The rise in job scams in the UK has raised concerns among international students, who are being targeted by fraudsters and losing thousands of pounds under the pretence of securing employment. 

A BBC report last year revealed that middlemen posing as recruitment agents are scamming international students seeking skilled work visas, with some paying up to “£17,000 for sponsorship certificates that should have been free”.

In response to these scams, job-readiness platform Student Circus has launched an awareness campaign to educate international students about common job scam warning signs and provide practical tips to help them avoid falling victim to such schemes.

“We are committed to supporting international students and ensuring they are aware of the risks they may face when seeking employment in the UK,” said Tripti Maheshwari, co-founder and director of Student Circus. 

“Our goal is to provide students with the information and support they need to spot scams and protect themselves, so they can focus on their education and future without fear of exploitation.”

The platform highlighted the case of Maya (name changed for privacy), an international student in the UK who fell victim to a fraudulent IT training and recruitment company.

Lured by the promise of a visa-sponsored job or a 100% money-back guarantee, Maya was asked to provide personal details and pay a £2,500 deposit for supposed “training costs.”

Maya’s case shows that international students are often seen as money-making machines by those in the education and recruitment industry
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After completing a cheap third-party e-learning course, Maya was pressured to lie in the interview about her work experience at the company, realising too late that she had been scammed.

“Maya’s case shows that international students are often seen as money-making machines by those in the education and recruitment industry,” Maheshwari told The PIE News. 

“To combat this, we started publishing numerous articles on how to identify legitimate employers and spot red flags in job offers.”

The organisation is also working with UK universities such as the University of Kent, Henley Business School, the University of Brighton, Queen Mary University, and Robert Gordon University to garner more support for the campaign against employment cons.  

“We are actively promoting this partnership and campaign through our careers service, student newsletters, social media channels, and direct engagement with students,” stated Valerie Atanga, careers engagement and communications officer, Henley Business School affiliated with the University of Reading. 

“As an institution committed to student well-being and career success, Henley Business School is aware of the challenges international students may face, including fraudulent job offers and employment scams.”

To help mitigate these risks, the institution offers guidance through its careers service, providing workshops, informational resources, and direct support to promote safe job-hunting practices, according to Atanga.

Despite recent media reports suggesting that vacancies for permanent roles had declined at the fastest pace since August 2020, there has been a significant rise in international students applying for UK work visas in the past few years. 

According to a BBC report, applications from students for UK work visas have surged sixfold, rising from 3,966 in the previous year to over 26,000 between June 2022 and June 2023.

While the number of job postings in the UK rose for the first time in seven months in January, according to Reuters, it’s not all hunky-dory for international graduates. 

A Student Circus report from last year emphasised that holding a sponsorship license does not necessarily mean an employer will hire international graduates.

While there are 100,000 employers on the Register of Licensed Sponsors, only 10% of employers with a sponsorship license might be a good fit for international students, according to the report. 

The report found that only 10,000 UK companies with sponsorship licenses qualify as authentic employers, meeting key criterias such as a legitimate online presence, registration with companies house, and decent working conditions.

“Saying that 100,000 employers are willing to hire international students can be misleading. Such numbers create a sense of false optimism about employment prospects for international students,” read the report.