Vijayawada: Braving the prevailing Coronavirus pandemic, many graduates in engineering and other professional courses from AP are aiming to fly to the US, Canada etc to pursue their Master’s or be in the work-and-study mode there to support themselves.
They feel there is huge job potential in those nations while opportunities are fewer in India.
Hordes of students are flocking to overseas education consultancies for coaching in the International English Language Testing System, which is considered the world’s most popular English language proficiency test. The test is done mainly by IDP Education Ltd that offers placement to the students in the US, UK, Australia etc.
Such consulting agencies are coming up mainly in Vijayawada, Guntur and Visakhapatnam as also in other parts of the state to train graduate students on IELTS. The students are charged anywhere between Rs 3,000 and Rs 10,000 for a period of 45 days.
Several lakhs of US citizens are quitting their government jobs for better pay and for other reasons. In this context, the US is giving relaxations in the grant of permission for overseas students to visit the US for higher education.
The students here are getting set to grab such jobs. The US is also learnt to be outsourcing some job works.
The students say they are permitted to work for 20 hours a week with a payment of about 12 dollars per hour. They are getting ready to work part-time at gas-filling stations, supermarkets and other places while pursuing their PG course.
An executive from a Vijayawada-based overseas education consulting agency said, “We are getting more number of students, mainly engineering graduates from the state, to undergo training with us on English reading, writing, listening and speaking skills, so that they can score well in the IELTS and get admission in foreign universities. They would also be equipped to face the interview for a Visa.
Curiously, students from the poor family background are also showing an interest to go abroad by somehow managing to raise funds for a better future.”
Student Deekshit Varma who completed his engineering said, “I am preparing to go to the US for my Master’s and work part-time there. There is a huge job potential there despite the threat of Omicron.”
Another student Rama Krishna said, “I am taking the coaching to appear for IELTS in the hope to get admission for my PG in a good university in the US. I hope to earn good money in due course of time there, instead of waiting for a job locally.”
