TOMORROW'S first-jobbers will not be prepared to work full-time for less than a net salary of €1,366 a month, believe graduate work experience should be paid, and want more practical content in their degree courses.
The marketing consultancy Círculo Formación surveyed 4,000 students, and found that 69% would not get out of bed for less than a gross wage of €20,000 a year, and only three in 10 would accept a starting pay of less than €20,000 but at least €15,000 (being €1,075 a month after tax).
The new generation of workers is more conscious of their values as employees and less resigned to spending 40 hours a week on a job that does not cover their bills – in fact, those who come from, or are studying in, Madrid and Barcelona would not work for less than a take-home of €1,366 a month in 77% and 79% of cases.
For those who would agree to take a job – at first, at least – paying a net €1,075 a month, the highest number was found in the province of Sevilla (38%), followed by those of Murcia (37%) and Granada (36%).
Seven out of 10 students in Catalunya feel their degrees have qualified them for the job market and they feel confident in what they have learnt in their time at university to be able to start in their chosen profession, although this varies across the country – 69% of undergraduates and soon-to-be graduates in Santiago de Compostela, in the Galicia province of A Coruña, and 61% in Granada, say they do not feel what they have learnt at university has made them feel capable and confident of handling a job in its subject area; extremes which mean only 47% nationwide on average thinks their degree has prepared them for employment.
For those who do not feel ready, the main stumbling block is that their courses have been 'too theoretical' with 'not enough practical experience or tuition'.
Many new graduates go on to take work experience positions, where they become known as becarios – literally, 'scholarship students' – although this term is misleading because the placements are normally unpaid.
Some are included as an integral part of a degree, meaning they need to complete a certain number of hours' work experience to quality, although in most cases, they are a type of practical training stage designed to give graduates a 'feel' for the profession they hope to follow.
A total of 91% of students interviewed believe becarios should be paid – even if only a token sum – since 'at the end of the day, they are doing a job'.
Most of those interviewed will carry on to study a master's degree – a qualification far more commonly seen and more often expected in Spain than in Anglo-Saxon countries – and 44% said they would be paying the fees for it themselves, compared with 40% who said their parents would help them out financially.
The most popular choice of master's degree was in banking, finance or management, including an MBA, making up 20% of those interviewed.
Another 18% intended to opt for a master's in legal sciences, social sciences, education or psychology, and 12% expressed plans to study theirs in health and biomedical areas.
