FAQs about employability

We make it easy for you to get the support you need, when you need it. However, you prefer to connect, online, on campus, or one-to-one, we’re here for you.

• Book a 15- or 30-minute, 1-2-1 appointment with one of our team at a time that works for you
• Make use of our Employability Spaces across each NTU Campus
• Get Employability advice 24/7 on MyEmployability
• Our Ask a Question feature connects you directly with the right advice and resources recommended by our team.

We work closely with local, national and global organisations, big and small to connect our students to their dream career. Whether that is organising industry visits and experiences, hosting hundreds of organisations on campus at our Employability Career Fairs, or providing live part-time, placement and graduate roles on our jobs board.

At NTU, every undergraduate degree is designed to give you real-world insight and professional experience — with flexible placement options to suit your needs and ambitions.

As standard, all students complete at least eight weeks of assessed work-like experience, embedded within their course. Designed to help you apply your learning in real contexts, build confidence, and develop essential workplace skills. But if you want to take your experience even further, you can opt for a year-long placement between your second and final year at NTU.

You don’t have to search alone. Our Employability team is here to connect you with opportunities and give you the tools to succeed. We source and advertise placements on our internal jobs portal, host Career Fairs and host employers looking to work with NTU students during their studies.

We’ll help you prepare for every stage with:

• Placement briefings and CV workshops
• Application and Interview support
• One-to-one interview coaching
• Mock assessment centres with real employers

Placements are competitive, and securing one is ultimately down to you, but the earlier you prepare and the more support you make use of, the stronger your chances.

Please check with your course team and the University prospectus to see if your course has a placement element included.

We’ll do everything we can to help you secure a placement, but because it’s a competitive process, not every student gets one.

If that happens, there are plenty of other ways to build experience, from summer internships and short placements to volunteering and live projects. Each will give you valuable workplace insight and strengthen your CV.

A degree opens doors; to graduate jobs, postgraduate study and a wide range of career paths.

If you already have a career in mind, tools like job profiles on Prospects can show you the qualifications you’ll need or the free Prospects Planner questionnaire can also help you map out your options.

Not sure what you want to do yet? That’s normal. Most employers don’t require a specific degree, which means your options stay wide open. Employers also value everything else you do at university, from extra-curricular activities, part-time work, to achievements outside your course. So, make the most of and value all the opportunities NTU has on offer.

Once you’re at NTU, we’ll give you all the opportunities and support you’ll need to explore your choices and shape your path to your ambitions.

Our employability support doesn’t stop at graduation, it continues for up to three years after you leave NTU.

Our dedicated Graduate Support Team can help you get your career off to the best start with:

• One-to-one coaching and guidance
• Exclusive graduate events and workshops
• Access to online resources
• Access to live graduate opportunities
• Connection with your fellow graduates in your years online community

We work closely with employers to bring you graduate jobs and internships throughout your final year and beyond.

While we’ll be here to support you after NTU, the best time to kickstart your career is while you’re still a student, make the most of everything on offer now.

The NTU Award celebrates everything you do as a student, in and out of the classroom. It’s flexible, personal, and built around you.

From enrolment right through to graduation, the Award is ready when you are. You choose your direction, set your pace, and shape your experience. We’ll provide the structure, opportunities, and support to help you make it happen.

Whether you’re in your first year or completing a PhD, the NTU Award is your chance to showcase your skills and stand out.

A part-time job can fit around your studies, give you extra financial support, and help you build skills that employers value when you apply for placements or graduate roles.

At NTU, you’ve got two main ways to find work:

• JobShop – our online portal for local, casual roles in areas like retail, hospitality, and social care.
• Unitemps – our in-house recruitment agency, offering paid opportunities across NTU. Roles range from catering and admin to Student Ambassador work at Open Days, Graduation, and other events.

Part-time work isn’t just about income, it’s about experience that makes you stand out.

Our employability services are open to all students. If you’re an international student, you can also access extra support, including UK job search and visa workshops to help you understand visa rules and employer expectations.

We work with outside careers and opportunities organisations such as, Student Circus and GoinGlobal, to ensure NTU international students have the best and most current information needed to make a career decision.

We support international students, with looking for a placement roles, and part-time work during their studies, developing confidence in work-place skills needed in the UK. We also help you to search and apply for a graduate jobs in the UK, globally, or in your home country.

All international students have a dedicated Careers Coach and Employability team within each academic School, and you can see them frequently delivering employability workshops alongside academic colleagues.

We support students from all backgrounds and take individual circumstances into account.

Our NTU Rise programme aims to ensure all students, regardless of their individual circumstances, have fair access to opportunities whilst at NTU. Rise provides a range of employability initiatives, opportunities, and advice tailored to students from a variety of different backgrounds. The portfolio of Rise activities for students has been developed to help them prepare for the world of work, and successfully and confidently transition into their chosen career path.