ERASMUS Making the Most of Your Experience Abroad UCC Careers Service

ERASMUS

Making the Most of Your Experience Abroad

UCC Careers Service

Year Abroad - Objectives Why are you going?

– To develop your Language Skills– To experience a Culture– Adventure

What will you gain from the year?– Fluency– Cultural knowledge & experiences– New network of Friends/Colleagues – Independence

How will you apply your experiences when you return?– New study techniques– New outlook on your course

Long-term benefit– Career Development

Outputs of ERASMUS

Personality

Openness

Self-confiden

ce

Problem-solving ability

Maturity

Sociability

TeamworkCultural

Awareness

Erasmus & Employment

Job Market is an International one: competing with Irish graduates & highly qualified graduates from other countries.

Demonstrating that you have lived, studied and worked in another environment enables you to compete more effectively.

“The value of a student’s international experience goes beyond purely the acquisition of language – it lies in the ability to see business and personal issues from other than your own cultural perspective.” Charles Macleod, Head of UK Resourcing, Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Erasmus & Employment

The Erasmus Experience will give you many new transferableskills for future employment and for future studies…

You will gain different insights and outlooks on life – employers value awareness 

You will learn new independence – employers value independent thinking

Living in another European country will give you life skills which cannot be taught and which may take others much longer to acquire - employers value maturity

Studying in another European country encourages a flexible approach to learning and working - employers value adaptability

Comparison of Mobile & Non-Mobile Graduates by Employers

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Foreign language proficiency

Knowledge/ understanding of international differences

Ability to work with people from different culturalbackgrounds

Professional knowledge of other countries

Adaptability

Initiative

Getting personally involved

Assertiveness, decisiveness, persistence

Analytical competences

Problem-solving ability

Planning, co-ordinating, organising

Graduates without internationalexperienceGraduates with international experience

International Centre for Higher Education Research, 2006

Erasmus & Employment

Door-opener

Basic requirem

entSignal for motivated

and engaged students

Nice to have

Necessary in a

globalised world

Screening

factor

Impact of ERASMUS on Obtaining their First Job

54

6259

55 5450 50

40

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Obtaining your first job

ALL SUBJ ECTS Social SciencesBusiness Studies Engineering, technologyOther HumanitiesMedical Sciences Mathematics, Nat. Science

International Centre for Higher Education Research, 2006

Making the Most of Your Time

Don’t stay in Erasmus Groups all the time

Conversation Exchange Sessions

Media: Television, Radio & Newspapers

Join Clubs & Societies

Travel in your host country

Part-time Work

Wide World of Wide World of OpportunitiesOpportunities

Network with employers

Visit recruitment agencies/websites

Visit the University’s Careers Service

Investigate Postgraduate opportunities & funding

Investigate Commission re: stage and administrative positions

Returning to UCC

Your Final Year

Be Prepared!

Planning for 2011/12

Update your CV with your Erasmus Experience & results

Milk Round : October ’11 – March ‘12

Graduate Recruitment Fair: October 2011

Postgraduate Studies Exhibition: February 2012

Drop in Service

All details available on Careers Service Website:

www.ucc.ie/careers

Career Strategy

Keep in touch…email us or go online

Website: www.ucc.ie/careers

Email us at:careers@ucc.ie

ERASMUS

ENJOY!