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8. GAINING EMPLOYMENT ON FTWISS

8.1 In many ways employment can be thought of as key to the success of FTWiSS. For the individual on the scheme, however, it is not only about finding work, but finding work that is linked to their chosen career path and reflects their qualifications and experience. Whether those on FTWiSS have realistic expectations of the labour market in Scotland and the opportunities available to graduates is another key factor in determining how able they are to find work. Part of this is trying to understand the support made available to these individuals once they are on the scheme and making an assessment of the level and type of service that might be expected in terms of support finding employment.

Finding a Job in Scotland

8.2 All interviewees in the qualitative research with those on the scheme for about 2 years had started looking for employment either before or as soon as they had received their visa. The experiences of finding suitable work differed significantly between individuals. Some participants had worked part-time at an appropriate level while at university, and were able to join the companies they were working for full time after graduation. Interviewees who were not in this situation took between six weeks and one year to find employment at a level and salary appropriate to their qualification and in a sector they were interested in. One participant found that:

Getting a job was very very easy, there was a lot of work available.

8.3 However, most participants agreed that it is very difficult to find suitable employment in Scotland. One interviewee was unable to find professional work and continued working in a casual customer service job after 18 months, despite being headhunted twice by firms from other countries. The lack of employment opportunities was particularly obvious in comparison to other places:

In Scotland, even when I was temping I wasn't really getting much work and as soon as I moved to London, I was getting steady work all the time.

It really wears on you thinking if I moved back, if I moved to [city in home country] there's thousands of jobs in my chosen field there, I'm sure I could find something.

8.4 Some participants argued that Scottish companies were looking for individuals with very specialised experience and that it was difficult to find 'general' employment in Scotland. It was also thought that educational qualifications were not valued as much as they are elsewhere.

There are a lot of jobs in Scotland, but the requirement in Scotland is for very specialised work, not general roles.

I had just paid a lot of money for my Masters and it seemed to open no doors.

8.5 Several participants felt that employers often acted unprofessionally, e.g. not acknowledging receipt of applications, not giving feedback.

I sent out so many applications and I was really frustrated by the application process, because you send out applications and you don't get any reply, you don't even get a recognition of receipt of your application, and that's very different from in my own country. In Scotland it was not like that, I didn't get many recognitions of receipts at all. And I would call places to follow up and people wouldn't know what was where, [they'd say] 'We've already hired for that job, why are you calling us?' I found that incredibly incredibly frustrating.

On the job front, the system that is in place can be very frustrating. I attended an interview and during the interview I realised I wasn't the type of person they were looking for, so I expected the person to tell me I wasn't qualified but they told me it went very well. So the feedback I was given wasn't the right feedback, they just said something to get rid of me.

8.6 The interview participants who had these negative experiences felt that they would have benefited from more support and guidance about the Scottish labour market. One interviewee argued that what would have helped her could have been something as simple as:

somebody who I could have talked to, maybe somebody associated with Fresh Talent, who could have told me how getting a job in Scotland works, because not even getting recognition that my application was received, that was so alien to what I was used to, I just felt ignored. If somebody could have told me that that was how it was supposed to be, so you shouldn't feel bad if you don't hear back or you hear back three months later. It would have made me feel a lot better if somebody could have just told me 'That's how things work in Scotland you should do this because there is a cultural difference there'.

Types of Jobs

8.7 Data from the monitoring questionnaire shows that just under three quarters of respondents were employed or self- employed during wave 1, 87% during wave 2 and 74% during wave 3 (see Table 8). However, it appears that a very large proportion of respondents are not in the type of jobs they would like to be in, with around four in ten respondents stating that their employment is not linked to their career choice, and more than half saying that it is not appropriate to their level of education (see Tables 9 and 10). The precise figures from wave 1 and 2 should be treated with caution due to inaccuracies in questionnaire design and data entry ⁶⁶, but the overall trend appears to be consistent with other research, as well as the qualitative comments collected in the monitoring questionnaire.

Table 8: Employment status

Base: All respondents who answered question (wave 1: 689, wave 2: 162; wave 3: 198)
Source: FTWiSS monitoring questionnaire

Table 9 Whether employment is linked to career choice

Base: All respondents who answered question (wave 1: 539, wave 2: 146; wave 3: 147)
Source: FTWiSS monitoring questionnaire

Table 10 Whether employment is appropriate to level of educational qualification

Base: All respondents who answered question (wave 1: 531, wave 2: 147; wave 3: 147)
Source: FTWiSS monitoring questionnaire

Barriers to Finding the Right Job

8.8 Respondents who felt that they were not in suitable employment were given the opportunity to comment in their own words on why they thought this was. Analysis of the written comments showed that most were working low skill jobs as a stopgap while applying for more suitable positions, although some were also using unskilled work as a means to gaining experience in their chosen sector with a view to moving to more senior positions.

8.9 The comments identified a number of barriers to finding work at the right level and in the right sector. Key among these is the lack of graduate level opportunities in Scotland, particularly in certain sectors, which means that there is a lot of competition for any available positions and employers have high expectations in terms of work experience and qualifications. A number of people who commented acknowledged that they were lacking experience and were trying to address this, although there was a feeling that skilled work placements were almost as difficult to secure as permanent work. Of course, these barriers are likely to be similar to those experienced by any Scottish graduate, whether international or not.

8.10 However, comments also identified some barriers that were specific to international students. Many respondents did have work experience gained outside the UK, but found that employers were only interested in UK experience. A larger issue mentioned by most of the people who commented was that employers are unwilling to employ people who do not have permanent residency. This issue is discussed further in Chapter 9.

8.11 Research in 2005, at the start of the FTWiSS, picked up from an early stage the problems some of those on the scheme have finding suitable employment and the "frustrations" associated with this. ⁶⁸ Although there is no definitive number to show how many of those on FTWiSS have found employment, it is clear that some have experienced difficulties. Part of this is related to the expectations of those on FTWiSS and a view that after graduation they should not only be able to find work, but find a job that is "aligned to their career path". ⁶⁹

Experience of All Graduates in Scotland Finding Employment

8.12 Higher education statistics indicate that of all graduates surveyed from Scottish institutions 57% had obtained employment (permanent and temporary) 6 months after graduation and, of that group, 64% were working as professionals, associate professionals or technical staff. The unemployment rate of those surveyed was 5%. ⁷⁰ One would not expect those on FTWiSS to have similar experiences, but further analysis of the survey data could lead to a better understanding of the experiences of particular groups of graduates seeking work. It may be that more is required to help overseas graduates understand the Scottish labour market and the pattern of graduate employment in Scotland.

Employment as a Successful Outcome of FTWiSS

8.13 Qualitative research with staff at Scottish universities and colleges suggests that there is a consensus that "the true measure of FTWiSS will be the extent to which it meets students' expectations in terms of providing opportunities". ⁷¹ This point links to a wider view of what FTWiSS is looking to achieve in terms of outcomes: there is the issue of whether those on FTWiSS find employment; the extent to which their 2 years on FTWiSS is a positive experience; and whether they look to stay on in Scotland after their 2 years is complete. Success in relation to FTWiSS can be thought about in numerous ways, eg the economic contribution of international students and graduates, but its impact on the individuals on the scheme, a key part of which is to do with them finding jobs, is crucial.

Coping with Difficulties Finding Employment

8.14 Being able to cope with any associated difficulties and challenges linked to finding work as an international graduate is an important issue. Individuals on FTWiSS may have high expectations, by virtue of being on the scheme, and may be disappointed by any initial setbacks in finding employment. In the worst case scenarios, those on FTWiSS may leave Scotland to find work elsewhere in the face of difficulties and there is no reliable estimate as to how many might have done this in the last two years. In responding to evidence which suggests some individuals are facing problems in finding work, there may be scope to explore and identify possible areas where some level of support may be usefully provided to those on the scheme.

Individual Solutions

8.15 Most participants in the qualitative research with those on FTWiSS for around 2 years who said that they struggled to find work after graduating responded by widening their search, either geographically or in terms of what jobs they were applying for:

After the first couple when you don't hear back you think maybe I shouldn't be so choosy, maybe I should apply for just about anything.

8.16 One interviewee had returned to university in order to make themselves more employable in Scotland:

I talked to my mum and she said I think you need to go back to uni, find out what Scotland really needs, and concentrate on that subject.

8.17 Another response to not finding work was to leave Scotland. One interviewee had moved to London after several months of unsuccessful job hunting, after having been advised by their university that it was legal to do so on an FTWiSS visa:

I was told at the international office that what I had been issued was a UK residence permit. I certainly wasn't trying to come here [London] and work illegally, I checked into everything before I moved, and I would have moved earlier had I known it was an option.

8.18 Another participant stated that had they not found secure employment at the appropriate level, they would almost certainly have left Scotland:

There is no way I would have stayed in Scotland photocopying for two years. I was 24 at the time and it would have been better for me to go back to [home country] and start a real career, instead of making photocopies in Scotland and having that be on my CV.

8.19 It appears that it is common for individuals to leave Scotland after not finding suitable work for an extended period, as most interviewees had friends who had done so:

A lot of my friends they stayed here looking for work, and couldn't find anything so after a few months they applied for the normal work permit, and moved to London.

One person I know, Fresh Talent, very good education, but he ended up working in a bar because he couldn't find employment, so he left, so I think it's a common thing.

Every single one of my friends was in the exact same situation [of struggling to find work]. And in the end, two of my friends ended up moving to London.

8.20 The one interviewee who had stayed in Scotland despite not finding suitable work for 18 months had done so for personal reasons:

What is keeping me here is my wife studying, other than that I would have relocated, not necessarily to [home country], but because I've had other offers outside Scotland.

Relocation Advisory Service

8.21 One option available to those individuals on FTWiSS who are trying to find work is to contact the Relocation Advisory Service. Evaluations of its service indicate that the majority of direct enquiries it receives are "work related" (help finding work or queries about work permits and visas). ⁷² While the evaluations identified the volume of enquiries relating to the application process of FTWiSS there was no indication of the proportion of calls taken from people on FTWiSS trying to find employment. It may be that some of those asking for help finding work were on FTWiSS. Whilst RAS could act as a useful service for those on FTWiSS - and there is nothing stopping them from using it - this could be seen as another illustration of the focus and attention given to the application-side of FTWiSS, whereas the same cannot be said for the support available once individuals are on the scheme.

Other Possible Forms of Support

8.22 In the FTWiSS monitoring report, respondents who were not in a job related to their career choice were asked what would help them. The most common responses were training (which is assumed to cover work experience as well as academic study), availability of jobs, and careers advice (see Table 11).

Table 11: If job not linked to career choice, what would help obtain a job that was?

Base: All respondents who answered question (wave 1: 268, wave 2: 65)
Note: To date, only 42 responses have been received in wave 3
Source: FTWiSS monitoring questionnaire

8.23 The written qualitative comments collected through the monitoring questionnaire identify three key areas where respondents feel that further support should be provided to help them find suitable work. First, many graduates recognise that they lack the work experience employers require, and are therefore looking for tailored careers advice and 'work experience' programmes to help them to find work at the appropriate level. Of course, it needs to be remembered that it is not only international graduate that would benefit from such support. Second, there is agreement that government should work with employers to raise awareness of FTWiSS and prevent the situation where people on FTWiSS are often automatically excluded at the first round despite having relevant qualifications and work experience. Third, and related, many respondents felt that the scheme should either be extended beyond the two years or that there should be a more straightforward route into another immigration category, to allow both employers and employees to plan for the long term.

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