Keep Calm & Start a Career in London – A Q&A with Samuel Monkley, Finding Career Success in the UK

London has always been and continues to be a desirable place to work for any professional. Overseas graduates are particularly on the lookout for a career in this city, known for being one of the world’s most international and dynamic business centres. This has become all the more pertinent since the introduction of a relatively new visa scheme, available for just under a year, which offers a route for eligible global talent to come to the UK for their career.

The ’High Potential Individual Visa Scheme’* allows students from 37 top universities around the world to live and work in the UK for two years, offering a great opportunity to many international student-athletes who meet the required criteria, and allowing them to continue their successful journey in the UK. The US is home to 20 out of the 37 eligible top-ranked universities in the world, giving a great head start to any students from this list looking for a career in Europe. American student-athletes are particularly well regarded, having pursued an intense, yet rewarding university experience, and as such they appeal to companies on the lookout for high performers.

If you find yourself wondering or worrying about the transition as you enter into the workplace, not only from student-athlete to full-time employee, but also from overseas to London, then you’re in the right place. We’ve asked a few of questions to former rower and add-victor Alumnus Samuel Monkley, New Zealander graduate from Harvard University, who, despite not waiting for the visa scheme to come into play, recently landed a career in London with JMAN, and has provided us with invaluable insight into this pivotal experience.  

Samuel Monkley - Harvard Athletics Photoshoot 

From New Zealand to the States

Despite starting rowing at Cambridge High School as a means of gaining fitness to support his rugby training, Sam Monkley was quickly drawn into the famously addictive sport, as many who try it inevitably are. He then knew by his senior year that he wanted to continue rowing alongside his studies after high school, although he told us that his initial intention was to do so at his local university. However, after being spotted by Harvard Scouts when he was competing for the New Zealand Junior Rowing Team, he was offered a place at prestigious American university. “After a few discussions with coaches from various universities”, Sam told us, “I decided Harvard was the place for me. The combination of highly talented teammates, expert coaching and an incredibly strong degree presented me with an opportunity I could not turn down.”

“Achieving a high level on both the water and in the classroom was a goal of mine”

The Student-Athlete Experience

Naturally, attending and competing at an Ivy League university is a huge achievement, but it also presents a massive challenge. Inherent in the offer is the expectation of outstanding athletic performance, alongside continued academic excellence, a combination which Sam described as “challenging but rewarding”. Despite the potential difficulties, he asserted that “Achieving at a high level on both the water and in the classroom was a goal of mine and required commitment”, and as a result he made the most of his experience as a student-athlete, describing rowing as “the defining part of my time at Harvard, as it taught more lessons than maybe I learnt even in the classroom.”

The Next Step in London

While the US offers many finance and consulting career opportunities in, for example, the hubs of New York and Boston, Sam instead chose to move to a city which sits on the other side of the world from his home. When asked about the reasoning behind his decision, he explained that the work-life balance which he prioritised appeared more achievable in London than in NYC or Boston, places where finance careers often come hand-in-hand with an intense lifestyle. “While many students from high-performing schools thrive in those environments,” he said, “I was looking for a career in which I could pursue hobbies and sports at the same time.”

Further to this, London arguably represents the most diverse city in the world, with the unique and exciting prospect of having Europe on its doorstep. This fact consolidated Sam’s decision, who told us “I will be utilising my holiday time by exploring the many countries and cultures across the pond.”

However, making a decision is just one step towards achieving a goal, and accordingly, choosing to work in London was just the first stage of a process that is uniquely challenging in the States; a big hurdle standing in his way was his inability to attend careers fairs and assessment centres in the target city. Despite this, with the help of some alumni of the rowing team and other athletes that he knew working in the UK, he was “connected to add-victor, who ultimately helped me land my current role”.

Any Advice for Students Considering the Move to London?

When thinking back on his time as an international student at Harvard, Sam reflects that “I grew a lot simply from having moved to a new country and immersing myself in a new, diverse culture.” As such, he highly recommends that “everyone should have some experience abroad to help grow themselves as a person and to immerse themselves in new cultures, thereby making them a more well-rounded person.”

*The High Potential Individual (HPI) Visa Scheme
[Explained]

The UK has launched a new visa scheme aimed at bright graduates from around the world. The new HPI route is available to those who recently graduated from one of the top 50 universities ranked by a minimum of two of the following lists: The Academic Ranking of World Universities, Times Higher Education World University Rankings and/or The Academic Ranking of World Universities. Those parameters gives a total of 37 universities eligible for the visa entry – find the full list on the UK government website: High Potential Individual visa: global universities list 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).