UK graduates ‘expected to have 2:1 by larger firms’

Posted 31 Dec 2009

Those with a degree lower than a 2:1 mark may have trouble finding work within some of the UK’s larger organisations, it has been reported – news that may interest those considering enhancing their skills by teaching English abroad.

The Times reported this week that although some major companies are hoping to step up their graduate recruitment measures in 2010, many have raised the bar to a 2:1 degree or higher.

Previously, this mark was one expected by elite city companies, but as the jobs market has been tightened by the recession, it has become the norm in some sectors, the newspaper added.

It highlighted figures from the Office for National Statistics, which indicate that there are currently over 100,000 unemployed graduates under the age of 25 in the UK and 300,000 more are set to enter the jobs market in 2010.

In related news, the government’s latest advice for parents whose graduate children are currently unemployed is to adopt a firm but fair attitude – something it believes will encourage them to keep job hunting.

Category: Moving Abroad