DS struggling to get an engineering job

[Enginer]

DS graduated in engineering with a 2.2 from Oxford. He didn’t apply to jobs while a student as the course was too intense.

He’s now really struggling to get anywhere with jobs. He’s applied to a few graduate schemes but got nowhere. He’s got as far as second interview with a speculative application but that’s it.

He is getting increasingly low about it and I’m worried about him. His mental health isn’t great anyway due to previous issues and he’s quite isolated as many of his friends have moved away.

Has anyone got any tips to pass on? Any good recruitment agencies to try? Is he stuffed because of his 2.2? He would like to live at home for the moment (London area) so maybe that is also part of the problem as many jobs are elsewhere.

To answer possible questions in advance, his CV looks quite good I think. He’s got some good internships on there and he has done things outside of formal study that are relevant to engineering (personal coding projects etc).

Im not sure if a masters is a great idea for him if he got a 2:2 in his degree

This is absolutely what I would recommend.👍
Good, solid experience to be gained and depending on the field, it may help him decide if that is to be his specialist field (or not).

Trains, aircraft, cars, boats, military vehicles, motorcycles, living history and even old industrial buildings (that have been turned into museums), they all depend on volunteers and every now and again, these roles turn into real, paid jobs.

Yes, I thought Oxbridge engineering degrees were 4 year integrated masters courses? (My son is on one at Cambrige, in his 4th year).

Did your son not have any interest from the companies he did internships with?

I’d look at an apprenticeship in Engineering in a utilities company. Where I work they’d be very interested in him !

So he already has a Masters? In which case, how much industry experience does he have? I would try and build that up. DS volunteered in a local engineering company when he was still at school and then built on that with a year long industry placement when he was at uni - employers look favourably on experience from wherever the graduates can get it.

I probably don't need to tell you that it was a mistake to wait till he graduated to look for a job. I don't think that's wise for any student but I'm assuming he may have perhaps had some issues with stress or mental health which prevented him from applying for jobs alongside his course?

With a 2:2 he’s going to need to get some work experience first. Did he do any internships or placements? That would be a good place to start if he has some connections.

I thought that apprenticeships are closed to anyone with qualifications above a certain level? So closed to anyone with a degree? (only asking because I've seen openings for myself in the past that were apprenticeships but iI wasn't able to apply because I have a degree already (now worthless!)

He has a masters so ignore all of the masters suggestions. He needs some experience.

Also speaking as someone who got a 2.2 Engineering degree it was never looked at again once I got some experience and that was a BEng back in the day.

Some of the grad schemes require a 2.1 and some accept a 2.2. Obviously he is at a disadvantage compared to those with a higher grade.

@CurlyhairedAssassin i know you’re trying to give me a reality check but as you have guessed, he had things going on which precluded him applying for jobs. So I don’t fault him for that decision at all.

He’s done a couple of internships and got on well there (recommended on LinkedIn) but jobs not forthcoming for various reasons.

Graduate apprenticeships....they're a thing. Companies like Network Rail always on the look out for them.

@Nourishinghandcream my son is currently doing his btec level 3 in mechanical engineering. He has been volunteering at a local heritage railway for the past year. He absolutely loves it. Best of both worlds for him..... he's getting the qualifications from college and hands on experience at the railway. Best thing he ever did. So so proud of him 💓

Is he looking widely geographically?

Does he need to stay at home for financial reasons? I do think he's restricting himself if he isn't going to apply around the country. I've warned my youngest that he's going to have to do that, I think it came as a shock as it had never occured to him that he may have to do that.

I do feel sorry for young people now. The jobs market is so hard, even for graduates. The amount of effort they have to put in for each application is ridiculous, And it's a numbers game, so they have to apply for a lot. My eldest son applied for like 50 internships, had a big spreadsheet of each stage he was up to with each.

Well, I never! You learn something new every day! Are they a new thing?

I have an engineering degree and had to move away from London for work. Realistically he needs to be in Bristol/Farnborough for Aero or in the Midlands for pretty much everything else. I think even BAE have shut their centre in Essex and there's a lot going on at McLaren. That just leaves Bosch. Friends who had 2:2s got jobs fine even with just a BEng but they had to be flexible on location. If he wants London he's probably going to need to look at the city or consultancy which seems to be where a lot of Oxbridge engineers end up anyway.

The other complication is a few decent sized companies are making experienced engineers roles redundant which means a lot are floating around on the job market. Obviously someone with a couple of years experience is a better bet than a new person.

I'm assuming his stuff going on was part of the reason you're both reluctant for him to move away? And that it was bad enough to impact grades but not to get special consideration?

Are these different from degree apprenticeships? I can't find anything similar to what you describe for people who are already graduates.

It's usually a software issue. Does he use any particular applications? Cad, vector works, Rhino etc are definitely needed to a high standard. He should also put together a portfolio demonstrating these skills.

Does he have to stay in London? A young relative recently graduated in mechanical and more or less walked straight into a graduate role with a renewables company doing offshore stuff. Not anywhere near London though!

Grad jobs open usually in Sept and he needs to apply to every single one - it’s a numbers game. Apply as soon as they open because a number will close once they reach a certain number of applications.

DS is on grad scheme with an engineering/ construction consulting firm he got in after his intern year. They had over 10k applicants for 200 places. Other DS moved 6 hours away from home for his grad scheme,

its very tough but other jobs in the meantime will help.

The likes of PWC and Deloitte take people with a 2:2 degree in any discipline on an apprenticeship course in various areas. They train them and then test them after e.g. 20 weeks. Not all get taken on but many do. My son did that and is now doing very well. But maybe your son wants engineering.

Yes that’s right @Wowsersbrowsers. I don’t want to go into too much detail as am planning to share this thread with DS.

So many helpful ideas on the thread. I’m really grateful. DS has lots more ideas now.

@Ellmau he is starting to look further afield now.