The Student Room Group

Graduate schemes- pros and cons

Hi
So I've gone for a complete career change (having studied Primary Education for 3 years at Durham Uni and no longer want to teach) and have applied for HR graduate schemes.
I've been accepted onto the RBS scheme but I'm wanting to explore what people think the pros/cons are from their experiences.
In particular I'm interested in job prospects after these schemes. My scheme is 2yrs and they have been open at the AC that there is no guarantee of a job at the end. But they did say they don't want to train you up, pay for additional qualifications etc. for you to then get a job with a competitor.
Just wanting some opinions!
TIA :smile:
I'm often dubious when Graduate Schemes are fixed-term as I think one side of the coin asks why they'd keep you at the end when they could bring in cheaper graduates - but maybe that's just the cynic in me.

I think the pros ate obviously;
- Fantastic training and development framework
- Genuine investment in you (my company stated it costs them around £20K by the time a graduate starts on day one...)
- Sponsorship for professional qualifications (where applicable).
- Real responsibility and projects that ensure you're adding value to the business
- Strong support network within the business from both 'buddy' colleagues and the graduate cohort etc.
- Great exposure to the business
... the list goes on...

Cons;
- Can be pigeonholed
- Might not lead to a job
- May have to move about the country on rotations (could be a pro?)
- Competition is fierce
... again, there are plenty...

At least the bulk of these are true for most Graduate Schemes with large firms (not all).

In any case, you're unlikely to decline the offer so embrace the process and scheme - with an RBS graduate scheme in HR and possible professional qualifications (CIPD or similar) you're unlikely to be unemployed for long.
Reply 2
I've been snooping (procrastinating) and came across this chat. Funny enough I was in Hr then left to train as a teacher I'm now leaving teaching (the most soul destroying career I ever had) to go back into HR. I must say I had never really given much thought to the level of demand until I saw this post.

Hr was very difficult for me to break into back in 2012, the first hr job I ever had, I never applied for I got it by chance because I was doing admin in the company after being rejected many times for lack of experience. My degree is in business and hrm. I'm now focused on applying to grad schemes Rbs is one of them( graduated yonks ago) in order to get a foot back in. I don't appear to be able to compete with other applicants with more recent experience even though I've done the job before.

So thanks for throwing a new perspective on it, career change is a humbling experience.



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Reply 3
Original post by Marlea88
I've been snooping (procrastinating) and came across this chat. Funny enough I was in Hr then left to train as a teacher I'm now leaving teaching (the most soul destroying career I ever had) to go back into HR. I must say I had never really given much thought to the level of demand until I saw this post.

Hr was very difficult for me to break into back in 2012, the first hr job I ever had, I never applied for I got it by chance because I was doing admin in the company after being rejected many times for lack of experience. My degree is in business and hrm. I'm now focused on applying to grad schemes Rbs is one of them( graduated yonks ago) in order to get a foot back in. I don't appear to be able to compete with other applicants with more recent experience even though I've done the job before.

So thanks for throwing a new perspective on it, career change is a humbling experience.

Posted from TSR Mobile


Completely agree with you on the teaching front! It has truly saddened me that it is no longer something I wish to pursue but the work life balance is terrible and the expectations are ludicrous. Interesting that you started out in HR and are now going back there. I did find many of the other candidates I was up against for the scheme had recently undertaken internships at various companies and had a wealth of experience within the sector. However I have no HR experience, granted I have had a range of jobs with transferable skills but none specifically in HR. I'm not from a business background so I feel it is going to be a challenge but one I'm looking forward to!
Good luck in you application :smile:
Reply 4
Original post by pmc:producer
I'm often dubious when Graduate Schemes are fixed-term as I think one side of the coin asks why they'd keep you at the end when they could bring in cheaper graduates - but maybe that's just the cynic in me.

I think the pros ate obviously;
- Fantastic training and development framework
- Genuine investment in you (my company stated it costs them around £20K by the time a graduate starts on day one...)
- Sponsorship for professional qualifications (where applicable).
- Real responsibility and projects that ensure you're adding value to the business
- Strong support network within the business from both 'buddy' colleagues and the graduate cohort etc.
- Great exposure to the business
... the list goes on...

Cons;
- Can be pigeonholed
- Might not lead to a job
- May have to move about the country on rotations (could be a pro?)
- Competition is fierce
... again, there are plenty...

At least the bulk of these are true for most Graduate Schemes with large firms (not all).

In any case, you're unlikely to decline the offer so embrace the process and scheme - with an RBS graduate scheme in HR and possible professional qualifications (CIPD or similar) you're unlikely to be unemployed for long.


Yeah there does seem to be an endless list of pros and tbh I've not got anything to lose by doing it- the pay is good and the experience and training I get will be invaluable!
But there is that niggle that it may not get me a job at the end of it. I think with me having jumped last minute into HR it's making me a bit more worried about the end prospects.
The scheme has said you don't need a degree in business/HR or something related, nor do they require any experience within the sector (which is good because I have none!)
but I'm definitely going to embrace it!
I've also got an AC for the civil service scheme but I'm unsure whether I'm going to attend that one as I'm not sure that scheme is for me. Plus I don't want to live in London/work in London which I think that scheme will indefinitely require me to.
Reply 5
Original post by Lay-Z
I disagree, HR & business development jobs are everywhere literally


I do agree there do seem to be plenty of them. And regardless of whether the company outsource or not- someone somewhere still needs to do the job or a variation of it!
I think I'm just tying to decide ignore the scheme is going to put me in the best possible position to get one of those roles.
But thinking about it, I currently have no qualifications or experience in the area- so it probably is.
It does seem to be one of the better graduate schemes I've looked at too. I've heard some at the likes of Unilever etc. Are very much just shadowing for the full 2 years and just doing admin, whereas the RBS one appears to actually give you responsibility.

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