American Georgia Baker graduated from King’s College London in the United Kingdom last year with a bachelor’s degree in international relations, but finding a job back home in the U.S. proved challenging.
In hindsight, Baker says she wished she had done some research into what sort of help the university could offer students interested in working in the U.S. In the end, she says, it wasn’t much.
The British university “didn’t have really any resources for career networks in the U.S.,” she says. “They were limited to the U.K.”
American students who want to earn an undergraduate degree abroad and then return to the U.S. for work should consider how studying overseas might affect their future job prospects. To boost their chances of U.S. employment, here are four questions students should keep in mind while researching global universities.
1. How strong are a university’s career services and U.S. alumni network? Students can search global university websites for information about career services, which Baker says she wished she had done.
Another potentially valuable resource to look into is a school’s alumni network – does it span the globe?
Elsa Hoffacker, who grew up in Connecticut and graduated in 2009 with a bachelor’s from the University of Toronto, says her experience has shown that alumni can and will lend a hand.
Hoffacker, who works at a financial services trade association in the District of Columbia, says especially in bigger U.S. cities, “there will be plenty of people who have graduated from the same institution, who have confronted some of the same challenges and who will be more than happy to help a fellow graduate.”
2. Does the university provide research or off-campus work opportunities? Prospective students can explore international university websites for mention of undergraduate research positions as well as internship and co-op programs, all of which can be valuable additions to resumes.
Students who want to work in the U.S. can target U.S.-based companies for their co-ops and internships. Ted Sargent, professor and vice president, international at the University of Toronto, says students from the university have work placements in the U.S. in locations like Silicon Valley and New York City.
Some of these University of Toronto students are participating in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s Professional Experience Year internship program, which resembles co-op programs at some U.S. institutions and gives engineering students and select other majors the chance to hold a full-time, paid job in their field for 12-16 months as part of their studies.
Employers, including some in the U.S., are eager to work with these students. In 2015-2016, the 790 program participants had more than 1,800 positions to choose from, says Sargent.
3. Will your degree be accepted in the U.S.? Experts say students interested in professional fields – such as law, medicine and architecture – that require licenses need to ensure their international degree will be recognized. In some countries, education in these fields begins at the undergraduate level.
Students should research whether foreign credentials in their professional field of interest will be accepted back home, according to a guide on international university admission from the National Association for College Admission Counseling. The rules for obtaining professional licenses can differ by state.
4. Does the university have a good reputation in the U.S.? Reputation isn’t everything, but general awareness of an international school – or lack thereof – in the U.S. is something students should keep in mind.
Natasha Stough, Americas director of campus recruiting for EY, a global professional services firm formerly known as Ernst & Young, says the company values applicants with global experiences but would want to make sure those with international degrees earned them at a “reputable, accredited university.”
Some international schools may not be well-known, but the country’s higher education system overall might have a good reputation.
This is true of the U.K., according to a 2012 British Council report on employer perceptions of U.K. degrees. Nearly three-quarters of 847 human resources managers in the U.S. and Canada surveyed for the report said they considered degrees earned in the U.K. to be equal to or better than those earned in North America, per the report.
Hoffacker says she had to educate prospective employers about the quality of her foreign degree. But she doesn’t seem to regret the decision to go abroad for school.
“There’s kind of this thought sometimes that if you don’t go to an American school with the cachet that comes with that, that maybe the degree is second-class or just isn’t as competitive,” says Hoffacker. “And I would say that’s patently false.”
