Every year, thousands of students leave India to pursue higher education in foreign countries, in the hope for better opportunities and careers. Yet, many find themselves facing an uncertain job market, despite having solid qualifications.
One such student, Swetha Kothandan, recently took to LinkedIn to share her struggle as an international graduate trying to secure a UK visa-sponsored job.
Swetha moved to the UK in 2021 to pursue Masters with dreams of building a successful career as a Design Engineer. She graduated in 2022 and has since then applied to over 300 jobs but has been met with limited responses. Now, with only three months left before her graduate visa expires, Swetha took to LinkedIn to make a last minute plea to secure her future in the UK.
What’s surprising is that she has impressive qualifications: two first-class degrees in Mechanical Engineering, proficiency in multiple engineering tools like AutoCAD and Solidworks, and work experience in the UK at Amazon.
However, she is so desperate for a job that she has an extreme offer: to work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, to “prove her worth”. On top of that, she says that she will work the first month for free. She further claimed that if she doesn’t deliver, the employer can fire her on spot – no questions asked.
Have a look at her full LinkedIn post here:
However, such promises raise concerns. The willingness to work for free and for long hours promotes an exploitative work culture. Employers might come to expect this level of commitment from Indian students or other foreign workers. Students like Swetha deserve recognition for their hard work and skills without needing to offer their lives to prove it.
This was pointed out by several people online who thought what Swetha was doing was more damaging than beneficial.
We wish her all the best for her future!