Make the Most of an End to an Era: Make Sure Next Year is one to Remember
As you will be more than aware, we are currently in the
middle of the intensely busy build-up to Christmas and we are all focussed on
getting our final bits of Christmas
shopping for our loved ones. While I am in no way trying to play down the
importance, or take away the fun of Christmas, I am, however, suggesting that
you plan ahead accordingly and make sure that summer 2016 is one to remember.
If you are currently approaching in your final year at
college or university, then this is particularly aimed at you. While the
economy is certainly improving in the UK,
things are far from rosy and there is still a lack of jobs available to
young people; those who are lucky enough to find employment only have the
prospect of low wages and unaffordable rents to look forward to.
With all this in mind it is hardly a surprise that more and
more-young people are opting to leave the UK for foreign shores with the
prospect of higher salaries and better employment opportunities. If this is
something that you are considering, you need to ensure that this is the correct
path for you to take and that you feel comfortable living and working abroad.
While it may seem glamourous, this feeling will soon wear off once you have
been in your newly adopted country for a while and, even if you believe it to
not be possible, you will soon miss the gloomy UK skies and the feel of
relentless drizzle against your face.
Even if you are not considering emigrating long-term, there
are also numerous benefits to spending a bit of time abroad. While you may be
tempted to see it is a long-holiday, many employers actually look upon time
spent abroad incredibly favourably. You will have demonstrated that you have
the confidence to leave your comfort zone and adapt to new situations with
confidence.
Following on from this, overseas employers have been creating
gap year jobs with this
particular market in mind; not only does allow potential employees the chance
to experience life abroad, it also allows employers a chance to pick the cream
of the available talent for themselves.
It is worth remembering that if you do opt for a gap year
job, you are in no way obliged to spend your life living and working abroad. As
I previously mentioned, the time that you spend abroad will only add value to
your CV and you will be surprised just how favourably employers will look upon
it. There is also the possibility that you will also pick up some of the local
language, which will not only make you more attractive to employers, and multilingual
workers also earn on average 8%-20% more than monolingual candidates.
While this may all sound incredibly positive, the emergence
and ever-increasing popularity of working abroad for a year has led to a
certain level of discrimination back home. Middle class graduates who decide to
spend some time abroad before returning to the UK to seek employment opportunities,
are more likely to hire those who also spent some time abroad as well. The findings
by the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission discovered that managers
at professional firms were more likely to go for candidates who shared their “middle
class” experiences and characteristics.
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