Job-hunting platform for int’l students created

Published 15/06/2018

Two international graduates who have experienced first-hand the intricacies of the Tier 2 visa system in the UK have founded a platform to help students find licensed employers and jobs after graduation.

Student Circus lists graduate-level jobs offered at companies that are licensed to sponsor for a Tier 2 visa and interested in hiring international graduates.

“There are so many laws and regulations that you have to keep in mind before applying for a job”

It was founded in 2016 by Tripti Maheshwari – a PIEoneer Awards finalist – and Dhruv Krishnaraj, who graduated in 2015 from Cass Business School and the University of Bristol respectively.

Both from India, Maheshwari and Krishnaraj found a service like Student Circus was missing when, at the end of their studies, they tried to look for employment.

“As international students there are so many laws and regulations that you have to keep in mind before applying for a job,” Tripti told The PIE News.

“As a student I applied for every job a saw on the market. It was the wrong thing to do because half of them weren’t even sponsoring!”

So Tripti and Dhruv “reverse-engineered” the process, applied for a Graduate Entrepreneur visa and created a platform where students can look up jobs that they can apply for.

The basic requirement is for companies to have Tier 2 license, but Tripti and Dhruv also filter out all those position that are not suitable for students, leaving only the relevant ones – such as graduate positions or internships.

“We are trying to change the game where we are making it more transparent, more equal for international students to find jobs,” Tripti explained.

Since its foundation, Student Circus has seen its user base grow fast – about 10,000 students and counting. It also works in partnership with universities, that use the platform to data gathered through the platform to tailor their career services around what jobs their students look up and apply for.

The first university to partner with Student Circus was Lancaster University. The platform now partners with five institutions,  but aims to get to 20 before September.

Tripti and Dhruv are also in talk with investors to fund their ambitious plans for the future.

One of these is challenging the perception that, since the PSW visa was scrapped, international students can’t find jobs in the UK.

“When the rules change, they change for everyone – students, universities, employers. Companies found it difficult to adapt,” Tripti explained.

“But now they are tuning in to the idea. They are more willing to sponsor because they want to find the right talent.”

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