Post MBA: Two Month Update
Many of my classmates and I have been receiving queries from MBA aspirants who are interested in applying to SBS. The questions are usually focussed on the career opportunities after graduating from Oxford. This is understandable as many of them plan to take on massive amounts of debt and cannot repay them unless they obtain employment in the UK/EU.
It’s very difficult to give a good answer to these questions as it really depends on a range of factors. The individual’s background is a factor, the position that they are attempting to shift into is a factor, the macroeconomic picture (which no one can predict, so please stop asking!) is a factor. I honestly feel that the best way to answer these questions is to look at the careers report of the business school. However, SBS will not update the report of this year’s class until April/May 2015 which is rather late. There is also the issue that the report is an average and does not break down the statistics by nationality, visa status etc.
Therefore, I have compiled a small report on the careers situation this year. I have done this by looking at LinkedIn profile updates and by talking to my classmates. I have restricted the report to the Indians in the class, but it’s representative of any nationality that requires visa sponsorship to work in the UK or EU. These numbers are not 100% accurate as I am sure there are a few who have received offers and have not made it public yet.
The sample size was approximately 45 students. I have only considered those who were interested in working in the UK. Some left right after graduating because they wanted to pursue opportunities in India and thus I am not considering them in this report. The 15% that you see in the chart are those who were pessimistic about finding jobs here and then left. Most of those who are employed, are working in the consulting sector.
The purpose of this report is to to accurately represent the situation here. Many seem to think that Oxford MBA graduates will have no trouble finding jobs but this is simply not the case. There is a lot of hard work required to find any job, let alone a dream job. I should note that almost everyone who is still here is interviewing with at least one company, hence I expect these numbers to improve in a month’s time. I will update these numbers at that time.
