Not a shore shot

A still from Desi Boyz where Akshay and John are forced to work in a strip club to make ends meet

Even as foreign shores continue to attract several students for a fancy degree, it’s destination India as far as jobs are concerned. The economic crisis in the UK, USA, Middle East and South Asian nations have prompted Indian students to pack up and head home after they graduate. Students feel staying on abroad and seeking a job is a gamble. There are jobs aplenty here, even if they do not match their standards. For advertising professional Aditya Mirchandani, it was a decision made after gauging the trends, “I was offered a prestigious internship with an advertising firm in London but the wages were just enough to cover visa expenses. And there was no job guarantee either so covering rent, food and travel was out of question.” An average internship pays £10, which will just about cover travel expenses. A fixed internship is likely to pay more. Many others tried for a few months and decided to head home. Though students can get a two-year work visa, landing a permanent job is not a guarantee. Several European companies are offering only contractual jobs, which extend from two months to six months. Despite having a meaty resume, the offers are not close to satisfactory in terms of salary and designation. Bengaluru lad Nikhil Narayan graduated from NTU, Singapore, returned to the city and is happy with his job here, “Getting a job abroad is a dream now. We were being offered a fresher’s salary due to the recession. The Indian market is much better.” A fresher’s package is around $3,000 Singapore per annum. The ever-so attractive Middle East is also painting an unhappy picture. A chunk of jobs is now being allotted to Middle East citizens; something that was never done before. Engineering graduate Tabrez Hafiz is hopeful of getting a call-back from a company in Saudi, “I studied here but I want to work in Jeddah. The only way to make the cut is by recommendations.” Though job prospects are aplenty, the salaries are not flattering. Consultant psychologist Swarnalatha Iyer says, “It’s a tough time for students. There is a rush for niche jobs but insufficient vacancies. It pressurises the ones who have studied here too.” Economics professor V Babu agrees, “There is an imbalance now in terms of deserving opportunities and salaries, but at least, there are jobs here.” Sagarika Jaisinghani returned to India after her studies and just landed herself a job as a business analyst, “With a loan to repay, and a salary which doesn’t really match up to the expected standards, it’s certainly an unnerving time for many.” Sindhuja Balaji 4 Dec 2011