How to apply for a job during and after your studies

Find out how to get experience, and find and apply for jobs in the UK or when you return home.

Find out: 

• how to get experience
• how to look for a job after your degree
• how to apply for jobs
• how to write a CV, cover letter and application.

How to get experience

Getting work experience while you are studying here will improve your future prospects, whether you want to find graduate work in the UK or return home.

Part-time work

Part-time work is a great way to earn money while you study and can help fund your time here. It is a great way to build your skills and experience and develop your language skills.

There are jobs on campus, but many are off-campus in the local area. Brighton is a tourist city with a large service sector, so you may not find student jobs related to your degree subject. Try to be flexible.

Find out more about student jobs and the visa requirements for working in the UK during your studies.

If you haven’t worked in the UK before, you will also need a National Insurance (NI) number. You can apply online. If you find a job before your NI number arrives, you should still be able to start work as long as you can prove your right to work in the UK.

Volunteering

Volunteering is a great way to gain experience and improve your language skills. You can volunteer without it affecting your visa and the hours you are permitted to work. Find out more about the visa requirements for working in the UK during your studies.

Internships

Internships can mean different things in the UK. If you are a:

• first year undergraduate, internship opportunities will be limited. Look for insight programmes offered by large graduate employers. These might be for a day or up to one week in duration. Look out for Insight days as part of Career Lab for first years 
• second year undergraduate, look for summer internships. These are structured opportunities often provided by large employers as part of their long-term graduate recruitment process. You will also be able to look for Career Lab UK summer internships which will be with smaller employers and mostly in Sussex and the South East
• third year undergraduate or postgraduate, you won’t find many opportunities until after finishing your studies. You won’t be eligible for summer internships but can approach employers speculatively for work experience. Use our sector guides to help you research employers.

Check how many hours you are legally allowed to work on an internship.

Placements

Placements are an excellent way to gain experience in a sector and are invaluable when you start applying for graduate jobs. If you are an undergraduate, a one-year placement will take place between your second and final year.

Placements are not guaranteed, even if you have chosen a course with a placement year. You will need to apply for placements during your second year to secure a placement to start in your third year. You can ask for support from the careers team and get your applications reviewed.

If you are on a three-year course, you can still apply for a placement. If successful, you can transfer to a four-year course and can now apply to change your visa from within the UK. Find out more about getting work experience.

Tips for finding a job after your degree

You will have a number of options when you finish your course, including staying in the UK, returning home or working in another country.

Start looking for graduate schemes early in your final year. You can think about graduate jobs or internships towards the end of your course.

Try Student Circus. You can browse jobs with employers that offer sponsorship of the Skilled Worker visa. You can also find immigration assistance from legal partners, ‘map my journey’ to help you keep track of your job hunt, and the latest tips, advice and insights to get you hired. Register with your Sussex email. You can also search Visa Sponsor Jobs for jobs that offer visa sponsorship. 

The Graduate visa route allows you to work in the UK for two years without sponsorship after you graduate, if you are an undergraduate or Masters student, or three years if you are a PhD student. If you want to remain in the UK after that, you would need to find another visa route, such as the Skilled Worker visa.

Find out more about visas for working in the UK as an international graduate.

If you are looking to return home, or move to another country, at the end of your course, we have some resources to help you:

• GradLink provides a vacancy site and resources to connect with employers if your home is in China, ASEAN (Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand), Europe, Canada, Africa, India or the Gulf states.
• Return & Connect is a jobs and networking platform to find post-study opportunities in your home countries after you graduate. Currently available for Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Mainland China. Register to use.
• GoinGlobal has in-depth country career guides packed with relevant job-hunting resources including country-specific vacancy sites. There are also specific USA City Guides and Global City Guides. You can search for jobs and internships and use the employer directory.
• Graduate schemes that offer the chance to work overseas as part of the programme.

Chinese students have access to our China Portal, where you can find jobs, attend online careers fairs, events and employers as well as the latest updates on the Chinese job market.

You can also use GetHired, a global opportunities platform for Sussex, which includes a Jobs in China section.

Applying for jobs 

If you are applying for jobs in the UK, or back home, it is important to be able to articulate what you have gained from studying your degree here.

Write and talk positively and clearly about your degree and experiences. 

Think about:

• what you studed and why it is relevant
• the skills you developed
• examples you can give of your skills
• what you gained from studying in the UK.

Do your research

Find out what employers are looking for and how they recruit. Large employers might have a recruitment process that takes several months, whereas smaller employers may advertise for immediate positions and be more flexible to offer work experience.

Read job adverts carefully and tailor your applications to match the skills and experience they are looking for. If you are applying speculatively, research prospective employers for their areas of specialism and company culture to help determine your approach.

Find out more about applying for jobs.

Starting your own business

Our dedicated Entrepreneurship Team offers entrepreneurship exploration appointments if you are interested in starting a business or developing a social enterprise. You can make an appointment through CareerHub. 

As an international student you cannot engage in business activity while on a student visa. You can still talk to us for advice about your ideas and options. Find out more about what you can do after graduation in the UK.

Your application, CV and cover letter

In the UK you are not required to send a picture of yourself with your application, CV or cover letter. Find out more about writing a CV and cover letter and filling out a job application.

Further help and support

You can also use:

• CV360 to get instant feedback on your CV
• Big Interview is a great resource to prepare and practise your interview techniques
• Graduates First can help you practise for selection tests used by large employers as part of their selection process.

Find out more about applying for jobs, including CVs and cover letters, online applications, selection tests, assessment centres and interviews.

See more from Working during or after your studies