Soon to be master: What now? As the students begin to approach the end of their programme a number of questions usually arise. Leaving the familiar study environment may seem overwhelming. There is a number of choices to be made regarding one’s future (Where shall I look for a job? Should I try PhD?). Finally, there are certain practical issues that must be cleared (unemployment fund, paying back the SU loan etc.). With this brochure we at the Centre of African Studies will give you an overview over the most important information related to the transition from academic to professional life. It is, however, essential that you supply this information with your own research. Withdrawal from the University The withdrawal from Copenhagen University happens automatically when your last exam is registered. Therefore you do not need to actively take any steps for your registration to be withdrawn. Your student card will also be closed automatically so there is no need to return it. However, if you had a locker at the faculty you have to remember to empty it and return the key to the reception after your last exam. You also have to remember to return the books borrowed from the library. The university will inform the SU agency that you have finished your degree. There is no need for you to contact SU agency yourself. If you have taken SU loan, you will automatically get a message as to when you need to start paying it back. You can read more about paying back the SU loan at www.minsu.dk. At this address you can also read about the rules regarding paying back the ordinary SU in case your earnings have exceeded the allowed amount. Job market Membership in unemployment fund As a recent graduate you can become a member of unemployment fund and receive unemployment benefit accordingly with the so called graduate-rate (dimmitend-sats), if you meet the demands as to being available to the job market. It is extremely important that you remember to apply for the unemployment fund membership no later than fourteen days after the graduation date. The date of graduation is the date when you have completed your degree, which is the date your last grade is given. If you finish your degree with an oral exam, the date of the exam will be the same as the date of graduation. If you finish your degree with a written thesis, the fourteen days are normally counted from the day the thesis is graded. However, one can become a member of unemployment fund based on a written confirmation from both the examinator and the sensor saying that the thesis will receive a passing grade (forhåndsgodkendelse). It is your own responsibility to send the form for the confirmation to both the examinator and the sensor after having submitted your thesis. The so-called 14-day rule is regulated by law and therefore one cannot get a dispensation from it. If you miss the 14 day deadline you can only start getting the unemployment benefit after having been a member of unemployment fund for a year and having worked for 1924 hours. Most unemployment funds today give an opportunity for a preliminary membership application up to 4 months before the expected graduation date. The membership application is executed from graduation date. The first month after graduating In the first month after the graduation you are not entitled to get unemployment benefit. In the Danish unemployment fund system this month is referred to as karensmåneden. During this month you are not obliged to be available for the job market. You cannot receive unemployment benefit simultaneously with receiving SU scholarship. However, you are allowed to receive SU during the karensmåned. This implies that you have graduated (attended the last oral exam or submitted your written thesis) on the second or later in the month in question. Rules of availability From the day the karensmåned is over you begin to earn unemployment benefit if you meet the criteria of availability to job market. Being available to the job market means: • Being a registered member of your local job centre • Actively looking for a job • Having your CV available through jobnet’s CV bank • Being willing to take a ‘reasonable job’ • Applying to jobs that the job centre or the unemployment fund ask you to apply for • Showing up whenever your job centre invites you to a meeting • Informing the job centre if you change address, telephone number and such • Updating your information in the job centre and your CV when you finish an education/course • Informing the job centre when you get employed (Source: www.jobnet.dk) You can read more about the rules of availability in the brochure “About being available”. The graduate-rate is at the moment about DKK 12.500 before tax. Looking for a job Looking for work is a hard work! These days those who are not employed have to follow a lot of rules from both job centre and unemployment fund these. One might find it frustrating to follow all these rules. At the same time it can be difficult to handle the uncertainty of not knowing what the future brings. Members of job centres (and unemployment fund) are offered a lot of guidance regarding writing a good application and CV, improving your interview performance etc. Taking advantage of this guidance is an active step towards making the job search process quicker and more pleasant. As a generalist, it generally is important to think creatively when it comes to job search. African studies gives a number of specific as well as a number of broader qualifications. This is why there are no specific limitations as to what an MA in African Studies can or cannot. Together with your diploma you will get a description of your competencies from the centre, which you can use to create a better overview of your competencies. Remember that both unemployment funds and unions offer a number of courses for their members. As a graduate member of an unemployment fund you are entitled to 6 weeks of full time funded education funded by SVU (statens videreuddannelsesstøtte). In this way you have an opportunity to supplement your competencies while not employed. Union Being a member of a union can provide a certain sense of security when you are recently graduated. Unions can advise you on, for example, salary and your rights on the job market as well as help you if those rights are not being respected. You freely choose between unions, it might, however, be a good idea to choose one that has experience with your professional field. Today, many unions offer an opportunity to become a member at a special student fee. Unions, much like unemployment funds, have a number of offers for their members, such as courses, membership in professional network, discounts etc. If you want to apply for a PhD A PhD is a three-year long researcher education. The requirement for enrolment is to have a finished master degree. As a PhD student, one gets hired by a higher education institution for a limited amount of time. The main goal and an obligation with being hired is to complete a researcher education. There is a number of ways to apply for a PhD The common procedure is applying based on an announcement. In this case one would normally apply for both enrolment at the research institution and a scholarship. The scholarship covers the expenses such as salary during the employment period and diverse service costs. It is also an option to apply for a so-called PhD-free-spot based on an announcement. Having a free spot implies financing your own salary, while the faculty provides a workplace and the service costs directly related to the education. You can also apply for a PhD without it being announced. In this case you will have to finance both the salary and the service costs yourself. Finally, it is possible to apply for a so-called professional PhD. This implies that you have contact/are hired by a business/company that wants to financially support your PhD education and that the faculty wants to provide supervision for the project. You can read more about professional PhD at www.erhvervsphd.dk If you are interested in hearing more about applying for a PhD you are welcome to contact the director of the centre Stig Jensen (tlf. 35324599, email [email protected]) or head administrator of studies Maj-Britt Johansen (tlf. 35323959 email [email protected]) Stay in touch with the Centre of African Studies Although formally you are now leaving University of Copenhagen there are still possibilities to keep contact with the academic environment you have been a part of. The University’s organisation of students, KUBULUS that was established in 2007 has created a place for the students to meet, both those who are currently studying and the graduates. There you can keep the old contacts and create a new network. Read more about KUBULUS at www.alumni.ku.dk You can keep in touch with the Centre of African Studies by attending our many seminars and different further education offers. We hope, that when you start working you will still have an opportunity to attend courses at the centre to refresh and extend your knowledge and qualifications. You can keep posted about the courses through our homepage. Where can I find more information? You are welcome to contact our career counsellor Anne Rahbek if you have any more questions. She can be contacted by telephone 35324319 or by email [email protected] Centre of African studies organizes so-called ‘Almost-master meetings’ twice a year. At these meetings the career counsellor informs about the transition from academic to professional life. Check the centre’s calendar for time and place. The centre also organizes a career workshop twice a year. There you can find out more about the career opportunities that your education opens up for. Check the centre’s calendar for time and place. Useful links Stay in touch with the University of Copenhagen KUBULUS www.alumni.ku.dk Further education at the University of Copenhagen www.evu.ku.dk www.teol.ku.dk/uddannelser Job searching www.jobnet.dk www.job-i-staten.dk www.jobindex.dk www.jobzonen.dk www.OFIR.dk