Graduate careers working abroad to earn while you travel with F&Y Consultant Ltd.

The Experience Of Our First Graduate Recruitment Fair

by F&Y Consultant Ltd

Upon arrival to Bath Spa University we were welcomed by a long scenic drive along the entrance pathway and breathtaking views of the surrounding country side, not what you would expect for a University campus!

It was clear from the professionalism of the ‘student helpers’ that these students meant business! in addition they were on the hunt for opportunities and future employment.

This put us all in our paces and we were ready to take this Careers Fair head-on and give these students exactly what they came for! Information, opportunities and guidance.

F&Y Consultant Ltd were surrounded by familiar brands such as Lidl, Clarks and Graduate Jobs UK. This was a great opportunity to network and gain insights into each other’s techniques and future achievements within the graduate industry.  To point out, F&Y Consultant Ltd were the only brand promoting work abroad, this gave us a unique selling point, yet furthermore, this gave us the chance to indulge in long conversations with the graduates discussing their ambitions, interests in travelling and how they feel their chosen course has led them in their career prospects.  The graduates we spoke to all shared a similar fear of entering the corporate world; the political changes and the affect this has had, or will have, on the employment industry. It is clear those wishing to live and work in Europe upon graduating may not be able to do so, meaning many graduates feel they are leaving University with an uncertain future awaiting them! However, after attending Bath Spa Careers Fair, it was clear there are still many companies in the UK who are willing Graduates on and accepting a wide range of degree subjects with endless employment possibilities! F&Y Consultant Ltd are of course no different! We spoke to many graduates from various different subject areas, some of whom were very clear on what path they wanted to take, others who were not so sure and just felt they were making the motions of completing their course, yet, had no clear direction on what they wanted to do in the future. This is where our information, opportunity and guidance promise came into action!

No matter what subject your degree is in, F&Y Consultant Ltd is here to help!

Student: “My degree is not in teaching/education, can I still apply for this opportunity and work in China?”

F&Y representative: “Of course! All you need is a BA and a TEFL certificate!”

It was clear from the get go that many students approaching us were unclear whether they fit the requirements to register with F&Y Consultant. Once we explained this and opened their eyes to the fact this opportunity could be a possibility for them, we were met with wide smiles, eager eyes and an endless flow of questions! We were able to share our expertise with the students and talk them through each step of the recruitment process, discuss in detail what regions they could visit in China, describe our schools and share stories of those we have previously recruited to teach in China.

Many students saw this opportunity as a chance to have a life-time experience in China. Yet, work to gain vital career experience for their CV, no matter whether they wanted to go into education or not. Due to this, many graduates signed up to F&Y Consultant and expressed an interest for us to contact them once they had graduated.

Below is some feedback we received from the students:

“I thought more about placements for the summer”

“opened my mind to new ideas”

“I found out about opportunities I wouldn’t have found otherwise”

“I am going to contact you once I graduate”

“I went away feeling very informed”

“I now have a wider, more expanded knowledge of opportunities available to me after graduation”

“I improved my confidence when talking to employers”

Students approaching F&Y Consultant expressed their delight to us on the information provided by our stands, they explained how they knew exactly what we were offering and our message given was very clear, as opposed to making them play the “guessing game” and to work out for themselves what our company was offering! This enabled us to engage in a positive flow of conversation from the start and to give in more detail a precise outline of the teaching role and specific requirements we were looking for.

“I can see exactly what your offering! Tell me more!”

To begin with we offered the students a chance to look through the brochure, this meant they didn’t feel a sense of pressure to engage with us in conversation if they were not interested. However, many students were interested, meaning we could have a detailed conversation on each aspect of the job role on offer including, visas, what TEFL is and how to get it, all about the cities we have school contracts with in China, salaries and benefits. This in turn meant the students were walking away with detailed knowledge of F&Y Consultant, rather than simply reading a flyer/brochure!  One of F&Y Consultant representatives was able to give first-hand experience on teaching English in China, as she had previously done this herself, before becoming a recruitment specialist for teaching roles in China. This meant as a whole F&Y Consultant were able to give detailed information on how to become TEFL certified along with details of the course, the exact steps needed to take to get all the visas in place, tips on lesson planning and tips on top things to do in China! The students were intrigued by the benefits on offer including all living expenses covered (rent & utilities), flights reimbursement and a higher average wage. Many students in fact couldn’t believe this and asked “what’s the catch?” It was a pleasure to reassure them that there was no catch and this opportunity was as real to them as any other employer at this careers fair!

Fast Facts!

90%

Students attending F&Y Consultant expressed an interest in teaching in China once all benefits and requirement details revealed

10%

Students attending F&Y Consultant expressed no interest in teaching in China once all benefits and requirement details revealed

Evaluation of Bath Spa University Careers Fair!

F&Y Consultant Ltd. Has gained a great insight into the graduate recruitment domain while attending Bath Spa University recruitment fair, along with some great knowledge of what graduates are expecting from future employment and their interest in working abroad. It is clear that many graduates see this opportunity as a chance to earn while they travel and to gain not just career experience, yet crucial life experiences too! It was vital to see what other UK companies have on offer to graduates to ensure a thorough understanding of the competitive market, also to ensure F&Y Consultant Ltd. provide an ongoing unique selling point. The feedback we received from the graduates was excellent enabling us to create opportunities especially catered for graduates, F&Y Consultant had many graduates registering on our database, some of whom will not graduate till the following year, our promise to these students was to keep in touch regularly through our blogs and email system, keeping them up to date on all our vacancies and schools we have contracts with along with all the exciting experiences they can expect to have in China! The overall experience of Bath Spa University recruitment fair was very positive and was a great way to learn, this being our first one, on what to expect and any improvements that were needed for our next University fair. Bath Spa University staff and student ambassadors were very accommodating and the overall flow of the careers fair ran very smoothly, there was a constant stream of people giving us the opportunity to engage with as many students as possible. This was a very valuable use of time to network not only with students, yet other employers and companies. F&Y Consultant has now established a strong presence within the graduate recruitment domain and prides oneself on the service on offer to graduates; a paid teaching role with superb benefits and the once in a lifetime opportunity to travel China! No catch, except you must enjoy yourself, take plenty of photos and videos and share your experience!

To discover more about the opportunities F&Y Consultant can offer, visit  teach-in-china.co.uk. or simply email your CV to info@fyconsultant.co.uk and we will do all the leg work!