Jobless Oxford postgraduate

They do, but there are occasional openings for people with European languages within both organisations (more so GCHQ). This is largely just to demonstrate your linguistic competency- once in, the likelihood is that you will be retrained in an 'in demand' Asian/African language.

Of course, both are very competitive and numerous other factors are taken into account.

I would say the OP is very employable, and obviously aiming high- perhaps worthwhile extending her scope to include SMEs in need of linguists. Not something that an Oxford postgrad would have needed to do 10 or even 5 years ago, but times are tough now- with her CV she is likely to be able to rise to something more 'prestigious' in the future.

Do you get to choose which language and do they post you abroad so you can learn in the country?



Out of interest, what's an SME?

Ha I like the way everyone thinks if you come form Oxbridge you're super employable.

So disillusioned. Don't count for nothing anymore. Ain't the 1930s

EDIT: 1 person is disillusioned

Just like to point out that doing a Masters at Oxford is very different to doing an undergrad there. The cache just isn't the same- especially if the '60s institution' is considered weak.


Posted from TSR Mobile

Oh here we go

You'll find a lot of employers not wanting to hire you because they think you're too ambitious or overqualified for the job. There's a stereotype that Oxbridge graduates are too smart and threaten the employer.

Ha I like the way everyone thinks if you come form Oxbridge you're super employable.

So disillusioned. Don't count for nothing anymore. Ain't the 1930s

EDIT: 1 person is disillusioned

I'm applying for fairly 'prestigious' jobs though, many of them peopled by Oxford grads (if anything, that was my worry, that maybe I should be applying to less 'prestigious' companies or grad. schemes) and other jobs I've applied to are those I found advertised on Oxford's careers database. I would have also thought that the fact my first degree was from a sixties university would counteract the 'Oxbridge effect' too.

My undergraduate uni is a Top 20 institution - I don't want to specify which because I don't want to identify myself too much on here, as some people I know use the forum (although I may well have done so in previous posts ). Anyway, I agree it may not be the same as doing an undergrad at Oxford, but would imagine it adds a certain amount of caché to my CV.

Thanks for the advice - applying to SMEs looking for languages had occured to me and I think that will definitely be my next move. I suppose I'm just fearful of getting stuck in a 'lesser' role and become a member of the lost generation the media keeps talking about, who never gets anywhere near their career aspirations. But hopefully as you say I might be able to progress up the career ladder as time goes by.

And I think we have perhaps identified the problem, or at least part of it. You have a superiority complex. You're obviously extremely intelligent but you really have to realise that everybody has to start small. Yes, even Oxbridge graduates. Have a really good think about what you have to offer. You can speak foreign languages, which is great and a rare skill in this country, but this is only directly relevant to jobs that require languages and to be honest the majority do not. There are people from 'lesser' institutions getting jobs all the time so it is quite obvious that prestige does not count for as much as perhaps you would like. And no, I am not a smug, graduate level-employed graduate from a 'lesser' university - I went to a top university and have a basic job in an office. I'm in a similar position to you, just without the delusion. My humility got me my job, and it is teaching me things. With the way things are going we're probably going to be working until we are 70 or older, so there is plenty of time to do great things.


And if you're making spelling mistakes like 'occured' rather than 'occurred' in your job applications I can see why they are going in the bin.

It's a bit harsh, in my opinion. You can't deduce someone has a superiority complex just because they don't want to end up in some bog-standard job that isn't 'the norm' for Oxbridge graduates. Personally, I'd be pretty pissed off if I end up in a 'normal' job (as in, the kind of jobs I had before starting University) after working 40-60 hours a week for 4 years (and one of them was a job 'aimed' at graduates although was quite a bit under the average graduate salary).

Thank you. Do you think? I have been reading various articles about grads applying to 100, even 200 places before they got anywhere, so maybe I just have to keep going. But I don't know how anyone finds the motivation to carry on applying after 200 rejections!

The thing is though, going on what she has said, Supernova could take a step down from the type of jobs she has been applying for and still be looking at jobs that are skilled and deemed to be graduate level. Are you a graduate? If not, prepare for quite a shift in your attitude towards work when you get out of university. With the economy being the way it is, a good chunk - maybe even the majority - of graduates are having to take roles that they are maybe not to the level they desire and reflective of their potential. What keeps them going is knowing that as an early 20-something they have so much time to climb up the job ladder. The degree will pay off. Just maybe not now. Think in the long-term. And quite frankly it's better to take a 'lowly' role than be unemployed. There is dignity in all work. The world doesn't owe you one because you have a degree. There are multiple types of intelligence and getting through a degree requires just one. There are things university won't teach you. This isn't harsh - this is a reality check. If this is a bit too close to the bone for you then maybe you need to do some thinking and be honest with yourself.

Well the current job market is pretty tough, In fact where I'm currently working in a retail store is full of graduates who are still searching for graduate jobs. well before getting my part time job I probably applied to about 400-500 vacancies. My motivation came from me wanting to pay for my driving and passing, so I think you just have to set your goals and reach them one by one.

It's a bit harsh, in my opinion. You can't deduce someone has a superiority complex just because they don't want to end up in some bog-standard job that isn't 'the norm' for Oxbridge graduates. Personally, I'd be pretty pissed off if I end up in a 'normal' job (as in, the kind of jobs I had before starting University) after working 40-60 hours a week for 4 years (and one of them was a job 'aimed' at graduates although was quite a bit under the average graduate salary).

If you are not having luck with 'prestigious' posts then you should apply to less prestigious jobs/companies and work your way upwards. It is likely that these prestigious jobs may be looking for someone with more working experience than you have. So long as you have a clear career progression, it won't matter if you need to fill multiple jobs before you get the more prestigious ones or the exact role you are aiming for.

It's a tough economy and sometimes it is might be more about who you know rather than what you know, at least initially. Good luck!

I do like the idea of setting yourself small goals to aim for. 400-500 vacancies?! Wowzas. What kind of roles were you applying for?