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Graduate Careers Advice

The Graduate Job-Seekers Guide

Managing The Study-to-Workplace Transition

Temping Tips for Graduates

Graduate Study Abroad

Careers in the Arts

Graduands

Personality Profiles

Professional Qualifications

Working Abroad

Going Freelance

Graduate Study Abroad

The opportunity to study overseas is one which can be both highly rewarding and extremely challenging. To ensure that you get the most out of the experience, it is important to plan carefully and make sure that you choose the most appropriate course.

Ascertain your requirements

When deciding what to study abroad, it is important to establish exactly why you want to go overseas and what you hope to achieve from the experience. You may be motivated by the desire to experience a new culture or learn a foreign language, or you may want to gain invaluable experience through working with leading experts in your chosen profession.

Once you know what the driving force is behind your decision, you will be able to choose which country to go to, exactly what you want to study and how long you intend to spend overseas.

It is also important to decide what type of study you wish to undertake – you could get involved in a research project, where you are less likely to achieve a qualification, or you could embark upon a formal postgraduate qualification. It is important, however, to ensure that any qualifications you do attain will be recognised by potential employers within the country where you ultimately wish to work.

Establish your priorities

When choosing to study abroad, you must decide whether your priority is the actual country you study in or the particular type of study; for example, the leading industry professionals in your chosen field may be located in a country that you would not necessarily wish to work in. So, again, you must establish what the most important factors are in your decision making and act accordingly.

Planning your trip

There are a number of other considerations which you must take into account when planning to study overseas. You should investigate the application process to make sure that you are aware of any deadlines. Some study programmes have lengthy application processes which may begin as much as 18 months in advance of your proposed trip so you should start planning in plenty of time.

It is important to think about how long your overseas study trip will be and whether you will need to brush up on your language skills before you travel to your country of choice. Another critical consideration is how your trip is to be funded. Some study programmes may offer grants or scholarships that you can apply for while you may find you have to fund your transportation costs, living expenses and university fee yourself. The Embassy of the country you are travelling to should have all the information you need on grants and scholarships available.

Once you have set your heart on travelling abroad to continue your studies, it is imperative to make sure that your CV and any covering letters you have are accurate representations of your relevant qualifications, skills and experiences. Competition for overseas study places can be fierce so these are vital tools when selling yourself to the selection panel.