Ireland is one of the only European countries to provide a two year graduate work visa. The Irish Third Level Graduate scheme exists to allow legally resident non-EEA third level graduates to remain in Ireland for the purpose of seeking employment and applying for a green card or work permit.
As a result, many students remain in Ireland after graduating and enter the job market. One such person was MBA alumnus Shantanu Jain from India who began working after graduation at PwC in Dublin as a Senior Associate. Shantanu speaks about the two year graduate work visa and offers tips and advice to students looking to avail of the visa programme.
I moved to Dublin in 2018 to start my journey of the Full-Time Trinity MBA. Before coming to Ireland, I stayed in various parts of India to work and study. I did engineering for my graduation and worked in the IT industry there for 4 years.
Towards the end of my course of Trinity MBA, I was interviewed at PwC Ireland where I work now as a Senior Associate in Technology and Digital Consulting. PwC is one of the largest professional services firms in the world and offers a broad range of services across audit, tax and advisory.
Dublin is booming as a hub for the headquarters of many Big Fortune companies with a vast array of opportunities available with these companies. I chose to do Trinity MBA for a number of reasons, including my interest in the Company Project, other projects as a part of Trinity MBA, and finding an opportunity to understand work culture. Without a doubt the QS rankings, the global reputation of The Trinity MBA and the 2 year graduate visa sealed my decision to travel to Ireland, the Land of Saints and Scholars.
The two year graduate visa is a special visa granted in Ireland which allows international students to stay 2 years after their graduation to live and work in Ireland. Obtaining the 2 year graduate visa is a simple and easy task. I simply booked my appointment online where I found the list of documents to be brought with me on the day of the appointment. Trinity Business School was really helpful to me for their assistance in completing my documentation. After the visa appointment it was another 3-4 weeks wait until I received my visa.
The 2 year visa allows graduates to remain and search for jobs in Ireland and also to be eligible for permanent and contract jobs. During the period of the two years, if a graduate is able to secure a job and critical skills are required for the job, then the employer may also help the graduate in acquiring a Critical Skills Permit which allows them to stay in Ireland past their two year graduate visa period. After graduation as well, Trinity's Alumni Team are still always active to leverage the Trinity Alumni network for our help and also invite them in to some of Trinity's networking events.
As a Senior Associate in Technology and Digital Consulting at PwC in Dublin, my role is to create and deliver technology solutions for my clients. This includes collaborating with various teams across PwC to gains insights into the requirements and to then conceptualise a digital roadmap to ensure a smooth delivery for the client.
My previous industrial experience with new methods and tools learned from the Trinity MBA unlocked my potential for this role. Applying to PwC was a very straightforward process, where networking proved to be very helpful in receiving a referral. Upon being shortlisted, I was interviewed in two rounds at PwC. The final round was a business case for providing a solution to achieve a client’s ambitious targets. I was able to use my experiences learned from the company projects on the Trinity MBA which made me really confident for the round. I was successful in the round, and hired afterwards by PwC.
In Ireland, searching for a job can be challenging if clear goals are not set. You need to be clear on what role you want to pursue after an MBA. It is very important to have constant self-motivation and I personally believe networking is a priceless key in this job market.
Remember to love and enjoy life as much as you love and enjoy your work. It is very important to have the work-life balance. Ireland is a great country with its beautiful mountains and majestic seas, and it holds a lot of personal and professional opportunities. I would urge everyone traveling to this country to realise their goals and dreams and live up to their fullest potential.