In the UK, a one-year Master’s degree is usually divided into four parts:

In the UK, a one-year Master’s degree is usually divided into four parts:

·         Term 1 (usually September to December)

·         Term 2 (usually January to March)

·         Term 3 (usually April to June)

·         Dissertation (usually June to September)

So, how best to make use of that time to plan your career alongside your studies?

Many companies offer programmes that see their recruitment start around a year before the roles themselves begin. Samsung, for example, open their applications in line with the start of Term 1 for positions that aren’t actually available until April the following year. This can be a great way to get an early start, but often students are more focused on the start of their studies than finding a job or having time to focus on an application at this stage.

Alternatively, we’ve put together a timeline, based on real student experience, of what we believe works in helping you balance those study and career choices.

September to December

This period represents the best time for you to adapt to life in the UK and start to develop the knowledge around your chosen studies. At this time, try to focus on building your soft skills, skills that would be useful in any job. Practice your teamwork and communication, your presentation skills, and your office skills. You can also try and find some volunteering work through your university to enrich your experience.

January to March

Here is the time to develop a deeper understanding of your programme, as well as realising where your strengths lie and what interests you most about your field. By now you should have a few skills from the first months of your course to start building a good CV and LinkedIn profile. Take this time to really enjoy what the UK culture has to offer and try new experiences to make yourself a more rounded individual.

Moreover, this is a good time to take practice assessments should you know the companies in which you are interested hold assessment days. So focus on your numerical and verbal reasoning skills, your logical and situational skills, and your critical thinking, amongst other areas. This link should give you more information about the assessment centre and assessment days run by many companies: https://www.assessmentday.co.uk/assessmentcentre/.

April to June

As term-time draws to a close and your schedule may become freer, this is a good opportunity to find a summer internship programme when the applications open. An internship will not only help increase your employability but will also help acclimatise you to UK office and working life.

You should also be taking this time to visit your university career centre to help hone your CV and polish up your cover letter and interview skills. Make sure you’re making the most of everything your institution has to offer to maximise your chances of getting the best job for you.

June to September

This final period is where all your hard work hopefully pays off, and you can apply for the graduate schemes and opportunities that open at this time. It will be a busy period, combining your dissertation work with any summer internship you may have achieved, and the effort you will be putting into job seeking.

A strong plan can help break this down into more manageable pieces. For example;

·         Keep a record of all the positions and companies you want to apply, or have applied for.

·         Set an application submission goal each day, but keep in manageable, for example 2 or 3.

·         Always make sure your CV and cover letter is relevant to the job you’re after, and never simply send the same CV out to different companies over and over again.

Opportunity always belongs to well-prepared people.

Think about it early, start it early, submit early, and the offer for your new job will soon belong to you.

If you have any further questions about study and self-development in the UK please follow our Facebook and contact us.