How an Average Student Built a Career in the UK After Graduation
Amandeep wasn't a topper, didn't get a first-class degree, and didn't have a UK job lined up. Three years after landing in the UK, he is a senior analyst earning £48,000. Here is the unfiltered story.
Amandeep from Ludhiana — merit, then Graduate Route, then Canary Wharf
Amandeep Dhaliwal graduated from his MSc in Finance at the University of Leicester in 2022 with a merit classification — the middle tier, not a distinction. He had spent six months watching classmates with better grades land City internships while he applied to roles and heard nothing. For three months he questioned everything.
He is now a Senior Financial Analyst at a mid-size investment firm in Canary Wharf, earning £48,500 plus bonus. This is the path between those two points.
The Graduate Route Visa — Two Years to Build
The UK Graduate Route visa (introduced in 2021) gives international graduates from UK universities two years to work in the UK after graduation, with no employer sponsorship required. For an MSc graduate, this is two years of freedom — you can take any job, at any level, change employers, and still legally work in the UK. Amandeep used every month of it.
- Month 1–2: Applied to 60+ roles. 4 responses. 1 interview. 0 offers.
- Month 3: Took a short contract role at a small accounting firm — £22,000 pro-rata. Below expectations, but UK experience.
- Month 6: Got a full-time Junior Analyst role at a financial data company — £30,000
- Month 14: Promoted internally to Analyst — £37,000
- Month 22: Moved to current employer for Senior Analyst role — £48,500
- Skilled Worker Visa: sponsored by current employer before Graduate Route expired
I felt like a failure in months two and three. But I was in the UK legally with a work visa. Every interview I attended made my interview technique better. The first job was bad. The second was okay. The third was the one I was aiming for all along.
— Amandeep Dhaliwal, Ludhiana to London
What Made the Difference
Amandeep attributes his turnaround to three things: joining a professional community (CFA Level 1 study group that met weekly and shared job leads), accepting a below-target first job to get UK employer experience on his CV, and being consistent with applications rather than selective. "I applied broadly, networked genuinely, and trusted that the compound effect of showing up eventually works."