Tag Archives: EU

Employment rights in post-Brexit Britain

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As the UK prepares to trigger Article 50, signalling its departure from the EU, opponents of Brexit worry that that employment rights will be eroded and the UK will become a less welcoming place, particularly for LGBT people.

sciencebrexit

A placard waved at the anti-Brexit demonstration, held in London on March 25 2017.

“Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves, First we’ll kick the Poles out, Then we’ll get the gays.”

Liberal democrat peer Liz Barker reminded a business summit on LGBT rights last week that the above chant was heard in London the day after the EU referendum in June 2016, and that in the three months following there was a 147% increase in reported homophobic crimes.

“Among the very many half-truths bandied about during the [referendum] campaign, the idea that the EU played very little or no parts in gaining rights in this country was most egregious,” she told The Economist’s Pride and Prejudice event, held in London, Hong Kong and New York on 23 March. Continue reading →

Mobility: How to prepare for working in Sweden

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Make sure you’re prepared in advance if moving to Sweden for research, says Barry O’Brien.

Barry-OBrien-Naturejobs-blogBarry O’Brien is a careers advisor working for PhD Career link, in Sweden. In this Q&A I find out what it takes to make a smooth transition into Swedish life and research.

Why did you move to Sweden? 

I met a beautiful Swedish girl who dragged me to Stockholm with promises of clean air and open spaces. She forgot to mention the high taxes and expensive beer!

How do you help scientists in Sweden?

PhD Career Link was created to supply fresh ideas for job seekers looking to move from academia to industry. I am helping career centres to deliver interesting courses, workshops and events around the concept of personal branding – first impressions matter! I use LinkedIn, Facebook, Meetup and traditional tools like the good old CV, to improve applicant’s chances of both being found by, and finding recruiters.

What support is there for researchers based in Sweden?

Career support whilst researching comes from the University Career Centres and Unions, but unfortunately not every University has the resources to assist them.

In Sweden a PhD is a paid position, so now there are regulation changes happening that will mean that someone doing a PhD is considered employed and should fall under the ‘state employment’ rules – this means that they are not the responsibility of the University. Many student groups organise their own career events, inviting alumni, coaches and industry speakers. Continue reading →

Train ’em up and kick ’em out

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Plans for non-EU graduate students to leave the UK, once their courses and visas have expired, have been halted.

In December 2014, Theresa May, the UK home secretary, proposed plans for “zero net student immigration” in the UK, arguing that this would be part of a fair immigration policy. The plans (initially set out in the Conservative Party Manifesto of 2010) stated that any non-EU student at a UK university would be required to leave the UK, immediately upon completion of their degree. Any universities and institutions failing to enforce this policy would be penalised. 

These plans have been halted, for now, due to resistance from the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne, with support from the former UK universities minister, David Willets, and inventor Sir James Dyson. They argue that the benefit to the UK economy, of attracting talented researchers from around the world, outweighs the negatives of increasing immigration.

The current rules stipulate that students have 4 months after graduation to apply for a graduate job that pays £24,000 per year. This looks set to remain the case for the time being, but it is unclear whether May’s plans have been buried completely or if they’ve just been delayed. Clearly this is a complex set of issues at a time when governments, on one hand, are being forced to control immigration to control public spending, and on the other hand recognise the need to import talent that not only supports the higher education “industry”, whose research-based innovation could drive economic growth.

We’re interested to hear from the Naturejobs readers about the potential impacts of this policy. So, please vote in our poll to let us know if you think this policy should go through and in the comments, please provide your reasons and answers to the questions below:

  • Are you a non-EU student in the UK? What was your experience of applying for a job here? Would a proposal like this make you think twice?
  • Are you a non-EU student thinking of coming to study in the UK? How would this proposal affect you?
  • Are you an existing UK or EU student studying in the UK? What do you think about this proposal?

Thanks!