Focus on: Graduates working abroad

News News

More graduates are looking to start their careers beyond the United Kingdom, according to data released by graduate-jobs.com.

According to data released by independent graduate job board, graduate-jobs.com, the amount of graduates looking to work overseas is increasing. Analysing user registration data collected over a ten year period, the job board discovered 16% more university leavers want to work overseas than in the previous decade.

The number of graduates who want to work outside the UK, not including Europe, stands at 49.9%, indicating that the demand for well-educated graduates from British universities is not lost on university leavers as they explore the world.

Joe Doyle studied Law at Northumbria before he boarded a flight to begin a career in Changwon, South Korea's eighth largest city, where he has been teaching English for over 18 months.

"I moved to South Korea in 2014 and haven't looked back since," he says.

"I teach English to a range of ages and really enjoy the lifestyle it affords me here. Working with children can be challenging sometimes but I find it really rewarding."

Joe says working in Korea has enabled him to achieve a higher standard of living.

"There are much lower taxes and cost of living is much cheaper here in South Korea. [The country also] offers a much better financial setup than other Asian countries for teaching English."

"For example, in South Korea, my apartment is provided for free by the school."

Teaching across the world is a popular option for graduates wanting to explore different cultures and gain hands-on experience, but Joe warns graduates to be careful when choosing their schools.

"Don't accept a job at a private academy unless you speak to another foreign teacher at the school first," he says. "There are a lot of unreliable companies employing and taking advantage of foreign teachers so always do your research."

One of reasons Joe chose South Korea was for the big change in culture.

"It is nice to be detached from the western way of life for a while," he says. "I've been here for a year and half now and I feel very much at home in Changwon. If you try to immerse yourself in the culture it can be very easy to adjust to the Korean way of life."

Joe says he still makes the occasional cultural mistake-the worst of which happened at the worst possible time, meeting his girlfriend's parents.

"To greet her father I should have said 'anyeonghaseyo aboji bangawaeyo' which translates as 'hello father, nice to meet you,'" he says. "However in the nerves of the moment I forgot the 'a' at the start of 'aboji' and well you can Google what 'boji' translates to in Korean."

South Korean cultural life is very vibrant and social, according to Joe.

"The drinking culture is huge here," he says "Koreans also love to eat out at restaurants and cafes. Most streets are densely packed with bars, restaurants, karaoke rooms and much more."

In general, Korean life is very relaxed and accepting of Westerners.

"There are a lot of cultural traditions and customs with regards to eating, drinking and meeting people," Joe says.

"Nowadays foreigners aren't really expected to comply with these, but I would advise graduates to at least try some-it will get you in the locals' good books."

View international graduate jobs

Image Credit: Sean Pavone/Shutterstock.com