Coventry University moves up in the UK University league tables

Coventry University leaps 17 places to 46th overall in the 2013 Guardian University league table. The new rankings places Coventry University 1st amongst the post 92 Universities.

How to use social media for job hunting

Guest post by Carlo Pandian

Recruitment has changed dramatically in the last 10 years with many companies involved in finding innovative and lean solutions for employers and employees. Social media and Internet have played a key role in this transformation.

Here you can find five suggestions to improve your chances while you are job seeking. You can boost your presence in the job market with these simple steps:

1. Register as a Linkedin member and upload your CV. Linkedin is the main social network to find job, contact employers, showcase your experience and networks within the professionals in your field.

2. Optimize your Linkedin profile – Add your Blog and Twitter Account if these are related to your future job. When employers are looking for staff they will type keywords to find you, so it is important you will add this keywords in your interests and specialities sections.

Moreover you can boost your profile and win the competition by adding special features ( From the main navigation bar > More > My Applications). In particular add a Reading list with job related books, events you have attended or you will attend in the future (there are many for marketing, art, law, health care and other professions) and publications you have written in the past.

3. Join Linkedin Groups and Associations related to your category. Contribute to the discussion of them and connect with some employers

4. Recommend your academic colleagues and previous work mates and ask for a recommendation back.

5. Search for vacancies on the Adzuna job site. The website gathers job ads from almost all the job boards in UK and allows you to be recommended by your friends through its unique Linkedin social feature.

Snippets of the lives of PhD students

If you are thinking about doing your PhD here in the UK, you are probably wondering what they go through. Check out PhD Life: A blog about real researcher issues. The blog is hosted by the University of Warwick Library Wolfson Research Exchange. There are some really interesting posts by PhD students in the University of Warwick - thoughts, experiences as well as rants.

Car insurance – making the student loan stretch a little further

Going to university or college is an exciting time. New experiences, new friends and new challenges make it one of the most rewarding periods of your life. But it’s also one of the most expensive, and with students increasingly worried about mounting debt and student fees, saving money wherever possible is vitally important. The price of running a car is also spiralling upwards, and one of the biggest costs is car insurance. So how can an impoverished student make their loan stretch a little further when it comes to running a car?

Get the insurance you need

It’s a sad fact of life for most students, but the ‘magic age’ for car insurance is widely regarded as 25. That means you’ll often have to wait until you’ve left university or college to see your insurance costs drop dramatically. But drivers under 25 can still get a good deal by shopping around and getting the car insurance that they need, rather than the insurance they’d like. Fully comprehensive may be out of your price range, but that still leaves you with two options – third party only and third party, fire and theft.

Of the two, the latter is preferable as it gives you greater insurance coverage. However, hunting around on the Internet is a great way of finding a package that may offer much more than you expected. There’ll also be handy tips and hints on how to keep your costs down. For example, if your car is garaged then obviously your premiums will be a lot less than if you leave it parked on the roadside. Look for insurance providers that offer special deals for younger drivers and even those who provide specialist insurance for students.

10 Tips for Students in the UK

By Paula Dierkins,

International students in any country are initially plagued by homesickness, loneliness and doubt; however, with some careful planning and disciplined behavior, they can turn their academic experience in the UK to one that they remember positively for the rest of their life. If you’re ready to leave for the UK for graduate (or undergraduate) studies, here are a few tips to help you cope:

1. Prepare for your stay in the UK months before you’re scheduled to arrive – you may have secured admission to a university, but ask about accommodation and food options and ensure that you have a definite place to stay when you get to your college.
2. The system of education may be completely different from what you’ve been accustomed to so far, so read up on university academics in the UK, particularly about the course you’ve signed up for. Your schedule is likely to change by the week or by the term, and you may have to complete a certain number of hours for the completion of each course. If you know what’s expected of you, it’s easy to stay ahead.

UK business schools slide in global MBA rankings

There is only one UK business school in the top 25 Global MBA Rankings 2011. London Business School is ranked #1 in the World and that's it. University of Cambridge: Judge and University of Oxford: Saïd are ranked 26th and 27th respectively. University of Oxford: Saïd was ranked 16th last year while University of Cambridge: Judge was ranked 21st

Warwick Business School is ranked 58th. A slide from 42nd position last year.

New UK Immigration Changes

From the University of Warwick website.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has spoken recently about a series of measures to reduce net migration. These will have an impact on international students and, in particular, on the employment routes available to them after their studies, namely Tier 1 (Post Study Work) and Tier 1 (General). The key changes include:

• an annual limit of 21,700 across Tiers 1 and 2 of the Points Based System on the number of people coming here to work from outside the EU in 2011-12.
• closing Tier 1 General route and using Tier 1 to attract more investors, entrepreneurs and people of exceptional talent. This route permitted unrestricted employment for highly skilled migrants.
• a limit for the revised Tier 1 route, excluding entrepreneurs and investors, will be set at 1,000
• a limit of 20,700 under Tier 2 and raising the bar to graduate level jobs so that only the most skilled migrants are allowed to come to the UK. This marks a return to the days before the first Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education (1999) where obtaining a work permit was the only way in which an international graduate could remain in the UK after studies for employment. It is very difficult to prove that a post cannot be filled from the local (UK/EU labour force).
• intra-company transfers (ICTs) will be exempt, but standards will be raised and numbers lowered by placing a new salary threshold of £40,000 for ICTs longer than 12 months.
• tighter controls on the Tier 2 limit. UKBA will distribute Certificates of Sponsorship to employers on a monthly basis, rather than pre-allocating as is current practice.

On 7 December 2010, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) set out proposals for the major reform of the student migration route and launched an 8 week consultation with stakeholders: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2010/dec/16student-visa-system. The broad aims of the reforms are: