Final year students and graduates

Know where to look

Most graduate jobs are advertised via online job boards such as Solent Futures Online or company recruitment web pages. Some professions have specialist sites. Jobs are also increasingly advertised on social media such as LinkedIn.

Check out our pages on finding work to see a list of local employers as well as national websites by sector to aid your job search.

National graduate schemes

It’s never too early to start your job search in your final year as some national graduate schemes have deadlines as early as October. 

Why not have a look at the bright networks guide to graduate scheme deadlines 2024

Using recruitment agencies

Many graduates find work through recruitment agencies. You should approach them in a professional manner, as if you were approaching a company directly for work. 

A few points to keep in mind: 

• Use the Recruitment and Employment Confederation to identify reliable agencies
• You should not be charged by the agency for finding you work. However, some agencies will charge for training
• Specify what companies you don’t want them to contact, eg, your current employer 
• Make sure the agencies you contact are appropriate for your skill level.

Work abroad

British citizens need a visa or work permit to work in most countries abroad including the countries of the European Union. You will need to check each country’s individual requirements. To find out more about working abroad and for sources of job opportunities, take a look at:

• Prospects - Working abroad
• Target Jobs - Working abroad
• LinkedIn Jobs (use the location search)

Turing supported international programmes

Depending on the availability of funding and provided you fulfil the eligibility requirements, you may be entitled to some funding for international opportunities after graduation under the UK government’s Turing Scheme. Please contact international.exchanges@solent.ac.uk to discuss the possibility of funding to support you on a graduate internship abroad.

Make speculative applications

• Use the job sectors section in Prospects, and information on professional association sites to find out about what is going on in your particular area of work. 
• Are you considering both private and public sector employers?
• Consider using social media to investigate employers and find 'hidden' opportunities.
• Focus your efforts on the organisations that interest you the most. Ten quality speculative applications will generally yield better results than making 100 general, unfocused applications. 

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships offer you the opportunity to work and earn while working towards recognised qualifications. Search for opportunities on the GOV.UK apprenticeships pages.

Finally the Office for Students (OfS) has produced a Graduate Employment and Skills Guide for graduates at the start of their career journey. 

A postgraduate degree refers to a range of qualifications that require an undergraduate degree to gain entry, these include courses such as Master's and PhDs. A postgraduate course is more than just a qualification.

“Studying a postgraduate course improved my confidence and gave me a professional mindset.”

Solent University offers  postgraduate courses, so we’re bound to have something for you to progress onto, whether you want to continue studying your course area or learn a new subject. You can find out more about postgraduate study and the courses available at Solent on the website.

As a graduate of the University and a member of our alumni community, you are eligible for a discount in tuition fees on a postgraduate course.

Click here for more information on discounts offered by Solent.

Postgraduate loans

Loans are available for both taught and research master’s programmes (MA, MSc, MBA, MREs, LLM and MPhil) and cover all subject areas. Eligible postgraduate students can take out a loan from Student Finance England to help them pay for their accommodation and tuition fees during their studies. More information can be found on the gov.uk site.

Postgraduate loans are not available for postgraduate certificates or postgraduate diplomas. You cannot apply for a loan if you already have gained a qualification at master's (or higher) level. You then repay your Postgraduate Loan at the same time as any other student loans you may have.

The repayment plan that applies to postgraduate loans compared to undergraduate loans differs slightly. Further information can be found on the Student Loan Repayment page.

Get into teaching

Many Solent final year students and graduates move into a career in teaching. The Get into Teaching website is a good place to start. It tells you what it is like to teach, details the support you can get while training, and what salary you could expect to earn.

The Teaching and Education section of the TARGET jobs website has been broken down into bite-sized, easy-to-digest articles covering all aspects of the application process. There is also a link to current job vacancies.

Here's a list of teaching resources on TARGET.

Starting your own business

The Enterprise Team in Solent Futures provides information, advice and guidance to students and graduates on starting a business or freelancing as a career. If you are thinking about self-employment, take a look at our pages providing information about the enterprise services and support available, including opportunities to pitch for funding from Solent University.

Find out more about what's on offer.

 

Solent Futures has a commitment to continue to support students when they finish their studies and after graduation. The services offered by the team include one-to-one advice and guidance, continued access to Solent Futures Online, and access to a large employer network through our jobs board.

If you would like advice on your career options and opportunities, or just need some help with CV writing or interview techniques, there are a number of tools that you may find useful, including Solent’s CV and application guide.

You may have used Solent Futures Online when you were a student. Solent Futures Online is the careers and jobs website designed specifically for Solent's students and graduates. Why not use Solent Futures Online to:

• Sign up for job alerts and apply for graduate positions
• Take self-assessments for career development
• Use CV 360
• Use Interview 360

If you do not have access to this platform already, please click here to complete a form to get access as a graduate.

Not sure what sector to apply to? You could try the Prospects career planner quiz to match your skills to a number of careers, or why not take this strengths quiz on Solent Futures Online to give you some ideas.

Stay in touch

You can contact the team by emailing solent.futures@solent.ac.uk

Why not follow our LinkedIn page to stay in touch and get updates about upcoming Solent Futures events.

Final year students need to update their details before they leave university to get continued access to Solent Futures Online - do this today!

Wondering what your next steps are after graduating?

There are many options available to you after graduation, more than you may think.

The best place to start is the UK Council for International Student Affairs where you will find jargon free explanation of visa after study available to you.

We have created an information page for international students and graduates and you can also get in touch with the International Support Team here at Solent University. The international team can be contacted via email at internationalsupport@solent.ac.uk.

We want to celebrate your achievements and in 15 months we will ask about your successes as part of the Graduate Outcomes Survey.

We want to know what you are doing since leaving. Freelancing, running your own business, postgraduate study or your first job, we will want to know. Shout about your success and tell us what you are most proud of since finishing your course.

The Graduate Outcomes survey is a national survey capturing information about the activities and perspectives of students 15 months after they finish their studies. As well as celebrating your successes and helping our current students understand their future careers, the survey is also of national significance as it allows policy makers, charities, journalists, researchers and others to understand the higher education sector and the state of the graduate labour market.

Find out more

We’ve put together some top resources you can use to develop your skills online. Continuing personal and professional development demonstrates enthusiasm and positive action to potential employers.

• Solent Futures Online for courses on Microsoft: Excel, PowerPoint, Word and Outlook; presenting and project management
• Grammar and punctuation
• OpenLearn - free online courses from the Open University
• FutureLearn - free online courses from a variety of providers/universities
• Coursera - free online courses from a variety of universities and employers
• Udemy - type 'free' into the search bar to generate list of any free courses on offer
• For more websites offering online courses, check out the website My World of Work.

When you graduate, you become part of the Solent alumni community. Our alumni community is made up of over 75,000 talented individuals just like you.

As a part of our global alumni community, you can take advantage of a range of benefits, including:

• Up to a reduction on postgraduate tuition fees
• Free library access
• Career advice and business support services for life
• Exclusive events
• Alumni newsletter
• Free alumni ID card.

You can find out more on our website.

Stay connected, stay Solent for life

Moved house, new job, or changed your email address? Let us know any changes to your contact details online.

Join your online community and network now.

• Like our page on Facebook
• Follow us on Instagram
• Follow us on Twitter
• Join our alumni group on LinkedIn

#SolentForLife

You may decide you would like to take some time out to travel and undertake work experience in the UK or abroad. You may just want to have some fun. Whatever you do, make sure you develop skills, abilities and experiences that will enhance your career prospects.

Future employers will expect you to have made good use of your time out. Even if you ‘just travel’ during your gap year, you will develop maturity and independence, increase your self-awareness, and potentially discover new career options too.

Here are some tips and ideas to consider during your time out:

1. Consider registering with an employment agency to do temp work.
2. Gain voluntary work experience in the UK or abroad.
3. Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) is a popular option. See below for a bit more info about this.
4. Don’t get taken advantage of. Research any gap year provider carefully.
5. Consider the basics – what, where and when, as well as how much and why.
6. A gap year does not have to be abroad and isn’t always a whole year.
7. Plan your time carefully to ensure you make the most of it.
8. If you are considering working overseas, make sure you check out any visa requirements or work restrictions first.
9. Check out the range of gap year ideas and suggestions on prospects.ac.uk.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

With a TEFL qualification you could find work with a language school in the UK or teach English abroad. Some organisations offer exchange teaching programmes. Opportunities can be found in Japan, China, the Far East, Middle East, and parts of Eastern Europe, as well as Spain, Italy and Germany. A lot of people use TEFL to fund their gap year travel. 

Further information about TEFL

Overseas employment

If you are keen to find paid work while you travel, a good starting point for identifying vacancies is the working abroad section on prospects.ac.uk.  These articles include information about each country’s job market, and tips on finding work experience, as well as advice about visa and immigration issues.

If you are interested in working your way across the world have a look at www.workaway.info which matches volunteers to hosts.

Work contracts

There are a range of different contract types and employer responsibilities that come with each type of contract.

If you need information on your employment or employment rights Gov.UK and ACAS are great sources of impartial advice on your employment rights and best practice by employers.

Freelancers, consultants and contractors

• You are self-employed or are part of other companies

• You will need to look after your own tax and NICs

You may not be entitled to the same rights as workers, eg, minimum wage. Employment law doesn’t cover self-employed people in most cases because they are their own boss. However, if a person is self-employed:

• they still have protection for their health and safety and, in some cases, protection against discrimination;
• their rights and responsibilities are set out by the terms of the contract they have with their client.

Find out more about how Solent supports graduates who work as freelancers or plan to start their own business.

Negotiating salary - the first offer is not always the only offer

Many graduate jobs are advertised without a specific salary. Find out what the range is for the type of role you are going for – through friends, LinkedIn contacts, or other similar jobs being advertised. If you are offered a job you will usually be given the specific salary at the same time.

Do you think the offer doesn’t match the sector, or take into account your skills and experience? Commercial employers often have some scope for improving a salary offer. Be polite and explain why you think the offer should be improved (and not just, I want more money!). Remember that future raises are usually based on your starting salary. You should also consider other aspects of compensation – a shorter commute could compensate for a lower salary, for example.

Solent Futures Online has e-learning resources about negotiating salary.

Understanding your payslip

Check your payslip each month – it is easy to forget if you receive it electronically, but it is vital that you do. If there is a mistake in your favour you might have to make up the money at a later time.

Other Items that are likely to appear on your payslip can include your personal information, the date, court orders and child maintenance, sick pay, maternity/paternity and adoption pay, other deductions, a summary of your year to date, net pay and lastly any important messages that your employer wants to deliver.

Tax and National Insurance information

General information you need to know

Tax rates undergo regular changes, often yearly, so information is not consistently relevant or reliable. There are two main taxes that are directly applicable to all workers. These are Income Tax and National Insurance contributions (NICs).

How do you pay Income Tax and National Insurance?

The way you pay your Income Tax and National Insurance contributions is largely dependent on whether you’re employed or self-employed.

If you are employed by a business, company or organization, it is likely that your Income Tax and National Insurance contributions will be deducted from salary or wages before it is paid to them, through the Pay as You Earn (PAYE) system.

If you are self-employed then it is likely you will pay your Income Tax and National Insurance through self-assessment:

• If you are personally filling in your self-assessment tax returns, you can watch videos and webinars or contact HMRC for general enquiries.
• Self-assessment can be completed with the help of an accredited accountant.
• Help can be found on Gov.uk

Tax documents to be aware of

What is a P60?
Your P60 shows the tax you’ve paid on your salary in the tax year (6 April to 5 April). You get a separate P60 for each of your jobs.

You need your P60 to prove how much tax you’ve paid on your salary, for example:

• to claim back overpaid tax
• to apply for tax credits
• as proof of your income if you apply for a loan or a mortgage.

What is a P45?
You get a P45 from your employer when you stop working for them.

Your P45 shows how much tax you’ve paid on your salary so far in the tax year (6 April to 5 April).

A P45 has four parts (Part 1, Part 1A, Part 2 and Part 3).

• Your employer sends details for Part 1 to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and gives you the other parts.
• You give Part 2 and 3 to your new employer (or to Jobcentre Plus if you’re not working).
• Keep Part 1A for your own records.

Further information can be found on these websites:

• Self-employed tax and NICs information
• Self-assessment information
• Income Tax information
• National Insurance information

Pension information

State Pension

Once you reach your State Pension age you can start to claim your pension. However, you don’t have to retire or claim your State Pension at State Pension age, you can wait until you’re ready. You can check what your State Pension age will be, and in which year you’ll reach that qualifying age, on the Gov.uk website.

Basic facts

What you receive is dependent on your National Insurance record – this is how much National Insurance you have contributed over the years.

State pension is relevant to graduates as you will likely get a job where you’re earning enough money to start paying NI, which will then contribute to your state pension.

Workplace pensions

All employers are lawfully required to enrol all eligible employees into a workplace pension scheme as of 2018. Contributing to a workplace pension scheme will give you additional income on top of your state pension when you retire.

It doesn’t matter what kind of contract you’re on, if you meet the following criteria you should be automatically enrolled into your employer’s pension scheme:

• Aged between 22 years old and state pension age
• Earn more than £10,000 per year (If you earn less than £10,000, you can still request your employer to enrol you)
• Work in the UK.

More information can be found on gov.uk website.

Learn to budget

• Set a budget and stick to it.
• Budgeting will help you to clear your student overdraft and prevent overspending. It can also be a useful tool for saving money as well!

There are many useful budgeting tools that can be found on the internet and are free to use. Some examples include:

• Money Advice service
• Citizens Advice

Why not try a free to use budgeting app, some examples are:

• YNAB (You Need A Budget)
• Wally Lite – Personal Finance

Minimum wage and the living wage

You are entitled to the National Minimum Wage which is published on the Gov.uk website.

Work experience and internships

You won’t get the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage if you’re:

• A volunteer or doing voluntary work
• On a government or European programme
• Work shadowing

Not entitled to the minimum wage

The following types of workers are not entitled to the minimum wage:

• Self-employed people running their own business
• Company directors
• Volunteers or voluntary workers
• Workers on a government employment programme, such as the Work Programme
• Members of the armed forces

Travel

• Notify your car insurer that you are no longer a student, and of any other changes. For instance, you must notify your car insurance provider if you use your car for commuting to work.
• You may be able to use a railcard to discount your train travel.
• Some employers offer interest free loans for annual travel cards or to purchase bicycles.

Graduate bank accounts

What will happen to your student account when you graduate?

Most student accounts will mature into graduate accounts on their own. However, many have criteria to achieve in order to qualify for their graduate account.

If you don’t meet the criteria, your student account will be converted to a standard current account upon completion of your course. If you cannot meet the criteria for a graduate account speak to your bank about your options.

What to think about when looking for and opening a graduate account

• Don’t be loyal to the bank you held your student account with.
• Get the best 0% overdraft possible.
• Graduate accounts aren’t just for new graduates.
• Never go over your overdraft limit.
• If you’re likely to be in credit, choose a bank offering good interest rates.

Examples of good graduate bank accounts can be found on the Money Saving Expert website.

Your ability to access the best bank accounts will depend on your credit score, you can check your credit score at either Experian or Equifax.

All things money

You may have seen Martin Lewis on telly. His MoneySavingExpert website covers everything from budget planning to going on holiday. It is impartial and worth a look.

State benefits

If you are not moving straight into work when you finish your studies then you may need to apply for benefits while you think through your options and next steps. Graduates may start claiming state benefits after they finish their final term of study in their final year.

Some of the main benefits are listed below:

• Universal Credit (UC) - can be claimed by those on low income or out of work.
• Child Benefit - if you’re responsible for one or more children under 16 (or under 20 if they stay in approved education or training).
• Tax credits - HMRC looks at your income from the previous tax year how many hours you work and whether you’re part of a couple.

Full information on state benefits can be found on the gov.uk website.

Your local welfare rights unit or Citizens Advice office should be able to give you information about any benefits you may be entitled to receive.

• The Southampton City Council welfare rights and money advice service can help with a range of issues and can be contacted at welfarerights.advice@southampton.gov.uk
• Information on a range of benefits and tax credits can be found on the Citizens Advice website or the Gov.uk website.

Financial help if you’re disabled

There is a wide range of disability-related financial support, including benefits, tax credits, payments, grants and concessions.

The main disability and sickness benefits are:

• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Attendance Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance.

More information is available here.

Useful information to know if you’re disabled

The Equality Act 2010 protects employees from disability-related discrimination, harassment and victimisation. It also restricts the circumstances in which employers can ask job applicants questions about disability or health.

The law aims to protect a person with a disability from being discriminated against in the selection process. At the same time it aims to protect and provide reasonable assistance to those who choose to disclose.

Disclosure

• Once a disability has been disclosed, it should be kept confidential by the employer unless the employee has made it clear they are happy for the information to be shared or unless the disability is obvious.
• You must disclose a disability or health condition when it might pose a risk at work to yourself or others.
• You may also need to disclose if you require reasonable adjustments. Employers can’t be held liable for not making reasonable adjustments if the candidate/employee doesn’t disclose their disability.
• Timing of disclosure is important. Disclosing a disability prior to interview stage can be useful information for the interview itself. Disabilities can be disclosed at job offer stage too so employers can consider reasonable adjustments. However, disclosing a disability once in the post can be too late. If you were to suffer discrimination at this stage, you may not have a legal case as your employed can rightly claim they were not informed of your disability.

Reasonable adjustments
Reasonable adjustments are changes to the work environment that allow people with disabilities to work safely and productively.

Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, aren’t substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. A few examples of reasonable adjustments can be having access to assistive technology, physical adaptations to the working area, adjusting working patterns or adjusting the premises. These can be discussed and agreed directly with your employer. Some of these adjustments can costs (although some are free) but they are a worthwhile investment as it will mean the employee requiring the adjustment will be more proficient.

Law forbids employers from making disabled workers pay for any reasonable adjustments. The employer may be able to use an existing equipment or training budget. In any event the returns made by increasing productivity and reducing days lost to sickness often far exceed the initial costs incurred.

Access to Work scheme
If the help you need at work is not covered by your employer making reasonable adjustments, you may be able to get help from Access to Work.

You should talk to your employer about reasonable adjustments before you apply for Access to Work. Find out more about the scheme here.

Looking for work if you’re disabled

When you’re looking for work, look on adverts and application forms for the Disability Confident symbol.

This symbol means:

• The employer is committed to employing disabled people.
• You’ll be guaranteed an interview if you meet the basic conditions for the job

Find out about jobs in your area at your local Jobcentre.

Mental health support services

Transitioning from student life to the world of work can be challenging. This short YouTube video discusses some of the issues graduates have encountered.

If you’re experiencing mental health problems or need support, there are many places you can go to for help:

The Samaritans
Telephone: 116 123 (24 hours a day, free to call)

Email: jo@samaritans.org  Has an aim of a 24 hour response for emails.

Website: www.samaritans.org

The Samaritans provides confidential, non-judgmental emotional support for people experiencing feelings of distress or despair, including those that could lead to suicide. You can phone, email, write a letter or in most cases talk to someone face to face.

Mind Infoline
Telephone: 0300 123 3393 (9am-6pm Monday to Friday)

Email: info@mind.org.uk

Web site: www.mind.org.uk/help/advice_lines

Mind provides confidential mental health information services. Mind enables people to make informed choices. The Infoline gives information on types of mental distress, where to get help, drug treatments, alternative therapies and advocacy. Mind has around 140 local Minds providing local mental health services.

The Mix
Telephone: 0808 808 4994 (3pm to 12am every day, free to call)

Website: www.themix.org.uk/get-support

Crisis Text Helpline: Text THEMIX to 85258

The Mix provides judgement-free information and support to young people aged 13-25 on a range of issues including mental health problems. Young people can access the The Mix’s support via phone, peer to peer and counselling services.

Rethink Mental Illness Advice Line
Telephone: 0300 5000 927 (1pm to 4pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays))

Email: info@rethink.org and may have a 3 day response rate

Website: https://bit.ly/2vQA3to

This advice line provides expert advice and information to people with mental health problems and those who care for them, as well as giving help to health professionals, employers and staff. Rethink also runs Rethink services and groups across England and Northern Ireland.

Papyrus – Suicide Prevention Helpline

Telephone: 0800 0684141 (9am to midnight every day)

Website: https://www.papyrus-uk.org/

Email: pat@papyrus-uk.org

Self help
The NHS has produced a series of self help guides which cover a range of mental health issues.