S T U DY I N G A B ROA D
What are the postgraduation opportunities for
students in terms of immigration and employment?
So far, if I may say so, the best in terms of other countries
like the UK or US. Firstly, Germany is suffering from “aging
population”, which leaves huge gaps in the job market
and spurs the need to import minds from abroad. This led
to the easing of immigrations law and visa procedures,
where every foreign student gets a visa extension of one
and a half years after graduation as a job look-up period to
ensure he finds employment and stays in Germany longer.
During the look-up period, a student is allowed to do any
kind of work to support his living without restrictions,
and if he gets a full-time job within this given period, he
fixes the papers accordingly per his employment contract.
Students can also work part-time during his studies and
support himself financially.
If we look at the UK or US, students, unfortunately, have
very limited time to find a job with a strict stated salary
they have to get in order to get their visa extended. The
US in general keeps the right to decide not to stamp a
foreigner’s passport during his vacation back in his own
country, which leaves no guarantee for him to return once
he goes abroad, even for a short period.
How does your university differ from other
universities which offer same courses? How is the
employability and academics?
With much respect towards other business schools,
which have their own unique qualities and courses, we
are happy to be known as the largest finance faculty in
Germany, as well as the only German business school to
have a Master’s of Finance course recognised globally and
be ranked seventh in FT rankings in terms of careers. The
expertise developed over fifty years from our practical
research and constant training of financial and banking
industry executives gives us unique standing in terms of
experience, practice and connections, which we share with
our students. Constant case studies, industrial visits and
having one of the best-ranked professors contributing to
the university, add to the value of our quality education
that we strive to ensure.
How would you rate Germany in terms of cost of
living as compared to the UK, United States, Canada
and Australia?
It depends a lot on the city you live in and the items you
need in your life. If we look at major cities such as Frankfurt,
Toronto and London, from my own experience I could state
that Germany is so far one of the cheapest options as monthly
living expenses are around 670 to 750 euros and that includes
rent, food, transport and health insurance. It would be much
more expensive if we are talking about Australia or the UK,
where the living expenses are indeed high. Canada and the
US seem to be less expensive options in this case, but at the
moment, Germany stands at the best one.
Would students who don’t speak German encounter
any language barriers?
Although learning the German language is not mandatory,
we always advise our students to pick up at least an A1- or
A2-level knowledge of German before arriving in the country
and try to improve it during their stay. The reason is, first, it is
always a plus to know a local language, especially German,
which is widely spoken in Europe as well. Second, it opens up
more possibilities if you are planning to settle and prosper in
your career in the country. It can be done via our FS Tandem
programme, where the language exchange principal works,
as well as constant interaction with locals, who admire
internationals making efforts to speak German and are happy
to help. Persistence and a wish to develop one’s skills are most
essential in learning German, as well as any other language.
This interview was conducted with Sumit Rai, Regional
Head South Asia, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
Sonnemannstraße 9-11, 60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
For more information, please contact +603-220 220 71 or
email: [email protected]
Sumit Rai
easyuni Guide 2014
Issue 2
49