Introduction
Skills
Reflection
Information
Job sites
Work experience
Planning
Techniques
Matching

Job Information

In Route 2, you will find specific information on different types of company, as well as material on Masters Programmes (both academic and vocational). Route 2 will also cover other options like travel and the importance of cultural sensitivity and language.

However, this section specifically aims to bring together various job-sites which you can search. It aims to be a starting point rather than a comprehensive guide. Furthermore, you need not feel obliged to follow the current if you think, in the words of pre-historic popsters The Housemartins 'it's sheep we're up against'. If you have a better—and viable—idea, who are we to stand in the way of your dreams. You can just imagine the conversation...

Careers Advisor: "Hmmm, Senor Guevara, these results suggest a secure career as a Buenos Aires GP specialising in diseases of the rich"

Che: "Oh OK, I was going to travel extensively before being a revolutionary beacon but hey, you're right, there's more to life than job satisfaction"

SO, if you’ve had a revolutionary idea—to raise a people's army in order to seize control of the state for instance—don't let us stop you!

That said...this page is a starting point for information on the sorts of jobs you might be interested in at the end of your degree. Good luck and remember: Hasta la revolucion siempre!

Job sites

www.pertemps.co.uk
Formerly www.jobs.co.uk, this site searches other job sites (similar idea to Ask Jeeves) for jobs. This makes it a good first port of call, as it gives access to lots of specialist recruitment sites and services online.

www.jobs.ac.uk
Nice menu driven interface, complimented by new "directory" style home page makes searching easy, and seems to have lots on offer in education and other sectors.

www.vacancies.ac.uk
Not quite as comprehensive as above.

http://www.thesjobs.co.uk (THES)
Easy to use, but the trade-off is a limited search function compared to other sites listed here. Particularly aimed at those seeking jobs in the education sector.

www.jobsin.co.uk
Has a great number of jobs, and a good search function.

When using the job sites listed above, the following links may provide useful advice:

How to Use The Internet in Your Job Search
http://www.rileyguide.com/jobsrch.html
In fact, this whole site is worth looking at both for home-grown content and links.

Privacy Tips for Online Job Seekers
http://www.privacyrights.org/fs/fs25-JobSeekerPriv.htm
Highly recommended.

Work Experience
There is evidence that elements of a degree like skills acquisition and work experience (where this is not built into the course as is the case with IR) are of most benefit when they are sought out by the student, thus demonstrating initiative, energy and commitment for instance.

If you are looking for work experience then IR staff will be more than happy to write letters of recommendation and so on, but we do not have a data base (yet!) of opportunities. But remember, whatever work you might do over the summer is 'work experience'—I didn’t notice at the time but one summer working in a rather rough South London pub prepared me for all sorts of things and taught me a variety of skills. 'Ducking flying chairs' is thus, in skills speak, an ability to keep calm under pressure. I also learned loyalty (not shopping Alex who was dipping his hand in the till), organisation (how to see two of the barmaids at the same time without either finding out) and so on. More seriously, even working in a pub can seriously be said to have added to communication and numeracy skills and enabled me to deal with many an alcohol induced crisis.

Plans are afoot for a Faculty work experience data-base. When such a thing exists, it will appear below along with other potentially relevant websites. Below that, you will find a range of case studies of IR students actual work experience.

Case Studies

1  Robert Pirie
Rob got involved in 1999/2000 with the Oversea's Training Programme, a major initiative of VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas). It would not be an exaggeration to say that his time in Jamaica changed his life; not only did he make a difference to people's lives but became aware of a whole range of cultural stereotypes and of his place as a researcher in the social world. Rob's experiences are reflected in a superb dissertation and Rob's work experience was undoubtedly a major factor—in addition to his own personal qualities—in the first class degree he was awarded. If you would like more information on the OTP contact otp@vso.org.uk.

2 James Tomlinson
Jim graduated in 1996 and thought getting a job would be easy. It wasn’t. His advice to students is to ‘get their arse in gear in the second year and think about what they are going to do’. For a year Jim did a ‘dead-end’ job but also did the NTU PG certificate in research methods. He also had a good think about what he wanted to do and where he was going. In 1997/98 he volunteered for Amnesty for 1-3 days a week, whilst studying for an MA in International Relations at NTU. He ended up with a distinction and specialised in human rights. He also did some research work for a local MP.

Jim says experience is essential to get into the voluntary sector—'why would they employ someone who had not shown previous commitment?'. Jim worked part-time for a homeless charity in Nottingham, before landing a job with the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture, which was set up as an offshoot of Amnesty in 1985. Jim is happy not to be working as part of the system and hopes his experience might one day lead to a job with an international organisation, links with whom he has established as part of his current work. The NGO that Jim now works for have a website: www.torturecare.org.uk

Outline
Job information
Job sites
Work experience
Case studies