Monday, Jul 09, 2007
FTB Becoming Endangered Species? More Evidence...
Times: 29 graduates chasing every new vacancy
Competition for degree-level jobs is so intense that every vacancy is being chased by 29 new graduates, according to the latest graduate recruitment survey.
Recipe: Debt + Poor Job Prospects + High HPI = No FTBs
Posted by nearly30 @ 11:03 PM (115 views) Add Comment
19 Comments
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1. enuii said...
Just remember in NeoLabours creative/information economy, education, education, education is the answer to everything especially if its paid for by the student.
2. nearly30 said...
Amazing to think that this year's graduates - some 350,000 - may only be chasing 12,000 jobs!!!
Also - the grads that haven't yet got that 'top' job are still lurking about in the shallow end of the career ladder.
I can see this issue catching up with Housing Crisis - to make some very big headlines very soon for Gordon Brown (and A. Darling) to tackle/explain away.
The 'broken' society has hit the headlines today - worse for Gordo is the 'broken' middle classes!
IMHO - there are plenty pf grads (every year the pool gets bigger) that just haven't got even close to a level of stability, settled income or lifestyle that would reflect a 'normal' way of life (Daily Mail Benchmark!) of career, marriage, mortgage and kids.
Using the Tsunami analogy used in these forums today - this wave is going to hit and hit big!! Just need the headlines, articles and data - they will come - and soon!
3. tyrellcorporation said...
That's 338,000 students trying to wipe out there £30k debt mountains with IVAs then!?! What a miracle economy!
4. John Hargreaves said...
This article describes how psychometric testing is now used. This is insulting. Spend a fortune to get educated only to find that there is just one more hoop to jump through. Google 'psychometric testing' and look at all of them cashing in with tips on how to 'beat' the system.
5. Will said...
If there are 338,000 students with £30k unsecured debt then that is their own fault. Student loans are a graduate tax (with a cap) that is only paid back once they have a job paying £15k+ (or much higher now I believe).
It is a shame that the media seems to ignore how this is very different to any other kind of debt.
6. Happyrenterabroad said...
Nearly 30 - if Brits aren't obsessing with housing ladders they're on about their bloomin' career ladders, whilst worrying about being "normal" - it just doesn't make sense.
7. Philld said...
I graduated 3 years ago, can't afford a house, have a good job but am crippled by rent and all the other bills - do I have a fantastic lifestyle? Nope I survive, that's about it. The money I scrimp and save for a house is already taken up by the increases house prices go through every year so effectively I am getting nowhere.
Yet I am one of the lucky ones, I know people with 1st Class Hons in sciences or even maths that currently work in call centres or in one case a newsagents, how are these guys supposed to pay off their loans and have any kind of life?
8. Orwell said...
Unfortunately there are no graduate jobs. There are any jobs which could be filled by well-educated literate people. Graduates used to be of this type of calibre. Now regrettably, with the dumbing down of A-levels and latterly degrees. We now have an education system in which students leave college unable to spell add up or think objectively. This was the very reason to go to university in the first place 20 to 40 years ago. All graduate employers know this. They either select from the top universities, namely Oxford Cambridge Bristol Durham and the red bricks. Or they wait until an employee has work experience within an organisation. Hence to be a trainee solicitor, one now has to get a fair amount of work experience before obtaining a training contract because of the outlay to the employer in paying for the training route.
Thus was it always the way, the graduate degree, or indeed a postgraduate degree. Only ever gave you a certain amount of dispensation and grafting at the bottom of the ladder. Most of these graduates will get fairly good quality jobs in the and with the appropriate work experience, and they will be paid accordingly.
9. uncle chris said...
My brother-in-law graduated 3 years ago with a 2:2 BSC in Geography and is now working part-time as a life guard in a local leisure centre after trying and failing to obtain a degree level job. Not surprisingly he is becoming more and more depressed by the whole situation to the point where his family are seriously worrying about him. He still lives at home and has no chance of affording a car, let alone a house. So much for the government's push to get 40% of school leavers through University - for what, so that nearly half the population can sit at home and mope about the years they wasted, the debt they incurred and the lack of prospects, when they could have been learning a decent trade.
10. Bottledtolet said...
I blame school careers advisers with their 'study something that you enjoy' attitude, and also the misleading university marketeers with their 'you will be headhunted' lies. School leavers should look long and hard at a few years down the line and thoroughly research the job market before embarking on a degree. Only then they will realise that the most interesting subjects don't always lead to the best paid jobs. More 'vocational' degrees such as Engineering, Medicine and Dentistry open a lot more doors than the 'I did it because I found it interesting' type of degrees that so many are encouraged to do these days. Out of all my mates who did Engineering, none of us had any real trouble getting fairly well paid jobs, be it in the Engineering or other graduate professions that require good numeracy skills. Although an unpopular subject these days because of its perceived difficulty, I think and A-Level in Maths is a wise investment, and too many kids are encouraged to drop it early on.
11. dohousescrashinthewoods said...
So when students come out of their primary schools (sorry, "new universities") with a 2:2 in nose-picking and a debt-and-alcohol hangover and have to snap up "sub-degree" jobs (maybe if they could spell, speak and relate it would have helped) - what is going to happen to all the people who used to do those jobs?
They can't all be "retired" into the public sector - and that charity job isn't going to pay the rent, let alone prop up Gordon's "you've never had it so good" miracle of MEW.
(sorry, feeling particularly acidic this morning)
12. Orwell said...
I can see the government having to write off all this debt that students have incurred.
13. Scott said...
I went to uni and then got good jobs afterwards. Most students at uni are either thick or lazy, both being worthless to anyone's business. Why should they get on a plate what I had to work for?
14. monty said...
Please excuse my ignorance but what kind of work and how much of it is available for a BSc in Geography? Town planning? Geography teachers? Yet another example of a useless burger flipping degree as far as I'm concerned. By some small co-incidence a friend has a similar degree, only obtained to keep his parents happy and, wow, did they pay for it. He is now in advertising/marketing (no, not in a call centre either) which is what he wanted to do all along.
By yet another small coincidence, a friend has a nephew with a degree in Outdoor and Leisure Centre Management. For now, I'll bite my tongue on that one.
15. Hedger said...
Sorry to be contrarian. I went to a ex-poly (and frankly not a great one either!) and left with a 2:2 in Geology. 5 years after graduating I am on six figures with unlimited bonuses.
I am not trying to brag, just saying that the work is there, you just have to be willing to go through the crap to begin with and prove yourself.
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18. Forever And A Day said...
Bearing in mind I did do a Geography so my views might be slighlty biased but it is one of the oldest degrees you can get. The subject has been around a University for over 150 years a both a Science and Arts subject. I work in a Media Agency completely unrelated to my degree, most people I know don't have degrees in the fields they currently work in. I personally believe it is more about the University you go to rather than the course - anyone can get into places like North London Uni, South Bank or UEL however going to a red brick Uni like LSE, UCL or Kings puts you in go stead as they are very good Unis.
Am currently interviewing grads at the moment and have to admit that we have grads from all courses from law to physical science from decent unis but they all have no personalities and expect to be given things on a plate. I am only 25!
19. enuii said...
Obviously Hedger works for a Hedge Fund rather than being a 'Topiary' artiste and got a good bonus this year. Make the most of it as it may not be that big the next time round!