Problems and opportunities: RUDN monitored the employment of foreign graduates in 2019

In total, more than 1,500 responses were received, sending out invitations to graduate students to the post-university mail allowed eliminating the unevenness in the responses received.

All students readily answered the questionnaire, and also gave valuable comments on improving the electronic questionnaire and the monitoring procedure in general.

Almost 90% of foreign students answered the questionnaire. Future graduates from Asia and Africa answered very briefly, without going into details about the place, conditions and directions of the existing or desired work. Most responses were received from citizens of the CIS and Baltic countries. They provided detailed information and almost always the amount of wages.

According to the conventional wisdom, the main problems of employing foreigners in Russia are the imperfect knowledge of the Russian language and the reluctance of the employer to hire foreigners. However, the answers showed that students no longer faced problems of this kind, and the main obstacle to starting a career in their student years was the inability to combine study and work. The second most popular option was “lack of work experience”.

56% of graduates plan to continue their studies at the university, 41% want to start work, have not decided yet - 3% of respondents.

Students recognized international communication, teamwork, professional knowledge and analytical thinking as the most valuable skills acquired at RUDN University.

Students in all areas of training plan to work in private companies, citing a higher level of working conditions. The only exception was doctors who want to work in the public sector, private clinics were indicated in exceptional cases.

In general, about 20% of respondents are already successfully working and plan to continue their career paths. For employed students, in 62% of cases, work corresponds to their chosen specialty, which is significantly more than last year's figure of 50%. The vast majority of still unemployed plans to work in their specialty.

Among the noteworthy success stories, several seem especially impressive. For example, a graduate student from the Academy of Engineering worked as deputy general director of his own large international multidisciplinary architectural firm in Egypt, but interrupted his work while studying at RUDN University and plans to continue his studies at the next level of education. We hope that the experience and knowledge gained during his stay at RUDN University will be useful and that his construction company will expect great growth.

Another student of the Academy of Engineering, but this time a bachelor, got a job in the experimental-theoretical department of a large Engineering Design Bureau, where he developed the direction of space activity, working in a specialty that had not yet been officially received. He also plans to continue his studies at the next level.

A student from Jamaica worked at the Ministry of Health of Jamaica, and enrolled at the RUDN Medical Institute to improve his qualifications as a doctor. This case shows that it is possible and necessary to study, improve your level of professionalism and deepen knowledge, even in the case of career success.

In general, foreign students are well aware of the skills and qualifications that are in demand on the labor market, have an idea of ​​future work, and most often understand where they will work after graduation. As a result of monitoring, each student who stated difficulties with finding a job received an invitation to undergo a preliminary interview in the Department.

At the moment, we are launching the second wave of monitoring, including that for Russian students.

For all issues related to employment, you can contact the Department of Employment of Students and Graduates of RUDN University: job.student@rudn.ru.