Job opportunities after MPhil Economics at Cambridge

[Iwanttostudy]

Hi guys,

 

I'm an international student and I'll be starting my MPhil in Economics at Cambridge in 2008. I was just wondering that how are the job opportunities after graduation, especially for an international student ?

 

I heard that getting a work permit is also a big issue. Is it true ?

[filroz]

I think that after completing master degree you automatically get working permit (maybe only for one year)

[Iwanttostudy]

I think that after completing master degree you automatically get working permit (maybe only for one year)

 

Thanks a lot for your reply. Yup, I know about the 1 year work opportunity. I was wondering that is it likely that my employers would extend the period beyond 1st year.

 

Also, what I am really curious about is that how difficult is it for an asian international student with no WE to find a suitable job. In essence, how long does the Cambridge brand name take someone ?

[asianeconomist]

I'd think that opportunities should be good, especially in the finance industry (banks, investment companies, insurances....)

[nitwit87]

well, i think according to the new IGS scheme after masters u can work for 2 years. and about jobs markets are bleeding take my word i know people from LSE, warwick,even oxford not getting jobs ( good ones of course) in areas such as IB which are fiercely competed for.

[elcapitano]

I think the UK government are about to introduce a points system. As you'll presumably already have a job in your 1-2 year grace period after the masters and you'll have a postgraduate degree and you'll be fluent in English I should think that you'll easily have enough ponts whatever the system.

 

You should be able to get a decent job in pretty much whatever field you want.

[asianeconomist]

You should be able to get a decent job in pretty much whatever field you want.

 

But doesn't this sort of contradict the previous poster's comment about the difficulty of finding jobs after Cambridge.

[elcapitano]

The people I know who've been to Cambridge or Oxford haven't had any difficulties.

[asianeconomist]

The people I know who've been to Cambridge or Oxford haven't had any difficulties.

 

Were they all from Economics, and did they all get into IBs ?

[elcapitano]

No they did not. But not everyone wants to work at an investment bank :)

 

If you want to make money you will be able to get a job where you'll be earning £50k after a year or two £80k, after 3-4 years and then more after that, which I would consider a pretty decent job. It is difficult to get the jobs that pay £60k straight out of school because there aren't very many of them.

[nitwit87]

well, elcapitano may still be relying on conventional wisdom and knowledge in order to convince himself that when you are at oxbridge you have arrived. But sadly as of now markets are in shambles ,firms like Deloitte and Lehman have deferred their campus hunts of its employees . Surely in normal scenario oxbridge does command respect..

[elcapitano]

Zing.

 

That's simply not the case. A friend of mine, with a non-oxbridge undergrad degree in econ, just got a really good job at Deloitte straight out of uni. Also, friends on other schemes are preparing for a new intake. In tough times the big firms don't close their schemes down altogether - they might reduce the size of them a little bit - because they know the difficulties will pass and can't afford to miss out on a years worth of talent; they are more likely to cut back on mid level entry posts. Even in good times Oxbridge isn't sufficient but it gets you to the interview; from there you still need to be good at interviews and testcentres - maybe that's where the people you know fall down?