Uni Freshers 2016 (second thread)

[soapybox]

A new thread!

Nor me Leeds2!

Ooo! Just noticed this was resurrected a few weeks ago.

DS1 has got a job! He’ll be working as a graduate software engineer in Manchester for a big ex British company chip designer, now owned by a Japanese company. He starts in September. Great benefits including 20 days sabbatical every 4 years (if he stays there for 4 years.)

He’s off to Italy with his Marxist friends in July so will miss his graduation. So no posh frock opportunities for me.

He’s started his finals. 2 down 6 to go. Hopefully on course for a first.

It’s so lovely to hear from you all. That GCSE thread seems a very long time ago!

Excellent news ellenjanesthickerknickers. Ds handed on his dissertation yesterday, now only 2 exams to go. No luck jobwise yet but a couple of applications still pending.

Well Done to your DS EllenJane. That is fab news! Does he know Manchester at all?
Sorry you will miss the graduation. I am not sure this would bother me, but understand most parents would!
Good Luck to your DS with the job hunt LIZS. Hope something comes through for him soon.

DS1 did loads and loads of job hunting between Christmas and Easter. He went to around 10 interviews around the country and got offered 4 jobs in total. But didn’t get offered the 2 he really wanted, Amazon and Bloomberg, both in London. He dropped out of a few other interviews once he decided on the Manchester job.

He doesn’t know Manchester at all! But safe to say it’ll be cheaper than London but still a busy and active place to live. He has a Warwick student friend who’s from there so is hoping for some advice on where to live. He also knows some Manchester Marxists. Who knew joining the Marxist society would be so useful?

He decided against the MMath during his second year. He’d had enough of the maths, though really enjoyed being a student. The current girlfriend is doing a Masters in Sheffield next year, so not too far. I’ve met her 3 times, a record!

What sort of job does your DS want to do, LIZS? He could always take a year off finding a ‘grown-up’ job, do something fun and look at graduate schemes next year. DS1 applied mostly via LinkedIn, either directly to the companies or via recruiters he found on there and didn’t use the university careers service at all.

Leeds, is your DD home from the US soon, then? Will her graduation be over there?

Well done to your DS EllenJane. Such a relief when they are finally sorted into a proper grown up job! I've a feeling there is a second chance at a graduation ceremony in the winter if he really wanted to do it. I think most of them only go for the parents benefit though. It's a nice day but I wouldn't be too disappointed to miss it.
DS did a lot of job searching around December and Jan but nothing since. He is working very hard for his exams. He is thinking about doing a temporary job while he looks at grad schemes for next year. Interesting that your DS got his job via LinkedIn Ellen. DS set up a decent profile on there but hasn't really utilised it IMO. Not that I dare ask ATM as he's feeling exam stress.

TBH, squirrills I’m not sure how LinkedIn works. I think he saw jobs come up on there. We worked hard on his CV over Christmas and he sent that to recruiters found via LinkedIn and used it as his basis for filling in application forms. He applied to a few companies directly after googling them, IBM, Bloomberg, Amazon, Accenture and ARM and got interviews with them after spending hours on their very detailed application process including online tests etc and phone interviews. He also got some interviews through the recruiters.

I was pleasantly surprised he did so well. He’s grown up so much from the shy teenager he once was. He applied to do software so was in direct competition with actual computing students, which possibly put him at a disadvantage as he studied maths. But he took a few computing modules and had 3x summer jobs (he’s now upgraded them to paid internships!) with a software company so had good stuff on his CV.

I think ideally he should have used the uni careers advisors as well, but he seemed to be doing fine without them! They might have pointed him in the direction of companies with grad schemes that he didn’t know about.

There’s a website I found on MN just too late to be of any use to DS1, listing top 100 grad schemes I think. I’ll see if I can find it.

www.highfliers.co.uk/download/2019/graduate_market/GMReport19.pdf

He's been looking at Journalism/Politics. I've also suggested he get a local job short term , to get some real experience to write about and apply for a grad scheme next year. Now the dissertation is out of the way he may have more time to look around again. Not yet on linkedin but will definitely suggest it, thanks.

EllenJane, she's doing a four year degree, so still another year to go! I don't think she has any idea what she would like to do post graduation. I am hoping she will have a blinding flash of inspiration!

DS finding job hunting very dispiriting. Hours and hours spent on applications, online testing etc etc and then nothing. He has however had a couple of responses to his CV which is on one of the recruiting websites - but they want a start date before he’s available - but at least he knows this route does work. He did ease off during his dissertation writing but is now looking again in earnest, a bit more realistic about what might be available/suitable. One of those times you really want a motherly magic wand!

Oh and he had an interview with a company that he loved the very day before they announced they were withdrawing from the UK 😩

VanCleefArpels DS having the same experience. He's got as far as telephone interview panels but no further. He's not doing any job hunting now until the end of his exams in May.
Looking at my older DC who graduated a couple of years ago, many of their cohort took a year or so to find a "proper" job. One or two had post graduate gap years and others worked in bars. They all seem to have got fixed up eventually.

squirrills that’s reassuring thank you. He knows there’s loads of commission based jobs around as a last resort (and good for experience in the short term) but he’s going to stick at plan A for now, he knows he’s got a few months grace before we pull the financial plug 😉

It sounds like my DS1 was quite lucky. When I was job hunting I had around 30 milk round interviews and ended up with 28 rejections and 2 second interviews and got 2 job offers. I think his 3 x summer jobs swung it really. Again, that was luck as it was through a friend of his father.

If it’s any comfort, DS2 has ASD and hasn’t managed any work experience. He’s doing an HNC this year, hopefully leading to an HND next year. Getting him any sort of job is going to be a challenge.

Hopefully once your DC can concentrate on job hunting without the stress of finals looming they’ll have more luck. It took up hours in term 2 for DS, along with attending interviews all over the place. He missed loads of lectures. Looking for a job can be a full time job in itself.

DS1 took his last exam ever today! It’s all over bar the results. He’s off to Amsterdam tonight to visit a friend doing his year abroad in Amsterdam University.

Gosh, those 3 years went quickly. My work here is done.

I hope everyone else had a good exam period. Good luck for results and for good luck to those doing 4 years.

Well done to your DS EllenJanes - I hope he has a great holiday.
DD1 had her last exam last Friday and is feeling a bit flat now. She is staying in her university city for another week or so I think. Then the job hunting will begin.
DD2 doesn’t finish her exams until the end of this week, then she is carrying on for a masters year.
Hope all your DCs exams have gone well!

Thank you hellsbells. I’m sure once everyone has finished at your DD1’s uni the parties will start!

Good luck to DD2 this week. The wait for results isn’t too long, at least.

Thanks EllenJanes

Wow! That went quickly! Well Done to your DS, EllenJane - hope he gets the result he is hoping for. And, of course, that he enjoys Amsterdam!

Thanks, Leeds, I’m sure he will enjoy Amsterdam! Good luck to your DD for her final year.

Ds had his last exam last week. Just waiting for final ball then will need to organise moving out and house cleaning! No job yet, in fact he does not know anyone who has a permanent one lined up and several are doing masters instead almost by default!

Has anyone else's dc received a council tax bill? Ds has just got one for almost £1500 which I assume will reduce when he tells them his tenancy finishes in early July and he is the only tenant graduating. He doesn't even get his result until end of month

Which city is that in Lizs?

LIZS, as soon as the course officially ends they are no longer a student and council tax exemption finishes. My friend’s son got stung with this last year. If there is one non student adult in the house, 75% of the council tax for the house is payable from the date the course ends until the tenancy ends. (100% if 2 or more)

DS’s tenancy ends on 30th June which is the official end of term at Warwick, to avoid this.

Check with the uni when your DS’s course officially ends.