What can a fresh EU physics graduate do in the UK?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the career options available to a recent EU physics graduate in the UK, particularly in light of funding challenges for further education. Participants explore potential job opportunities and educational pathways, considering the implications of residency requirements and financial constraints.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Homework-related

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses difficulty in securing funding for MSc or PhD studies in the UK due to residency requirements, prompting a reconsideration of career options.
  • Another participant suggests exploring MSc programs in other European countries, such as France or Germany, where costs may be lower and funding options more favorable.
  • A participant mentions that they are committed to emigrating to the UK for work, regardless of pursuing an MSc.
  • Job prospects for physics graduates in the UK are noted to include fields such as accountancy, finance, consulting, and investment banking, with a caveat regarding the importance of attending a target university for these roles.
  • Reference to Unistats is made as a resource for understanding the career trajectories of physics graduates from various universities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of pursuing further education in the UK versus other European countries. There is no consensus on the best path forward for the original poster, as financial and residency concerns complicate the discussion.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight limitations related to funding availability for non-nationals and the impact of residency requirements on educational opportunities. The discussion reflects a range of experiences and perspectives on navigating these challenges.

Who May Find This Useful

Recent physics graduates considering career options in the UK, particularly those from the EU facing funding and residency challenges.

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I've been searching for msc/msc+phd funding in the UK for quite a while but it seems the most I can obtain is a tuition waiver as I don't meet the residency requirements for a living stipend of any sort (3 years in the UK). Consequently I am reconsidering my career options upon graduating and thinking of just getting a job (next year, which I hope to do complete in the UK (ICL) as an erasmus student if funding permits). What can I do as a EU national in the UK as a recent physics graduate, with no prior technical work experience? What kind of jobs are available to me? I do not have programming experience (though I will be taking a fortran/mathematica/matlab based computational physics course this year), but I have some minor know-how with mathematica and Origin.

My ultimate goal is to meet the requirements for full msc funding or enroll in a msc part-time, and possibly consider a phd afterwards, but everything right now seems to indicate I should concentrate on making a stable living. I don't really have any financial support to further my education.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
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I have, and have looked at a few other institutions that offer msc's in English (mainly the ones my uni has an erasmus agreement with, such as Copenhagen), but the problem is the same: no living stipend for non-nationals, only tuition waivers for EU students in the best of cases.

I should've added that I'm also set on emigrating to work in the UK, msc or no msc.
 
Physics graduates in the UK generally go into accountancy, finance, consulting and investment banking (only if it's at a target university though). Check Unistats (Google it) as it gives a fairly accurate breakdown of what physics graduates form each university go into.
 

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