Mass Exodus: The graduate tale continues...

Miss Mimsy

Hi All,

Recently I have been thinking of going abroad to find a job. I graduated nearly 2 years ago and I out of a large enough class only 3 of us stayed in Ireland to find work. I studied business/management and found it hard to get any long term employment. Currently working part time and previously on a WPP thingy (which wasn't that great). I was thinking of working in London but I am not sure what it is like out there at the moment. A lot of my friends went abroad to OZ and are having a great time but they don't seem to have great jobs( waiting, picking berries etc ). But from what I have been told by friends is that thousands of graduates are emigrating to find work?

Should I hold on here and hope things get better?

Where are the best places to work (abroad)?

How much is a good nest egg to have for the big move (€1000-€2000)?


I am sorry for all the questions but I am nervous about the move. I am going alone (if I do it) and I have barely a years good work experience under my belt plus a masters but I can't seem to get a job in this country my skills are very general, though I have an okay amount of experience with computer services management stuff/information services (non programming stuff). Though this area seems to be highly outsorced at the moment in Ireland.

Thanks in advance for all responses an advice.

Da GOAT

if i was single id go abroad for sure. nothing gonna change here for a fair few more years.

looksee

It may look daunting, but alone is the best way to go. Then you are responsible only for yourself, you are not held back by any one else, and you are more likely to look around and find new friends.

tinnuvial

You'll definitely want more than €2,000 if you move with no job secured in advance. Many years ago I moved to the US with £1,000 but I had a job starting a few days after I arrived and that money didn't last very long.
Keep in mind that you'll need to support yourself until you find some work, you'll need deposits for accommodation, possibly for turning on utilities and you'll want to go places and do things in the first few weeks.

eire2009

Start applying for jobs in the UK with a UK address. Get a UK Mobile and Number ... With 2K your better off driving over at least you can save on travel and accommodation when your stuck .. Forget about Auz you`ll need a good 3.5K just to get over there and settled .. I`ll probably head over myself next month this country is only getting worse

ILA

There's obviously a lot of competiton for Business/Management related jobs, like every PLC, college, and university is pumping out business graduates each year.

Its easily one of the most popular course areas, and it's also one of the easier ones to get into points-wise.

finisklin

The UK makes most sense....you can do the ground work here by searching jobs, locations etc. via the internet. Double check your own network to see if somebody knows somebody working anywhere in the UK....ask friends, family etc. You never know it how helpful someone can be.....

The employment situation in this country is going to get worse, no question. The UK is ideal for you as it so accessible from Ireland.....Ryanair flights are cheap and cheerful. Also, look at any prokects that you have done during college and hopw they can relate or add value to a job. Once you have focused on this, start approaching these UK companies and sell, sell, sell yourself.

The idea of a UK mobile makes sense.....

Best of luck...

Miss Mimsy

A lot of my friends went out to Oz but they are doing the aforementioned jobs like waiting tables and they can't get anything related to their degree. Although I think they are going for the fun of it....

The UK (london are) scares me because after spending so long here after my deggree trying to find a job I feel like my skills are becoming redundant (and I feel completely inept because I can't get a job here). Is the UK much better jobwise though?

seachto7

Bear in mind OP, that your friends in Australia are probably on working holiday visas, so are not really that eligible to get "real jobs". Some will, but most won't or won't want to...(I would think....)
Do you have any foreign languages? A native English speaker who speaks French, in France, could be an asset....

bullpost

I'd chance London.
You've nothing to lose and a lot to gain.
London's economy is huge compared to Ireland so there will be lots more activity over there and you should at least get lots of interviews.
Lots of Irish over there as well so should be easy to find contacts.
Its also inexpensive to travel back and so if you do get a job you can come home frequently if you want.
Don't know what its like now but when I left college a long time ago I headed over and got a job shortly after.

Mr. Loverman

Miss Mimsy wrote: »

Should I hold on here and hope things get better?

Things are only going to get worse. We are at the start of a depression which will last decades.

FYI the government is currently spending €5 for every €3 of tax revenue.

Miss Mimsy wrote: »

Where are the best places to work (abroad)?

Canada, Australia, Germany, China.

Personally I would pick Germany, China, Canada, Australia, in that order. (Why? Because I may as well learn a second language at the same time).

Miss Mimsy wrote: »

How much is a good nest egg to have for the big move (€1000-€2000)?

I personally would bring 10k. Minimum 5k.

Miss Mimsy

seachto7 wrote: »

Bear in mind OP, that your friends in Australia are probably on working holiday visas, so are not really that eligible to get "real jobs". Some will, but most won't or won't want to...(I would think....)
Do you have any foreign languages? A native English speaker who speaks French, in France, could be an asset....

Is France easy to get into and how are the jobs market out there. I have a freind in Italy who can't get a real job in terms of what she studied and she says main land Europe is not much better then here....?

Ouchette

London's doing ok at the moment. I've moved there and around here it's like there is no recession. The rest of the UK might be screwed with all the public sector redundancies but London's like its own country.

Friends who went to France instead have had a much harder time and they're native speakers but maybe they're being too fussy or something. Not sure.

We're not recent graduates though so might be different.

finisklin

Mimsy,

it may help if you let us know where your interests lie and what would your ideal job be.....for example the IT sector is being hit quite hard as budgets are paired right back. Hence that may not be as bountiful as HR. You did a general business degree, that may suit a smaller company where energy is vital and a good knoweldge of several business areas e.g. HR, Accounts, Marketing etc.


I think that your network can help....are you linkedin? Loads of different groups on it and it appears more prevalent in the UK than here, probably because it is much bigger! You can do a lot of spadework on it re target company's, different locations etc.

D-Generate

I just finished a masters here in London and finally have started applying for places and basically am having 3 interviews a week. In finance the recession seems to be subsiding and lots of roles are opening up. Get yourself over to London, get in contact with recruiters and take the chance.

Jim2007

I could be biased since I've been here (Switzerland) for 20 years, but I'd consider Europe if I were you

- Good work/life balance and great quality of life
- No visa requirements
- Your qualifications are fully recognizer
- Most large companies use American English as the official language
- Higher degrees are rear, so competition is not so hot
- Good salaries
- Only a few hours away, so you can always pop back for the weekend or a bit longer.

Most Swiss companies will do a few phone interviews with you as a starter and if that goes well they'll fly you out at their expense for a long weekend before making up their mind about you. If you do get an offer, then they will help you out with all the relocation stuff, so you have got nothing to loose...

Here are a few companies to look at:

- Swiss Re : One of the best companies to work for and their Grad. Program opens in mid November

- UBS : They lost $40b in the crash, but unlike the Irish banks they have actually paid back the Swiss government and things are starting to look up once again...

- Nestle : No introductions needed on this one...

- Credit Suisse : Some thing very rear - a bank that did not require any help to deal with the crash!

- Swiss Life : Another insurance company with opportunities in various parts of Europe

- Novartis : Well known in Ireland too

- ABB : GE's major competitor

Use Monster.com to find other opportunities......

Note that European companies do not have the same hire and fire type of mentality of the US/UK/Ireland, so the recruiting usually takes much longer - often a couple of months!

Of course a basic knowledge of the local language is useful, but it should not stop you being considered for most positions at head quarter operations and you can always pick it up later.

Good luck with your decision,

Jim.

Jim2007

Miss Mimsy wrote: »

Is France easy to get into and how are the jobs market out there. I have a freind in Italy who can't get a real job in terms of what she studied and she says main land Europe is not much better then here....?

Actually I would consider these two among the most difficult to get established in unless you have a very good command of the local language. In both cases, most companies tend to only operate an national level and thus have a very high need for local language and knowledge....

I have found that companies in what I call the Germanic region (Germany, Austria, The Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland) the easiest to break into. Even small companies in this region tend to be open to trade with others outside their region and so they have a bit more of an international perspective. Also Germans tend to much more comfortable speaking English than either the French or the Italians are.

Also it seems to me that German is a bit easier for an Irish person to pick up, if they have a some practice at the old Irish!

Jim

seachto7

Miss Mimsy wrote: »

Is France easy to get into and how are the jobs market out there. I have a freind in Italy who can't get a real job in terms of what she studied and she says main land Europe is not much better then here....?

I know for a fact that you could get a job doing TEFL in Rome, if it floated your boat. All depends what you want to do. Italian is easy to learn, it's easy to pronounce, easier than German I found. I spent 2 years there, learnt as much of the lingo as I could, and came back and got a job as a technical translator.
Think of it, how many people learn Italian in school in Ireland. If I were you I'd head to the continent, maybe to a country with a "minority" language, like Portugal, or Italy. Places in Ireland still look for speakers of these languages, and combined with your other skills, you could be sitting pretty. (i'm not talking about call centre work either).
Personally I would head to France, Belgium, or Holland, but that's just me..