving country was such a challenge that it can be seen as a job in its own right. Dealing with a new society, culture and language was intimidating. What was most difficult was overcoming the awkward assumption that I would be perceived by others as "black", "Latin American" or even just "foreign". I think it is much easier to make the transition to London if you are from Europe, particularly the western countries, in which case the cultural transition is already demystified, thanks partly to mainland Europeans having a good understanding of English.
I have been unemployed since August, and though I did not expect an easy ride, the money situation can be tight regardless of how much you have saved up, or how much help you get from private or non-governmental institutions. I reserve no fears about finding employment in London. In terms of the application process I am starting to receive some positive feedback, so I know I am going down the right path. I have overcome the biggest hurdle, which has been to navigate my way around a foreign city and its paths, signs, objects and places. It will not be long before someone realises what I have to offer.
A student who aspires to move to the UK after graduating
Elisa Nelissen, 21, is a linguistics student from Belgium
As I am studying for a degree in linguistics it would be nice to find something in journalism, but I realise that being a non-native speaker could cause some difficulties so I'm particularly looking for a job in the cultural sector, or teaching foreign languages. I have not really thought: "why London?". There is something about big cities that really appeals to me, probably because there is so much to do and so much to discover, especially culturally speaking. I grew up in a small city in Belgium where no one does anything creative or impulsive, and I have been looking for that ever since. The British culture and history is quite appealing too.
Given my background I would not expect any linguistic barriers, but I am not sure about cultural barriers. I think I would miss Belgium. I have always been stressing how much I want to leave this country but it will always be the place I grew up in and that might have a bigger influence on who I am than I am willing to admit.
My biggest fear is feeling alone. I do have some friends in London but still, it is a big city and being surrounded by a lot of strangers sometimes has a very isolating effect on me. I am afraid of being homesick and of cutting ties with family and friends. Luckily it is only a two-hour train ride to Brussels; that seems to make it easier.
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