Morning:
14°c
You’ll work for free or not at all, graduates warned
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent11.02.09
Graduates will be forced to work for free for the first time in a generation as firms axe jobs, employers warned today.
London is facing the sharpest cuts in graduate vacancies amid signs that university leavers are already abandoning the capital in search of work elsewhere.
Finalists face the "double whammy" of lower salaries and record university debts from top-up tuition fees, the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) warned.
In a bleak report, the AGR said that the class of 2009 may need to move back in with their parents, take menial jobs or even work unpaid.
The survey of 245 leading employers -including Barclays Bank, the Civil Service, and Google - comes amid dire employment news across the economy as the recession deepens.
Ministers plan a new national internship scheme in an attempt to find something for this year's graduates to do during the recession.
But the scale of the jobs crisis facing university leavers is far worse than had been expected, with last year's forecast increase in vacancies not materialising.
Carl Gilleard, AGR chief executive, blamed the "catastrophic" events of the past few months for the dramatic cuts in graduate jobs. Students leaving university in 2009 are the first to have been through top-up tuition fees amounting to more than £9,000 over three years. They are set to leave university with average debts of £21,500. Earlier this week Durham University announced it would be offering this summer's graduates £2,000 to stay on for further studies rather than risk unemployment.
As the Standard revealed last month, the AGR's survey found that 2009 would see the first drop in the number of graduate jobs for six years.
This year, 45.4 per cent of UK graduate vacancies are in London, down from 46.6 per cent in 2008.
Typical starting salaries for graduates in London have fallen for the first time on record from £28,375 last year to £28,000.
Banking has suffered the most dramatic impact with starting salaries down 8.9 per cent. Cuts are also predicted for accountancy and IT.
Overall, graduate vacancies are expected to fall 5.4 per cent in 2009.
Mr Gilleard said London was facing the worst of the crisis. He told the Standard that "key business sectors in the City" such as investment banking and financial services were "hardest hit".
Graduates should get "work experience" wherever they can and be flexible about their choices, he said.
"If you sit at home and simply feel sorry for yourself, you're not improving your prospects," he added.
"Virtually anything is better than doing nothing. When you are in employment, whatever you do you are gaining experience and skills, even if you have to do a job without any pay. If you're doing volunteering work, you are doing something constructive."
The report found that final-year students were increasingly willing to look outside the employment "epicentre" of London.
"If people want to come to London, I wouldn't be stopping them but they might just want to look at some of the other cities they travel through to get here," Mr Gilleard said.
Housing is likely to be problematic, with many graduates likely to be "going back to live with mum and dad".
The Conservatives said the report made "sober reading". Shadow Universities Secretary David Willetts said: "Today's graduates face the twin challenges of fewer jobs and poor preparation for working life."
But Higher Education Minister David Lammy said that teenagers should not give up on university.
"There are still jobs out there for graduates and going to university is still a good investment," he said. "Even this year there will be more vacancies in areas such as engineering, public services and law.
"To provide extra help to those who need it, we are in discussions to see how we can ensure graduates get some experience of work."
My degree can only get me bar work
By Victoria Stewart
As a recent graduate with a good private education, fluency in French and Italian and a 2:1 degree in Italian and history of art from the University of Edinburgh, I was set the challenge of finding a job comparable to my education and work experience.I was looking for a high-end job but menial positions in shops and restaurants were easiest to find.
The JobCentre is no place for confused graduates as you can't get individual advice unless you are applying for benefits.
Armed with my CV and an abundance of enthusiasm, I tackled the recruitment agencies next, only to find they had either stopped taking new registrations or my skills base didn't stretch as far as office and administrative work. I couldn't even get a job as a “room attendant” (cleaner) at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington. My skills were “not as strong” as other candidates.
A former employee at Joyce Guinness Recruitment said the best advice for graduates would be to get out of London — and even to look for work abroad.
Of my unemployed friends, some of whom joined the banking milk round a year ago but were recently made redundant, a number have taken this advice and opted to go travelling. Others, who like me are loath to leave the capital, spend hours trawling the internet for suitable positions.
Here's how my job search went...
Situations vacant
Retail Assistant
Salary: £15,000 a year
Where? Hawes & Curtis shirt sellers.
Description: In-store recruitment day advertised in shop window. Queued with 31 other applicants, many with retail experience. We discussed me, my CV, why I wanted the job and what I knew about the company. I was given an immediate “yes”.
Get the job? Yes.
Graduate credit crunch factor: Possible gateway to a career in retail but none of my university skills would be used. Extremely friendly group of people and high-quality products on sale but not as challenging as I'd have liked.
Market Research placement
Salary: about £100 in weekly expenses
Where? Myfavouritesocks.com, a bespoke socks company that started up three months ago.
Description: Met the entrepreneur director at a business-to-business fair in Earl's Court and asked if he was looking for help promoting his company. He liked some of the ideas I suggested as well as my previous sales experience, offering me a placement immediately.
Get the job? Yes but it was an unpaid placement.
Graduate credit crunch factor? An interesting project, which offered plenty of responsibility early on, and PA, market research and PR experience. But do I want to be just another graduate working for free with the vain hope of gaining some career prospects?
Secretary
Salary: From £8 an hour
Where? Reed Recruitment.
Description: Saw admin/office roles advert and went in for consultation. Was told I didn't “stand out from the crowd” because my skills and talents are not obvious on my CV, even though I've done this type of work. Given constructive criticism on how to improve it but as employers are “only interested in ticking boxes”, with my work experience, my degree and my CV the way it is, I'd have no chance against people with more administrative experience.
Get the job? No.
Graduate credit crunch factor: Shows that even a good education and degree aren't guarantees of any job — it's all down to experience. “Hang on in there, Victoria,” the interviewer told me. I'm just another one of the 25 graduates they see every day.
PA to a director
Salary: up to £36,000 a year
Where? Impact Recruitment.
Description: Applied via Guardian jobs online. Called them to push for an interview, which involved a five-minute typing test and CV analysis. It came down to the same old thing: “Re-order your CV with a checklist of skills in bullet points.” I was rejected on the grounds of lack of experience. Ironically, the consultant envisaged me working in publishing or the media but there are no jobs there either.
Get the job? No.
Graduate credit crunch factor? Was university a waste of time if my Powerpoint skills from degree presentations don't stretch to making logos fade in and out? Without any concrete experience of managing someone's diary there are no PA jobs available at all for me.
Trainee headhunter
Salary: £18,000 a year
Where? Funds Partnership.
Description: Job advertised on monster.co.uk. Called company direct to arrange interview and was asked to outline why I was attracted to the job, why I'd be suitable and if I was “resilient and prepared to work hard”. I apparently possess “a number of excellent qualities but do not have the right skills-set for the company due to the unique nature of the business”.
Get the job? No.
Graduate credit crunch factor? This is a vicious circle — graduates need to gain experience by working but have trouble finding work because they don't have suitable skills.
PR assistant
Salary: £18,000
Where? JFL Recruitment.
Description: Applied via JFL's website. I pursued and asked for an interview but due to the enormous number of graduate applications — many of whom had done PR internships already — they suggested I found experience elsewhere.
Get the job? No.
Graduate credit crunch factor? My travel writing and journalistic experience are invaluable for a job in PR, I was told, but there were “more candidates than roles”, unfortunately.
There are no other junior roles advertised so in the meantime the best thing for me to do would be to find yet another unpaid placement to build up PR experience.
Bar girl
Salary: £7 an hour
(up to £7.50 on passing the cocktail test)
Where? Sticky Fingers restaurant.
Description: Enquired about job vacancies and given informal interview the following day. We discussed my bar experience and what a normal shift would entail. I'd never made cocktails before but the manager was happy for me to learn on the job. The current employees were very international and all young, so my age was an advantage.
Get the job? Offered a trial shift the following week.
Graduate credit crunch factor? Good vibe and a friendly team but would my parents be happy to know that all the hard-earned money they'd spent on school fees went into me becoming a bar girl?
Reader views (44)
I bet that in 6 months time she will be wishing she had accepted the Hawes and Curtis job.
- Mouse, London
I graduated with an Interior Design degree in 2007 and landed an ok job for an architectural firm pretty much straight away earning £13,000. Which I know was not a lot but I was happy-ish with it. Three months into this job and I was made redundant just around the start of the recession.
Since then Iv been a laborer, factory worker, removal man, DJ and now I work at Costa Coffee on £5,73 an hour. Iv applied for well over 200 jobs in and around the area Iv studied for, of which Iv only had a hand full of interviews. Not to mention all the data entry jobs that I don't have enough experience for. Iv had more low points than the English cricket team and I think I might have better success in the crime industry. Joke!!
I do have some sympathy for all those graduates like myself that have been tricked into thinking that going to University was a quick route into a better and securer life with a safe employment.
We have been tricked and trapped that's how I feel. I agree with the person who said that this is all Labour's fault. Their target of 50% of school leavers going to university IS ridiculous.
I don't see why some people on here have such bitter comments to one another. Why should some one be happy with a mundane office or bar job if they have one. If any one say's they are happy in those kind of jobs then their liars!!
People need to point their bitterness at the greedy ones in this world that are getting away with this mess.
- Dan, Bournemouth
I graduated in July '09 with a History degree, and I like many of the other graduates are finding it hard to get work. I do not like the tone of a lot of people on here. Many of us are trying desperately to find work. I've been applying for anything, I don't mind that it is not related to my degree, I just need the money. Unfortunately it appears so many other graduates are doing the same thing as me, so the competition is so high. I've had several interviews and have been rejected everytime. Agencies won't take my CVs as too many graduates are also trying to apply there. I've been rejected from other jobs too without even having an interview, yet my experience is great. I've got years of volunteering work under my belt for starters. Eventually I will get a degree related job, it is going to take some time. We're not lazy, and we're not just moaning for the sake of it. Please sympathise a bit more.
- Monsoonbaby, Romford, Essex
Graduates working for free is nothing new, I'm afraid. It has been this way for a decade at least. I graduated in 2002 and started out in publishing. Jobs in popular fields like marketing, PR, publishing or the media have always been insanely competitive and poorly paid. I also had a languages degree (1st class, one of the top 5 universities) and because I chose a competitive sector (publishing) my first jobs were also internships. It wasn't easy to manage financially, especially without rich parents and with the high cost of housing, which is another burden this generation has to bear.
Eventually, I got an MSc in a more applied field (from Edinburgh, in fact!) and am now earning a very good salary. There are just too many languages and Arts graduates being produced. It's a cliche but such degrees are not in demand with employers and few appreciate the effort and intellect required to get such qualifications. I would advise any school-leaver not to bother with university unless you're doing accountancy, law, medicine or similar. For those graduating, just hang in there and be resourceful and determined. Seek out where the jobs are and go after them, retrain if necessary. You'll find something eventually.
- Mb, Edinburgh
This is all Labour's fault. Their target of 50% of school leavers going to university was ridiculous. Are 50% of jobs graduate level jobs? No. The majority of jobs are working in shops, bars, factories, restaurants, offices etc. You definitely don't need a degree for the first four but, since everyone and they're dog has a degree, you now need one to get a semi decent job in an office. The problem is that, rightly so, graduates feel that they should be able to get a better job than their parents did without a degree. Too many people are going to university - end of story, and this is Labour's fault. I could also point out that perhaps the government are encouraging people to go to university in order to hide the true level of unemployment in this country. All of these extra students don't count towards the unemployment figures for the 3-4 years that they are at university for. In reality employment levels having been dropping for years but this hss been masked by increasing numbers of students. Just some of the smoke and mirrors from Gordon Brown's miracle economy.
- Aison, London
The graduate starting salaries you quote are simply wrong. I have twin sons, started work last year. Both with Firsts from top Univs; both with MA's. Arts subjects. One has grad level job London - starting at £17K. The other grad level in Sussex - starting £15K. I'm grateful both have careers - both don't insult the public with fictional starting salaries unrelated to the vast majority of grad level jobs.
- Juvena,, Bournemouth, Dorset
For goodness sake Victoria, of course you won't get a PA/secretarial job - you can't type! Why on earth don't you leave the country if you're multi-lingual? For a girl with a 2:1 degree you're not showing an awful lot of independent thinking here!
- Alexandra, Maastricht
The warm feeling I get when someone is thoughtful enough to say thank you for having been helped far outweighs the empty one I get when there's no feedback at all.
- Alex45, Bell
I don't think it's right for the AGR to be saying 'you should go and work for free'. I work in television and there's already a problem with there being as many graduates each year as there are people working in the industry, all that working for free does is drive down standards (why pay someone when they'll do a job for nothing), not to add that it's illegal 'cos of the National Minimum Wage.
A fair days work for a fair days pay is one of the basic parts of our society. NO ONE SHOULD WORK FOR NOTHING.
- Dan Ashcroft, London, UK
Grad programs are a great way to start your career, but there is so much they dont tell you.
I wish i found this site when i started my career:
http://graduatedevelopmentprogram.com/chapters/
it would have saved me from making so many mistakes....I hope you find it useful
- Joffy, london
What I don't get is that graduates often expect to have a right to a great job. Well, no-one has.
A N is absolutely right, if you get involved into a lot of stuff outside your degree at uni you'll be very employable, I experience the same, and if you don't, that's your choice, but don't complain later!
- Chris, Birmingham, UK
For all the moaners - it is indeed possible to graduate and end up on a good salary - I graduated four years ago from a 'Russell League' uni, and managed to get a job paying £28.5k.
How? I got involved at uni, founded and ran a society, sat on the union exec, running a committee, learnt a language, and did relevant office-based (paid) work over the summer holidays during my course, giving me plenty of relevant, demonstrable experience to set me apart from all of the other jobseekers.
Uni, and the opportunities that it gives you, can equip you well for a job - but not if all you do is turn up to lectures and the bar.
- A N, SW London
Please - they need a hard reality check, and to stop turning their noses up at "menial" jobs that they think are below them. Work - any work - is a blessing when so many people are being made redundant. I'm only about 6 years older than these graduates, and I can't get over their attitudes. Suck it up - you may not like whatever you're currently doing but you aren't in the cushy, safe womb of education. You're not a child. A lot of the time, the real world is all about doing things you may not like as a means to an end.
- K, London
The real problem with working for free is that favours those from a rich background.
Those from a poorer background can't be subsidised by parents whislt they work for free in a more interesting and eventually better paying job, so have to take work where ever they can in more mundane - bar work, cleaning, McDonalds etc..
The rich as always, get richer.
- Jim, london
why should graduates walk into a highly paid job just because they have a degree? they may have the knowledge but can they do the job? I have seen a lot of incompetent people with degrees.All through the professions there are incompetent people.Food experts said not to eat eggs, now they are saying eat them.Yhey believe in evolution with out question.
- Essexkid, Romford,essex
£28,000? Not bad for a starting graduate salary. I'm still earning that *10 years* after first graduating, with two Master's degrees in engineering from top 10 universities. The real world is an awful lot tougher than most students are lead to believe, and this is the harshest but perhaps most important lesson you can learn....
Now that investment banking has gone as the default 'easy money' option for graduates in many fields, I wonder what's left?
- Asns, Gloucester, UK
£28,000! Even foundation year doctors ( 5 years degree plus £30,000 loans) now start on about £22,000. Their jobs are allocated by lottery, no perks, compulsory unpaid overtime to get round working time directive, rent £700 per month but no London weighting.
Arts degree people are looking at £15,000, if they are lucky. At least they don't have to worry about student loan repayment.
Temp agencies are turning away applicants.
Unpaid "internships" are plain theft.
Don't get a degree, get a useful skill straight from school.
- Len, London
Italian and history of art ? And what job does that qualify you for exactly ?
Maybe if you'd picked a degree an employer could use ..
- Madmax, London
I hear the Jobcentre are looking for staff..........
- Jack, London, UK
Well, as a 60's child, parents of Irish Origin, further education was a no no. As far as my Dad was concerned, if I hadn't learnt enough to get by at the age of 16 that was my problem for not listening in school! So, I left school, got a job, took myself to night school and hey presto, with guts and determination, I've done well.
My eldest daughter now 20, stayed on and did her A Levels. Went off to Uni as she was brainwashed at school with "Without a degree, you will never get anywhere in the workplace any more!!".
7 hours tutition a week in class the rest self study, 20grand debt for what? Thankfully she had the common sense to leave after the first term, get a job, EXPERIENCE and take on evening courses and Open University courses. Why are so many parents being hoodwinked into thinking sending a child to Uni is a guarantee to a job?
With this recession, depression, whatever it turns out to be, one thing is for sure, a degree will not, has never been, a fast track into employment. Guts, determination, hands on attitude, personality will get you further than any silly piece of paper. If your going to do a degree, at least do something that is needed and can open doors: Medicine, Business, Accoutnacy, Engineering etc. The rest, not worth the paper or price to obtain.
- Theresa, London
I refuse to work for free, employers getting workers for nothing? and meaning the government wont pay job seekers? Surely thats as bad as slavery. Trying to do nothing from a young age would bag me a council house, free docs and dentists and get paid £45pw for the privilege of doing nothing.
I have an average paid job(not through my engineering degree as i didnt have the experience)but after leaving university,being told there are staff shortages in that field and to be declined by everyone not even making an interview! i would have been in a better position now not trying, taking for 3 years and not being over 15k in debt with nothing to show for it!
- Graham, London
Use the opportunity to work abroad for a couple of years. You are young, bright, well-qualified and more flexible than people with families. I did the same straight after graduating. Having worked in three countries and speaking two foreign languages gave me a huge competitive edge before I was 30. Working in a foreign country is the most amazing experience. Just be brave, open-minded and enjoy the ride. Emerging business centres in Asia are still going strong and by the time things have improved in the UK you will be in a position to pick and choose your job. There is a world of opportunities beyond the M25 - and your competitors are certainly aware of this!
- John, London
I left school at 16 and have worked ever since - 25 years. The idea of acting like an irresponsible child for several years more - with the added bonus of being able to lie stinking in bed until all hours, watching children's telly and getting drunk in subsidized bars on week nights thrown in - to me would be like a dream. Therefore I have no sympathy for these spoilt little brats. They can sweep the streets for all I care and be grateful for it.
- Jane Snooks, BROMLEY
Well, i graduated in 2003 with a BSc in Biology and i couldn't get diddly squat for a job. Had to scratch a living working in cinemas then got a job in Security. UNI does not get you any better qualifications, it was a waste of time (unless you count beer drinking and casual sex as worth the 20k debt). In hindsight, parents who say you need to go to UNI say it so they can say "yeah, my kids went to uni". Sort of like having a badge of pride thing, like it makes you better than those who don't have a degree. Bottom line is those without degrees have more money (cos they started earlier)and hte other thing which is gold dust: experience. Companies nowadays don't really want to use time and money to train people. Why do that when you can get someone who already knows the job? It makes sense for the company anyway.
WORD OF ADVICE TO COLLEGE LEAVERS: GET A JOB INSTEAD.
This will be difficult given the current climate. Charity work anyone? They get paid £8/hour!
- Steve, london
'Typical starting salaries for graduates in London have fallen for the first time on record from £28,375 last year to £28,000', poor graduates...typical normal salary in Spain (even with over 5 years experience) is 1000 euros a month... and my first professional job in the UK (with 4 years experience) was £15,000...Something wrong here?!
- Laura, London, UK
Typical starting salaries for graduates in London have fallen for the first time on record from £28,375 last year to £28,000.
I graduated in 1975 with an old fashioned Hons degree in law. When I retired from the Civil Service last year (early, during a "restructuring" operation in which it was made clear that young and inexperienced junior caseworkers were what was required - cheaper to employ and less able to question management)after 32 years I was only just on £28,000 pa.
Where are these jobs with such a start salary? I'll have one and start a second career.
- Ca Metcalfe, Essex
I too graduated in the last recession in tbe early 90's and there were points when I was working at least 2 jobs - bar and temping and that was pre PC's so taught myself to type on a charity shop typewriter. It sounds tougher now, but guys - you are just going to have to hustle.
And when did I get a job that reflected my graduate skills? mm who knows - at least two or three years, and it took me another 15 years to earn enough to buy a flat with a large deposit and not bankcrupting myself in central london. Didn't have parents who could bale me out either.
The terms is - its going to be hard -but its the only way through
- Jc, se1
There are two significant points this article misses:
1 - Had they tried the same thing with someone without a degree or higher education I would hazard that the problem would be ten times worse.
2 - University is not a job factory, it a place to learn, broaden horizons and improve yourself. We need to re-evaluate why people go to uni and offer more practical alternatives - e.g. adult apprenticeships
- Liberal And Proud, London, UK
These young people have been conned by a feckless Government. They should take to the streets and demand that their debts are liquidated. It really is a crying shame that our country has been hijacked by idiots.
- Geoff, In the country
History of Art may have been a very interesting subject to study, but is the most useless degree ever.
Also, many British people "fluent" in other languages can't even order a cup of coffee in their degree language.
The bar job? Don't look down your nose on it: it's a great way to make contacts and build up a network, and to aquire "work skills" such as team work for example.
See it as a career opportunity: Who says the bar job won't get you a restaurant waitressing job in a year's time, and if you're any good, you could be a restaurant manager within 5 years.
- Juma, london, uk
not being funny, but what does this girl with a degree in History of Art from edinburgh university think she is qualified to do?
- Scott, London
Just goes to show that having a degree these days is a bit pointless. Employers want staff with experience not letters after the name. There are jobs out there, it's just people are not looking in the right places.
- Triffidqueen, Desk in London
I have to agree with Carley, sometimes even i think going to university might have been a waste. I did a Bsc in 2005 after i graduated i struggled to find work due to 'lack of experience', none of the agencies would help and there was no chance with graduate schemes as they only looked for top-grad students, it was always a rejection, one after the other. A year went to a waste working in retail and doing temp work here and there. Decided to go back to uni and do a master; since then graduated, went travelling to work abroad and now facing the credit crunch. seems to be getting worse. working now again as a temp - 2 yrs on after graduation in Msc still havent had the luck to find a perm job!!!! come on GORDON BROWN - help us out for Christ sake!!!!
and yes no graduate ever gets paid £28k - your having a laugh!!!
- Sabina, essex
I too graduated in a recession - 1995, but this is a depression. I had to take a job in a factory to pay off overdrafts and debts. It took nearly three years to find a career job. I do not have any sympathy with current crop of graduates. You just have to get on with it and stop moaning.
- Darren, london
As only grads whose Mummies and Daddies can support them can afford to take unpaid work. Keeps the riff raff out I suppose
- Jc, london
'Typical starting salaries for graduates in London have fallen for the first time on record from £28,375 last year to £28,000' That is not true, most of the graduates I know in London are still living with their parents because they can't afford to move out and are definitely not earning that much money. That must be the typical starting salary for Cambridge university graduates.
- Louise, London
Unfortunately this is not a new problem. I graduated with a good BSc (Hons) Degree and worked unpaid for nearly two years in various internships before I was finally offered a paid position. It is a vicious cycle because you are either over-educated for roles or under-experience. Sometimes I do think going to University was a waste of time and money because I could have been gaining experience in that time and be on a decent salary now rather than what I actually am on!
- Carley, London
Stick to what you love doing. Most kids 'react' to external pressures after high school and end up racking up debt through years of "studying". The pats on the back from friends and family reassure you into thinking you are doing the right thing - being a "good citizen". The fact of the matter is you are just another spoke on the wheel of society ensuring that the powers that be get what they want from you and crush your spirit in the process.
I never went to full time college or uni and have taken short courses on things I thought I would enjoy - the longest lasting a month of full time classes. I was helped and offered jobs almost immediately after. I am quite happy working in a job I enjoy at the bottom of the chain for [a slightly better than] minimum wage. The lack of any real responsibility leaves me with all the energy I need to channel into my real passions. Simple living means I never struggle with money and still manage to travel and enjoy the world around me and maintaining my happiness.
Amassing mountains of knowledge by studying generic subjects only to end up playing the clever one in the pub after your boring 9-5 seems a bit pointless to me.
- Jon, London, UK
I'm inclined to think that these days, because so many people have degrees it is worth while doing a degree in something applicable like business, accounting, medicine, teaching etc - as opposed to degrees which might be far more interesting and in their own way are just as valid but don't necessarily influence employers to see what direction you want to go in. I think History of Art is one of them - unless you want to work at The Queen's gallery or something. Her languages should be helping her though - perhaps she should focus on European companies or UK companies who export to Europe.
- Isabel, Woking
I hope the stingy employers get their investment back exactly.
- Paul, London
Typical starting salaries for graduates in London have fallen for the first time on record from £28,375 last year to £28,000.
This is an unbelievable statement - as the mother of 2 recent graduates (one of whom has gone travelling as he could find no work and the other who is working for no salary and is therefore unable to claim Jobseekers Allowance)neither of them or any of their friends have been able to find any salaried work in the London area apart from occasional bar work and call centre work. Who is paying these 'typical salaries' and who is receiving them? We need to debunk this myth - there is no point whatsoever in going to university and getting a degree - it only causes severe financial hardship for the students and their families.
- Essex Girl, London, England
If you have huge debts and are desperate for work you will take anything. I was made redundant recently and took a job with a £20,000 pay cut, just so that I would still be in some sort of employment. Perhaps the graduate should take anything as something is better than nothing. With the mentality that this young woman is showing no wonder she has no job.
- Jk, London
A sad reflection on our education system that degrees, along with decent A-levels, are now ten a penny and not worth the paper they're printed on.
- Marianne, SW France
Don't worry Victoria, I have a masters degree from the London School of Economics and I'm doing unpaid work and starving to death as well. I keep alive by being the most over-qualified tour guide in London. Yay.
- Screw, London
