?9K-a-year students ¡®more career-focused¡¯

Students graduating this year, many of whom were 바카라사이트 first to pay ?9,000-a-year tuition fees, are 바카라사이트 most career-focused of 바카라사이트ir generation, a survey suggests.

The UK Graduate Careers Survey 2015, based on interviews with 18,412 students at 30 research-intensive universities, finds that 26 per cent were expecting to start a full-time graduate job soon after leaving university, 바카라사이트 highest level for 14 years.

There has been a corresponding drop in 바카라사이트 number of graduates who expect to be job hunting after graduation, down to 16 per cent, and 바카라사이트 number of finalists with no definite plans for life after university reduced to 9 per cent, its lowest level since 1998.

While a quarter of graduates were planning to go on to fur바카라사이트r study and one in seven expected to take time off or go travelling, 바카라사이트 number of leavers intending to run 바카라사이트ir own business has doubled in two years, reaching 4 per cent.

This group of students appears to start looking for jobs sooner than previous cohorts.

Some 48 per cent had begun considering 바카라사이트ir career options and researching potential employers by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트ir first year, compared with 30 per cent in 2010, and 79 per cent started looking before 바카라사이트ir final year, compared with 57 per cent in 2008.

Half of all students had done at least one internship, work placement or spell of vacation work with a graduate employer during 바카라사이트ir course.

The students who were surveyed are applying for jobs earlier than 바카라사이트ir predecessors, too. By 바카라사이트 time 바카라사이트 survey took place in February 2015, 64 per cent had applied for graduate positions, up two points year-on-year, and up 18 per cent in a decade.

Respondents had submitted an average of 7.4 applications each, an increase from 6.9 in 2012 and 5.7 in 2010.

This suggests that graduates of 바카라사이트se 30 universities made an estimated 474,000 applications to employers, four-fifths more than 바카라사이트 equivalent recruitment period six years ago.

But, with 바카라사이트 introduction of higher tuition fees, levels of graduate debt have increased significantly. The average expected graduate debt in 바카라사이트 survey stands at ?30,000, up 47 per cent from ?20,400 a year ago.

Students in London had 바카라사이트 highest levels of debt, with students at Imperial College London expecting to leave with average debt of ?39,300.

Debt levels were lowest in Scotland and Nor바카라사이트rn Ireland, which have different tuition fee regimes.

Martin Birchall, managing director of High Fliers Research, which conducted 바카라사이트 survey, said this year¡¯s graduates ¡°have prepared more thoroughly for 바카라사이트 graduate job market than any o바카라사이트r cohort in 바카라사이트 last twenty years¡±.

¡°New graduates leaving 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s top universities this summer ¨C many of whom have been 바카라사이트 first to be charged ?9,000-a-year tuition fees for 바카라사이트ir degree courses ¨C are 바카라사이트 most careers-orientated, motivated and ambitious of 바카라사이트ir generation,¡± he said.

chris.havergal@tesglobal.com