« Previous | Contents | Next »
Listen
7. THE DECISION TO APPLY FOR FTWISS
7.1 The role of FTWiSS in decision making can be thought about in three ways in influencing: 1) the decision to come and study in Scotland; 2) the decision to go on to FTWiSS after graduation; 3) and the decision to stay on in Scotland after the scheme has finished. Much of the policy effort around FTWiSS has been focused on creating and facilitating the channels through which overseas students might apply for and take up FTWiSS. This Chapter considers the evidence available on the first 2 points listed above. Point 3 will be discussed in greater detail in Chapter 10.
Coming to Scotland
7.2 A variety of evidence sources confirm the positive impact (and still untapped potential) of FTWiSS in influencing international students as they make a decision about where to study abroad. There is a resounding message that FTWiSS acts as a clear incentive for international students, helping them to understand what it is they personally will get out of taking the time to study and learn at a Scottish university or college (see Chapter 6).
7.3 The message it sends out is very clear. For instance, research with students in the USA resulted in the following observation about FTWiSS:
"It feels like they are really going to invest in you…they are going to take me there and make sure that I am taken care of. I don't see any other countries doing that." (Student focus group, California) 50
7.4 Other students interviewed as part of this research referred to it as a "real opportunity". 51 This is confirmed in research undertaken in China also, with academics and prospective international students all interested by Fresh Talent and, even where awareness of Scottish education was low, there was a view that FTWiSS was a "very positive selling point in terms of overseas marketing". 52 The scheme therefore acts as an effective hook, drawing people towards Scotland as they think about a suitable study location abroad.
7.5 For those international students already studying in Scotland, research shows that FTWiSS played a part in the decision making process. Qualitative research with 30 Chinese students studying in Scotland found that "Fresh Talent was repeatedly mentioned by this group, with several citing this as one of the main reasons they came to Scotland". 53
7.6 Moreover, once the Chinese students had arrived in Scotland to study, they reported "very positive experiences and spoke highly of the Scottish education system and the country more generally". 54 Deciding to come to Scotland because, at least in part, of FTWiSS gave the students the opportunity to experience the country firsthand. This is an important point, especially when the research in China and the USA showed that awareness of Scotland - and the reputation of Scottish education in particular - can be low.
7.7 Research undertaken shortly after FTWiSS was introduced in 2005 with students who stated that their main reason for selecting Scotland was the good reputation of higher education in the UK and the reputation of specific colleges or academic courses, showed they had a high level of interest in FTWiSS. It found that "the scheme was seen as a way by which they could start their careers in a country where there are good job prospects, without the need for a work permit". 55 The scheme was also referred to as a "pull" factor: in one case it influenced the choice of which university to go to, once the decision had been taken to come to the UK. 56
7.8 The Phase 1 evaluation of the Relocation Advisory Service examined the reasons why customers were willing to consider moving to or staying in Scotland. FTWiSS was cited as one of the main reasons for considering Scotland by those who believed that they were "certain" to come or stay. 57
7.9 Amongst those working in Higher and Further Education in Scotland, FTWiSS is broadly recognised as a major communication tool which makes Scotland stand out from the rest and gives students "not just a valuable opportunity to undertake work experience, but pay off some of the debts they incurred studying here before returning home". 58 Many felt the scheme gives them a competitive advantage over their English counterparts and think that is has had some impact on student uptake at their respective institutions. 59 A recent British Council report on the financial benefits of increasing numbers of international students referred to the FTI as a "catalyst''. 60
Applying for FTWiSS After Graduation
7.10 FTWISS appears to work well in encouraging people to stay in Scotland after graduation. Most of the interviewees in the research with those approaching the end of their 2 years on the scheme said they had not considered staying on until they had heard of the scheme. Overall, the Fresh Talent scheme was seen in a very positive light as an opportunity to experience life in a different country outside education and to gain work experience to complement university study:
I considered [returning to home country or moving elsewhere] but when it came down to it I just really loved Scotland and living there for just one year wasn't enough for me and I wanted to see what it would be like to work there outside the educational context.
The work experience combined with my masters here would look a lot better on my CV when I went back to [home country] and possibly could make the difference in getting a position or not.
7.11 For those interviewees that had intended to stay in Scotland after graduation anyway, FTWiSS was seen as a more 'straightforward' way of gaining leave than other routes while also allowing for greater flexibility:
I wanted to keep my options open when I finished my degree, so I wasn't tied to the company. When [ FTWiSS] came out I thought I might as well do it because when you're on a work permit you're basically bound to stay on [with that employer] because they applied for that visa for you, but if I had not liked it I could have walked away at any time.
It was easier than having to go through the normal visa process. I already had a [part time] contract [with current employer], but I wanted to increase to 35 hours, so it was easier just to do Fresh Talent rather than go through the Home Office because then the job would have had to have been re-advertised, the process would have been longer. So the Fresh Talent was just a quick and easy way of just extending the amount of hours I could work.
7.12 Many features of the FTWiSS suggest that it has successfully influenced people to consider coming to study in Scotland or to stay on after graduation. This Chapter goes on to look at the lessons learned so far from this experience and asks what more could be done to maximise its potential.
Sources of information about FTWISS
7.13 Information on FTWiSS has been made available in a variety of ways. Communications had to be effectively targeted to the different needs and demands that come with each "phase" for the individuals on the scheme: 1) to find out about the scheme; 2) apply to go onto FTWiSS; and 3) seek out advice and support once they were part of the scheme. As has been shown in Chapters 5 and 6, FTWiSS has been used as a means of telling people about Scotland and entering into a dialogue with them about the benefits of coming to Scotland to learn, live and work. The first point above is covered below, while point 2 is looked at in Chapter 7 and point 3 is explored in Chapter 10.
Finding Out About FTWiSS
7.14 Again, focusing on findings from research with those coming to the end of their FTWiSS period, most people found out about the FTWiSS programme from their universities, from press reports when the scheme was launched, or from friends. The Home Office and scotlandistheplace website were used to find out further details, and there was a consensus that these websites provided all the information needed for a successful application.
7.15 However, it was felt that the websites were unclear about both the aim of the scheme and the possibilities and expectations for transition onto other immigration schemes after the two years. Many participants said that it was important that this information be provided from the beginning:
Well the thing I would like to now know and that I would have liked to have known then is how easy is it going to be to get a work permit, because that has been described to me as something that is very difficult to do in the past. But there's been this sort of ambiguity about you may be able to stay past the two years.
The information should be more clear, advising from the beginning that it will not be easy, because the reality that the transition from the scheme to another one is difficult.
7.16 More than one interviewee also noted that the scotlandistheplace website was too promotional in language and contained too much text with little factual information, making it difficult to find the relevant information. For example, one participant argued that:
Information on the website should be more user friendly and written in a clearer language, not trying to sell something, but for people to get the information they want and to understand what actually is written there.
7.17 Looking across the other available evidence, there were a number of indications about the availability of and demand for information about FTWiSS, many of a similar nature to those identified above. In 2005-06 FTWiSS was the main reason that students contacted the RAS for information and advice and a more recent evaluation of the RAS has shown that enquiries about the scheme remain high. 61 The evaluation of RAS suggests that there are 3 main sources of information for students to find out about FTWiSS: via their student and careers advisors at universities and college; the Scotland is the Place website; and contacting the RAS directly. 62
7.18 There was some evidence of RAS customers and stakeholders wanting more detailed information on the website and the need to ensure that information available on FTWiSS in other important places, such as the UK Home Office web pages, were up-to-date and accurate. 63
Universities as a Source of Information
7.19 Staff working in Scottish universities and colleges have formed strong relations with government staff working on FTWiSS to the extent that international student and careers advisors are generally thought to be able to help most of their students apply. Universities and colleges, recognising the very positive selling point FTWiSS offers them, use it to promote their institutions abroad. 64 However, they also highlighted a lack of resources to fully utilise the marketing potential and a few respondents "expressed concerns that Fresh Talent is not being promoted as effectively as it might be due to the fact that key promotional agents such as the British Council have a UK wide remit" and therefore cannot focus on Scotland alone. 65UK Immigration officers were also observed by staff to have a low awareness of FTWiSS.
Employers as a Source of Information
7.20 The second phase evaluation of the RAS highlighted both the lack of awareness amongst businesses and recruitment agencies about FTI, 82% had never heard of it, and the feeling amongst RAS customers that businesses did not have enough of an awareness. 66 This suggests that, despite efforts to brief about and raise awareness of FTWiSS amongst employers, more may need to be done. The lack of awareness also has a knock-on effect for those on FTWiSS who have to explain what the scheme means to employers (this is discussed further in Chapter 9).
Applying to the Home Office for FTWiSS - the extension to visa process
7.21 Gaining the flexibility within the UK immigration system for international graduates from Scottish universities and colleges was seen as a major policy success for the devolved Scottish administration at the time. The FTWiSS process was managed by the UK Government Departments and all those applying therefore had to go through a standard procedure in order to get their application and extension verified. In some respects, the application process set the tone for people's experience of being on the scheme.
Applying In Person or By Post
7.22 In the qualitative research with those who have been on the scheme for around 2 years, most participants had chosen to travel to Glasgow to get their visa face to face in order to keep their passports with them:
I thought it was very expensive but I didn't want to give up my passport, I had a friend who did that and she didn't get her passport back for 17 weeks. I thought I'm a foreign national in this country, if I want to leave, I need my passport. I did not feel comfortable putting it in the Royal Mail and sending it somewhere to an office where it could get lost under some paperwork.
7.23 These interviewees were very happy with their experiences of the visa process:
It was great, it didn't take more than an hour.
Couldn't have been any easier, took literally three minutes, incredibly easy.
7.24 Those that had applied by post had a more mixed experience. More than one interviewee experienced delays in receiving their visa, in one case because their passport had been lost in the post for several weeks. The period of being without a passport was experienced as very stressful and there was a feeling that not enough care was taken with crucial documents like passports and degree certificates:
It took a full two months to get the response back. And there was no dialogue in between when I submitted the paper work and my passport to when I got it back, it was a full two months, I didn't get a letter saying that they received it. So it was a very horrible time for me here because I couldn't legally work and I couldn't go anywhere either because I didn't have my passport.
The thing that upset me was that [the passport] did just come through the letterbox, it didn't have to be signed for, it wasn't registered.
The Cost
7.25 All participants argued that the cost of the visa was very high, to the extent where it would prevent people from applying. Several interviewees knew people who had either been unable or unwilling to pay the fee and had therefore left Scotland after graduation.
The only difficulty was, I just finished my degree and it was quite a large fee, financially that was a bit of a crunch, I actually borrowed the money from my partner because I didn't have it, I was still looking for a job and cash flow was getting pretty low.
I think that [the fees] are quite prohibitive to some people. At the time I lived with all the international students and one of the girls I lived with definitely didn't apply for it because of the cost. And I'm not quite sure, unless you're making quite a bit of money it ends up being worth it, I don't think it necessarily pays for itself. I know that this would definitely limit some people.
Awareness Amongst UK Government Officials
7.26 Another problem with the FTWiSS visa identified by participants was the lack of awareness of the visa among immigration officials. More than one interviewee had been questioned at border control, and this appeared to be a problem particularly when entering the UK through England:
If we travel we go back home and we come through Gatwick or Luton, people still question my visa, they don't understand what it is, I'm stopped and interrogated all the time. People go: 'What is this visa? Why do you have it? I don't understand it, what is this?' A lot of people who work at the border control or immigration have no idea what my visa is.
7.27 The extension to visa process is clearly an aspect of the scheme that in some sense tests for the first time the commitment and expectations created by the FTWiSS message. The need to take an interest in these elements of the application process is an important, initial, part of making an individual's time on FTWiSS a positive one.
« Previous | Contents | Next »